SPECIAL FEATURE
EATING DISORDERS – SUPPORTING FAMILIES The pandemic has seen a surge in eating disorders among children and young people. We look at this serious issue and how the Trust is supporting parents and carers. In February, the Royal College of Psychiatrists said that the number of under-19s waiting for routine eating disorder treatment had reached record levels, according to its analysis of NHS data; this was despite services treating fewer people than at the same point last year.* For families facing a new diagnosis of an eating disorder, NHS community services, which were already struggling to cope, are now so overstretched that they simply can’t provide care for every child that needs help. In some areas, GPs are finding that when they make a referral, the reply comes back that the family can’t even be put on a waiting list.
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Sadly, there is a huge unmet need in supporting young people with eating disorders, their parents, carers and families. While some families choose to pay for private treatment and support, this route certainly isn’t available to everyone, and even within private counselling and eating disorder services, resources are limited. There are charities that offer various forms of support, including the Charlie Waller Trust, and for some, this can be an absolute lifeline.
A PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVE Dr Nick Smith is a primary care trainer for the Trust and is also a GP in Oxfordshire. He says: “Eating disorders seem to be on the increase, perhaps because people have felt it’s a way to regain control of their lives during the pandemic. Within the practice, we’re seeing adults and children, and we’re seeing younger children than we used to: the youngest is 12. We’re also seeing a lot of codiagnoses, for example low mood or autism, with the eating disorder.
