Eating Disorders

Early intervention is absolutely vital in the fight against eating disorders and everyone with an eating disorder must have access to timely treatment. That is why I am glad that an ambitious new access standard is being introduced, aiming for 95 per cent of children (up to 19 years old) with eating disorders to receive treatment within a week for urgent cases and four weeks for routine cases by 2020. I am pleased the latest quarterly figures on waiting times indicate the NHS is on track to meet this target.
 
In 2014, the Government announced that it would invest £150 million to expand eating disorder community-based care, and I welcome that as a result 70 new or extended community services are now either open or in development. This means that at least 3,350 children and young people a year will receive swift, effective eating disorder treatment in the community.
 
Eating disorders are an acutely distressing mental illness but with the right approach, and appropriate investment, I am confident that the Government will be able to offer help, care, and a full recovery to all those who suffer from eating disorders.
 
The number of people admitted to hospital and diagnosed with an eating disorder in 2017-18 was 22,709, up from 12,228 in 2012-13, an increase of over 85 per cent.
 
Of the 22,709 people admitted to hospital and diagnosed with an eating disorder in 2017-18, over 90 per cent were female, while a majority - 53 per cent - were under the age of 30.
 
The latest quarterly figures, for Q1 2018/19, show that 74.7 per cent of children with an eating disorder start urgent treatment within a week, and 81.2 per cent start routine treatment within four weeks. The Government says this indicates that the NHS is on track to deliver the 95 per cent target by quarter 1 of 2020/21 as planned.