Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Eating Disorders Awareness Week — [Mr Philip Hollobone in the Chair]

29 February 2024 · 6 other contributors · 9,412 words

Opened by Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath

Responding minister: Andrew Stephenson

Mental HealthNHS

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Wera Hobhouse raised concerns about eating disorders awareness week — [mr philip hollobone in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Across the UK, 1.25 million people suffer from eating disorders, including ARFID.
  • Only six of 55 NHS providers for children and young people state they provide ARFID treatment.
  • The Government has invested 53 million per year in children and young people's eating disorder community services since 2016, rising to 54 million in 2023-24.

Key requests to Government

The Government should ensure full implementation of clinical guidance around diagnosis, provide resources to meet NHS standards, publish a 10-year cross-Government mental health and wellbeing plan that includes eating disorders, appoint an eating disorders prevention champion, integrate obesity and eating disorder prevention plans, reform treatment approaches like intensive out-patient therapy, increase research funding, and diversify the research agenda.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath

Across the UK, 1.25 million people suffer from eating disorders, including ARFID, which can be life-threatening if left undiagnosed and untreated. Tahlia's story illustrates how misdiagnosis delays essential treatment. Only six of 55 NHS providers for children and young people explicitly state they provide ARFID treatment, while just one out of 49 adult services do the same. The lack of standardised treatment pathways leads to inaccessible care due to rigid stereotypes. Early intervention is critical but often delayed, leading to severe health issues and even death. About 6,000 children and young people are on waiting lists for eating disorder treatments.

Other contributors (6)
  • Abena Oppong-Asare Lab Erith and Thamesmead

    The MP praised the hon. Member for Bath and her hon. Friend for their work on eating disorders, highlighted a spike in hospitalisation figures, noted an estimated 1 million people with eating disorders in the UK, mentioned that one in five patients with non-urgent referrals were not seen within four weeks last year, and called for better adherence to treatment targets. On the Minister's point about getting waiting time targets down to one week, those targets were implemented in 2015, and they are yet to be met. Could the Minister explain what work is being done to address that? Additionally, Abena Oppong-Asare added to the point made by Wera Hobhouse regarding hubs, questioning how data will be captured to address the growing problem of eating disorders and identify effective treatments.

  • John Martin McDonnell Lab Hayes and Harlington

    Mr McDonnell congratulated the hon. Member for Bath on her work in raising awareness of eating disorders, noting that she has been instrumental in making it a more prominent issue. He highlighted the increasing number of people affected by eating disorders, with figures ranging from 1.25 million to 1.6 million and 16% of the population at risk according to recent surveys. Mr McDonnell expressed concern over the severe mismatch between the scale of the problem and available resources, including only 450 specialist beds for an admission rate of about 20,000. He also raised issues with funding, access to hospitals and clinics, staff exhaustion, and a lack of monitoring. Mr McDonnell stressed the need for mental health practices to be applied more effectively in treating eating disorders, advocating for increased investment in cognitive behavioural therapy.

  • Karl McCartney Con Lincoln

    It is unacceptable that the National Health Service does not have sufficient funding to provide adequate treatment for those with eating disorders. We need to address this issue urgently to ensure that patients receive the care they desperately require.

  • Olivia Blake Lab Sheffield Hallam

    I am concerned about the high number of individuals suffering from eating disorders, especially among young people. Recent statistics show that in my constituency alone, there has been a 30% increase in reported cases over the past year. Ms. Blake highlighted the severe impact of eating disorders, noting that around 1.25 million people in the UK are affected and that younger women, though at higher risk, are not the only demographic impacted. She detailed a constituent's harrowing experience on a mental health ward where critical care was delayed until medical emergency status was reached. She stressed the need for better training of frontline staff and more resources to tackle eating disorders, citing an increase in hospital admissions from 2,287 in 2011 to 4,462 last year.

  • Patricia Gibson SNP North Ayrshire and Arran

    Ms Gibson highlighted the high mortality rate of eating disorders, particularly anorexia, and emphasised the importance of early intervention for recovery. She discussed avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), noting that it affects people of all ages and can be triggered by sensory sensitivity or past distressing experiences with food. According to Beat, there has been a sevenfold increase in calls related specifically to ARFID over the past five years.

  • Rosena Allin-Khan Lab Brent Central

    I support the efforts of my colleagues in raising awareness about eating disorders and I urge the government to increase funding for mental health services. The current level of investment is insufficient to meet the growing demand.

Government Response

Andrew Stephenson

It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Hollobone. I start by paying tribute to the hon. Member for Bath (Wera Hobhouse) for securing an important debate on an important topic. Since 2016, investment in children and young people's eating disorder community services has risen every year; £53 million was invested per year in 2021-22, and that figure rose to £54 million in 2023-24. We have also introduced a waiting time standard for children and young people with eating disorders aiming for 95% of children to receive treatment within one week for urgent cases, and within four weeks for routine cases. The surge in demand has made meeting our waiting-time targets more challenging, but services are supported by new funding, changing and saving lives. We need more information on early intervention and data capture. For adults, we are investing almost £1 billion extra in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness, including eating disorders. NHS England continues to work with eating disorders services and local commissioners to improve access to treatment for all children and young people with a suspected eating disorder, including those presenting with ARFID. NHS England also emphasises that BMI should not be used as a single measure to determine access to treatment within either adult or children and young people's eating disorders services.

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