People with eating disorders are being failed, a group of MPs said as they warned of “widespread neglect” within struggling services.
MPs said there has been an alarming rise in eating disorders in the past decade and the support system for those affected has “collapsed under immense pressure”.
A report by the All-party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eating Disorders claims patients are being discharged from hospital with BMIs as low as 11.
The NHS considers a BMI below 18.5 as underweight, while the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Disease (ICD) states a BMI below 14 in anorexia is associated with a high risk of physical complications and substantially increased mortality.
The charity Beat estimated 1.25 million people in the UK were living with eating disorders in 2015, but the figure is likely to be higher now as the number relies on outdated data, the APPG said.
Campaigners say people are being denied treatment as they are being labelled “untreatable”, despite “evidence that people with eating disorders can and do recover”.
The APPG said eating disorder sufferers also face a postcode lottery in the quality of support they will receive.
Services are struggling to manage demand partially due to chronic staff shortages, historic underfunding and a lack of resources. They must be provided with additional funding so that they can meet the needs of patients and carers both now and in the future
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath and chairwoman of the APPG, said: “I have campaigned in parliament to improve eating disorders for six years and in that time eating disorder services have become much worse rather than better.”
The report, published on Wednesday, calls for a national strategy for eating disorders with funding to meet demand and the establishment of a confidential inquiry into eating disorder-related deaths.
The APPG said its report highlights how “too many are being failed” and the “widespread neglect” within eating disorder services.
Dr Lade Smith, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “The APPG’s report lays bare the significant mismatch between rising demand for eating disorder services and their availability. People are being left on waiting lists for far too long and action is needed to address this.
“People with eating disorders can often make a full recovery and those who receive timely and effective care are far less likely to develop a more complex illness.
“It’s also important that those who are less responsive to treatment continue to be provided with care that increases their chances of getting better regardless of the length of their illness.
“Services are struggling to manage demand partially due to chronic staff shortages, historic underfunding and a lack of resources. They must be provided with additional funding so that they can meet the needs of patients and carers both now and in the future.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It’s unacceptable that people suffering from eating disorders are not receiving the standard of care they deserve.
“Clinical guidance is clear that decisions on discharge should never be made based solely on weight or BMI, however we want to go further to support those with mental health issues, including eating disorders.
“Our 10 Year Health Plan will improve access to essential mental health services including giving an additional 380,000 patients access to the NHS Talking Therapies programme, recruiting an extra 8,500 adult and child mental health staff and providing access to mental health support in every school.”
