Abstract

This national survey compared the demand and capacity of adult community eating disorder services (ACEDS) to NHSE Commissioning guidance.

Results: Of 21 services approached in England and Scotland 13 responded (10.7 million total population).

Between 2016/17 and 2019/20, the average referral rate increased by 18.8%, from 378 to 449/million population.

Only 3.7% of referrals were from child and adolescent eating disorder services (CEDS-CYP), yet 46% of referrals were 18-25 years old.

Most ACEDS had waiting lists and rationed access.

Less than half of services were able to provide full medical monitoring, adapt treatment for co-morbidities, provide seamless transitions across the care pathway, or offer assertive outreach.

ACEDS were 15% funded to meet demand, and to achieve parity with the CEDS-CYP would require an estimated £7 million in funding per million population.

Clinical Implications: Even before the pandemic, ACEDS experienced a growing demand that exceeded its capacity.

Given the increase in eating disorders since, substantial investment is required for ensuring safe and effective NHS services.

Citations

David Viljoen,Emily King,Sophie Harris,Jonathan Hollyman,Kate Costello,Eimear Galvin,Melissa Stock,Ulrike Schmidt,James Downs,Murali Sekar,Ciaran Newell,Sam Clark-Stone,Amy Wicksteed,Caroline Foster,Francesca Battisti,Laura Williams,Roshan Jones,Sarah Beglin,Stephen Anderson,Thuthirna Jebarsan,Viviane Ghuys,Agnes Ayton. The alarms should no longer be ignored: A Survey of the Demand, Capacity and Provision of Adult Community Eating Disorder Services in England and Scotland before COVID-19. PsyArXiv Preprints

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/6eszj

URI: https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/orka/title/the-alarms-should-no-longer-be-ignored-a-survey-of-the-demand-capacity-and-provision-of-adult-community-eating-disorder-services-in-england-and-scotland-before-covid-19/