Eating disorders have the highest mortality rates among psychiatric disorders, with anorexia having the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. Of those who survive, 50% recover, whereas 30% improve and 20% remain chronically ill.
It is estimated that 40% of sufferers will also self-harm. An individual with an eating disorder will, at this current time, wait an average of 3.5 years before receiving treatment.
Stephen Morgan MP said:
“To address the serious threat posed by eating disorders the government needs to act in a number of ways.
Waiting times need to be heavily reduced, records need to be kept of relevant data and the challenges of staff recruitment and retention need to be met.
This government needs to implement a serious overhaul of the way in which the NHS deals with eating disorders”.
In 2015, NHS England published guidance advising that 95% of children and young people with eating disorders should be treated within four weeks of their first contact with a designated healthcare professional. The government has not extended this to adults.
In response to these facts, Mr. Morgan has said:
“It is essential that the government acts with haste and extends its standards and requirements for treatment timeframes to adults.
As we know, people are dying and if the government is to be taken seriously on mental health, they need to ensure that people with eating disorders receive the care they need and deserve”.
In 2015, clinical commissioning groups were given extra money to help children and adolescents suffering with eating disorders. Unfortunately, in the CCGs’ bid to balance the books in, this was not necessarily allocated to relevant departments.
NICE guidance for eating disorders states that children and young people with suspected eating disorders should start treatment within four weeks.
However, a 2017 survey by ‘Beat’ found that only 14% are referred within four weeks of their first GP visit. The average wait for referral is more than 11 weeks, and those aged 19 and over wait significantly longer. The situation is worse for men and boys, who make up between 10% and 20% of people with anorexia or bulimia. It also has become evidence that waiting times can vary drastically from region to region.
On the matter, Mr. Morgan has said:
“There should be no disparity in treatment in relation to age, gender or postcode. Currently the treatment given to those suffering with eating disorders seems to be a lottery based on a myriad of factors.
The government has a responsibility to ensure that all people across the nation receive the same high levels of care.”
Another key factor is the compiling of relevant date. Data on access, quality, workforce and investment in adult eating disorders services, which is key to the evaluation of whether services are effective, is not routinely collected and published. Without this data, the task of identifying areas that require the most support is challenging.
With an average of 2,000 mental health staff leaving their posts in the NHS every month and 1 in 10 mental health posts vacant (June 2018), it comes as no surprise that the NHS is struggling to meet the needs of people in this country.
The city MP is raising concerns with appropriate Ministers following views expressed by residents in Portsmouth.
