It can sometimes feel like we are taking steps backwards, and I want to take some time to share the real progress that is happening in eating disorder care and the steps that give me hope for a better future in this space.
As someone who has lived with an eating disorder and now has the privilege of leading this charity, I understand how difficult the news, pop culture, and the online world can be. So, this regular blog will be a chance to hear about what is happening to bring us one step closer to our mission, to ensure everyone gets the care they deserve.
This week, I was asked to join a roundtable at the Department of Health and Social Care to discuss eating disorder services. The roundtable brought together key partners for a solutions-focused discussion on how the forthcoming Modern Service Frameworks (MSFs) can be used to drive tangible improvements in care and outcomes for people with eating disorders.
The discussion was positive and a first for many who have been working in this space for a long time.
Key takeaways from the discussion included:
- Taking inspiration from Australia, we need a national strategy on eating disorders. Eating disorders are complex and cases are rising rapidly – current policies and plans don't address what's needed to deliver joined-up, comprehensive and agile care.
- We would like to see Eating Disorder Champions on Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to ensure we are coordinating care and addressing gaps in services, geography, and parent/carer support.
- We would like see NICE guidelines updated to include all evidence-based support, so that therapy and peer support are recognised as crucial parts of care and so get the funding that is needed
- We need to address inpatient support and the current closures that are happening to ensure everyone is supported during and after recovery.
- We need to have better systems for co-occurring mental health conditions or diagnosis.
- The minister recognised the important work charities are doing, and we recognised the vital partnerships we have with the NHS.
The discussion ended with the understanding that this will be ongoing work and the start of the journey to ensure eating disorder support is prioritised in a way it has never been before.
Similarly, in the same week I attended a Taskforce meeting for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eating Disorders. It is within this group that the push for a national strategy began and continues. At the meeting we heard about some exciting developments:
- Our colleagues and partners at Beat shared that they met with an AI platform to address issues around AI providing harmful advice to those impacted by eating disorders. The platform is now rolling out a new version that will ban this advice. This is a significant win for the eating disorders community,
- There is also work underway to address the gaps in eating disorder statistics, and we expect to start seeing results from this in the summer.
I know it often doesn't feel like we are making progress, but I can guarantee that there are many steps forward. Look out for further updates from me on our progress, and please sign up to our newsletter for more updates.
