Growing Calls for Comprehensive National Eating Disorder Strategy in England

Strategic Insights -

In the wake of rising prevalence of eating disorders in England and the lack of national guidance in relation to different ED presentations, a growing number of individuals and organizations are advocating for a comprehensive, evidence-based national eating disorder strategy. This strategy must include specific guidance on the remote delivery of eating disorder services, which has become increasingly important due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increased use of remote healthcare presents an opportunity to mitigate regional disparities in the provision of care, but it also poses distinct challenges when delivering eating disorder services remotely. A position paper highlighting the need for a comprehensive national ED strategy and evidence-based guidelines for remote delivery of ED services has been published, along with recent research findings from the RHED-C project that provide recommendations for enhancing future service delivery.

Key Takeaways:

  • The rising prevalence of eating disorders in England has led to growing calls for a comprehensive, evidence-based national eating disorder strategy.
  • The current lack of national guidance in relation to different ED presentations and varying treatment needs hampers effective care and evaluation of quality-of-service provision.
  • Ad hoc data collection and inconsistencies in both care and evaluation of quality-of-service provision are major concerns.
  • The shift towards the remote delivery of care during the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for government strategy to include specific guidance on remote delivery of ED services.
  • The RHED-C project has provided recent research findings with recommendations aimed at enhancing future service delivery for remote treatment and support.

Statistics:

  • The prevalence of eating disorders in England is rising.
  • There is a lack of comprehensive national data on eating disorders in England.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased use of remote healthcare, which presents an opportunity to mitigate regional disparities in the provision of care.
  • The RHED-C project has been conducting research on the remote delivery of eating disorder services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources:

(osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/bv86p_v1/)