NHS Wiltshire has commissioned a new Wiltshire service for Adults with Eating Disorders which will begin on 1st May 2011. The contract for the service, to be provided by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, is for a period of three years.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has two specialist Eating Disorders Inpatient units – Cotswold House Oxford and Cotswold House Marlborough – the 12-bedded inpatient Unit based at Savernake Hospital. The Trust provides very specialist services for a wide range of commissioners across the UK.

The new service will provide a full range of interventions, all based in Wiltshire so it is easier for patients to be treated closer to home. A website will offer guidance and advice for patients, carers and professionals and a multidisciplinary team will work with patients in the community. Those requiring treatment as day patients will be able to attend Cotswold House, Marlborough for one to seven days per week depending on their needs, which will help minimise disruption to employment, education or training. Inpatient treatment will be provided for the most unwell patients. The specialist unit based at Savernake Hospital has 12 ensuite bedrooms, day areas, a garden area and a suite of rooms for therapeutic activities. The inpatient team are able to care for the needs of patients requiring refeeding, and close working across the community and inpatient teams will reduce emergency admissions to general hospitals to a minimum.

For patients with eating disorders who do require general hospital care for any reason, a specialist liaison service will be available. Therapeutic interventions will be provided on an individual and group basis. Individual work will include cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and occupational therapy. Group work for day patients and inpatients includes goal setting, motivation, assertiveness, art and craft, food preparation, relationships, anxiety management and body image as well as family therapy as necessary.

Dr Debbie Beale, who has worked with NHS Wiltshire to commission the new service said: “This is an exciting new development to support our patients with eating disorders and their families. It is a problem that requires a lot of specialist help and we look forward to working with Oxford Health who have a strong, well regarded track record of working with patients and their families, and we are very lucky to have this new resource”.

Julie Waldron, Chief Executive of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are very pleased to extend our successful eating disorder services into Wiltshire. This new service will be able to work with newly presenting and acutely unwell patients as well as those with severe and enduring conditions. We have a proven track record in liaising closely with GPs, families and mental health teams to ensure patients are supported and have swift, flexible access to specialist care when it is needed. We will be able to ensure a smooth transition for young people with eating disorders moving from our CAMHS service into adult services, and our approach will reduce the need for long inpatient stays. ”