New framework to overhaul children’s eating disorder services

NHS England has launched a new framework for integrated care boards (ICBs) on providing eating disorder services for children and young people with a strong emphasis on early intervention in the community.

The document highlights a need for early diagnosis and support for eating disorders in local community settings.

ICBs have been asked to make sure staff in relevant roles across general practice and other community settings receive training to recognise the signs of eating disorders in children and young people.

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The guidance says training should help staff identify eating disorders, understand risk factors that may increase a child or young person’s vulnerability and navigate local referral routes into specialist community eating disorder services.

While ICBs can choose the most appropriate training approach for their area, the guidance stresses the value of locally delivered training and support from the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.

Separately, NHS England also published new guidelines recommending obesity surgery as a routine commissioning treatment option for some under-18s with severe and complex obesity.

The guidance on eating disorders was co-produced with stakeholders including Beat and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Dr Ashish Kumar, chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Eating Disorders Faculty, said the guidance should be seen as ‘a blueprint’ on how frontline eating disorder services can work with GPs and others to better meet the needs of children and young people.

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‘We hope integrated care boards will seize this opportunity and support services to implement these national commissioning guidelines as soon as possible with the appropriate resources and funding,’ said Dr Kumar.

Tom Quinn, director of external affairs at Beat, described the guidance as ‘an encouraging step in the right direction’.

However, he highlighted the need for the guidance to be implemented quickly.

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‘It’s imperative that funds are made available nationally and locally to deliver on this ambitious guidance and begin to tackle the growing crisis in eating disorder services,’ he said.

NHS England said the aim of the guidance was to help systems achieve the eating disorders waiting time standard.