Welsh people with eating disorders forced to attend treatment away from home – report

Emily Price

A leading UK charity has found that Welsh people with eating disorders are being forced to have treatment outside Wales – costing the NHS millions.

A new report by eating disorder charity Beat found that only one Welsh health board provides the recommended level of specialist eating disorder care.

The findings come from a Freedom of Information request which assessed NHS eating
disorder services across the UK.

22 adults living in Wales were referred and admitted to units outside Wales in 2018/19 costing the NHS £1,354,884.

This figure was higher than the total spend by Welsh health boards on specialist community eating disorder services in that year.

In the year 2022/23 the number of people admitted to units outside Wales increased to 26 – costing £2,525,330.

Admissions 

Welsh people that require intensive treatment have access to beds in a private hospital in south Wales but it leaves many patients a long way from their families and support networks.

The unit is women-only, so men experiencing eating disorders will still have to travel outside Wales to access treatment.

Beat says intensive community and day treatments are much less expensive for the NHS and can be used to lessen the length and frequency of inpatient admissions.

The report argues that providing day treatments would minimise the need for disruptive, costly inpatient treatment and would unlock savings that could be re-invested in early intervention.

It will also allow those affected by eating disorders to stay with their loved ones during their treatment making it less disruptive to those in work or education.

The charity is calling on the Welsh Government and health boards to ensure that patients of all ages in all parts of the country can access intensive community and day treatment.

‘Disappointing’

Beat’s National Lead for Wales, Jo Whitfield said: “It’s deeply disappointing that Welsh people experiencing eating disorders are being forced to travel long distances to access treatment.

“The lack of intensive community and day treatments is not only disruptive for patients, it’s also costing the NHS millions.

“Our research and findings show that this kind of care is very effective in reducing the frequency and duration of hospital stays.

“It allows people experiencing eating disorders to stay at home with their support network while in recovery.”

Dr Isabella Jurewicz, chair of the Eating Disorders Faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Wales said: “Eating disorders are one of the deadliest of all mental illnesses with a high impact on peoples quality of life.

“They also affect families and cause a high level of carer distress, but with the right treatment most patients recover and get better.

“The findings of this report make it clear that the number of patients in Wales, expected to travel far away from their own homes to receive treatment, is entirely unjustifiable.

“It is also costly, prolonged and further impacts on families. We would agree that longer-term investment is needed to expand intensive community treatment programmes, so patients can be near their loved ones and access the treatment they so desperately need.”

Adapt

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the impact that eating disorders can have on people’s lives and expect all health boards to provide specialist support.

“Our funding has helped health boards adapt and expand services and recruit more staff to respond to the unprecedented increases in demand.

“All health boards are working towards achieving National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) standards and ensuring that no one is waiting longer than four weeks for an assessment.

“We continue to deliver on our commitment to provide care closer to home for people with eating disorders.”