Eating disorder patients waiting up to five years for treatment

People with an eating disorder are waiting as long as five years to start treatment on the NHS, putting their recovery on hold, new report says.

Beat, a charity which helps those suffering from anorexia and bulimia, warns that delays to access vital care can have a ‘devastating’ impact on those with eating disorders.

It stresses that although the five-year wait was a one-off, too many patients are waiting long periods of time to see a specialist, despite efforts by the NHS to provide more services and cut waiting times.

Patients wait on average six months after first visiting their GP about their condition before they start treatment, Beat said. Some have been made to wait as long as that just to have the appointment at which they are assessed, after being referred by their GP.

It can then take up to 13 weeks after the assessment appointment before they see a psychiatrist who specialises in treating eating disorders.

It takes on average three and a half years between symptoms emerging and the sufferer starting treatment, with the gap among adults seeking help double that found in children.

People typically take over 18 months to realise they have a problem and then more than a year before they seek help, Beat found.

Under NHS England waiting time targets for eating disorders, under-18s who are classed as an emergency should receive treatment within 24 hours, urgent cases should be seen inside a week and non-urgent cases within four weeks.

Beat’s findings are based on the experience of 1,478 patients who responded to a survey the charity undertook.

Andrew Radford, Beat’s chief executive, said: “The impact of having to wait a long time before receiving treatment can be devastating for eating disorders sufferers and their families.

“Eating disorders are serious, complex mental illnesses and early intervention is key to recovery. All evidence tells us the sooner someone with an eating disorder gets the treatment they need, the more likely they are to make a full and sustained recovery.”

Barbara Keeley, Labour’s shadow cabinet minister for mental health, said: “This [Beat] report suggests that Tory ministers need to snap out of their complacent attitude to the treatment of eating disorders. It is yet more proof that warm words from the Tories haven’t been met with firm action to improve services in the community.”

Marc Bush, YoungMinds chief policy adviser, said: “Sadly, these figures chime with what we hear on our helpline, from worried parents who are desperately trying to get support from child and adolescent mental health services.

“Parents of children with eating disorders say that their children have been turned away because their weight isn’t low enough, or that they’re put on long waiting lists, during which time the situation can get worse.

“While services are improving in some areas, these figures suggest that too often NHS targets for the treatment are not being met. It’s also clear that there is still a huge amount of work to do to help young people recognise when they may be developing an eating disorder and seek help earlier on.”

An NHS England spokesperson said: “There are now 70 NHS community eating disorder services for children and young people covering the whole of England, backed £150 million of investment. As a result, eight in ten young people now get care within four weeks, and three-quarters receive urgent treatment in a week, so progress is clearly being made.”