An award-winning campaigner from Newcastle - who also happens to be a governor at the Cumbria, Northumberland Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Trust - has called on the Government to put more money into eating disorder support services.
Tom Rebair, 26, has publicly campaigned on eating disorder and mental health issues for several years - he's now highlighted that, although people are more open about discussing these things, the funding has yet to match the rhetoric.
Leading eating disorder charity Beat has also highlighted the need for adequate medical education around eating disorders, while mental health NHS trusts in the North East have spoken about the importance of spotting the signs of illness as early as possible.
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Tom said: "We are at a point where it's great that more people are coming out and talking about eating disorders but unfortunately when people are speaking up and trying to seek help, it's just not there.
"The hard truth is that it goes back to Government funding - and that needs to go to the health service. MPs talk about mental health but it doesn't end up in enough money coming to it. We know staffing remains a huge problem - the whole NHS is under pressure and it's a problem that needs to be addressed."
Tom had a message for those struggling with eating disorders, adding: "To people who are struggling I'd say - don't give up, there's always that little bit of hope, even though I know it can be very difficult to see that light at times - but it's always there."
Tom's words come as the two mental health NHS Trusts in the North East - CNTW and its southerly neighbour the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust - have highlighted the importance of "knowing the signs and symptoms" of eating disorders.
The NHS bodies say that catching the signs early can prevent "long-term damage" which eating disorders sometimes cause.
According to NHS figures one in 50 people in the UK experience an eating disorder at some point in life - many of those children and young people.
Dr Andrew Brittlebank, consultant psychiatrist at CNTW said: "It’s essential to educate and encourage young people, parents and carers, GPs and other healthcare professionals to recognise the early stages of an eating disorder.
"By having a better understanding, they will be able to seek help sooner and hopefully prevent any further chronic long-term conditions from developing.
"Research shows that if you can reach and engage with someone within the first three years of their problems starting, you have a much better chance of reversing any damage the illness can cause to a person’s brain or body."
Both Trusts are now also implementing what they call the FREED model of early intervention in eating disorder cases - which is designed to enable early intervention for 16 to 25-year-olds who have had an eating disorder less than three years. This means patients are spoken to by a specialist nurse within 48 hours of being referred to the Trust, and next steps are then put in place.
During Eating Disorder Awareness Week - which ran from February 28 to March 6 - the charity Beat was campaigning to ensure that medical professionals were appropriately trained to treat eating disorders.
BEAT released stats based on a survey of almost 1,700 people who have suffered from an eating disorder. Of those people, 92% felt their GPs needed more training on the issue, while 67% felt opportunities for "early intervention and prevention" had been missed in their cases.
As a result, Beat is campaigning to ensure that every medical school in the country has adequate education in eating disorders in place for would-be doctors.
Beat has saw demand for its services rocket during the pandemic - it increased by more than 150% in 2020-2021 in comparison to a year earlier.
Claire Reynolds, a director at Beat, told ChronicleLive: "We want to support GPs to support people with eating disorders. The referral route for specialist eating disorder treatment is through GPs so it's really important that they are educated in the topic.
"We know that, at the moment, on average, GPs receive less than two hours training in eating disorders."
Speaking about rise in demand for eating disorder support, Claire added: "The pandemic put those who suffer with EDs in a really tough place - unfortunately many people relapsed having previously suffered."
She said this had been for "a variety of reasons", and said that "everybody can get involved" in helping to raise awareness of eating disorders and the need for appropriate medical education. "We are asking people to speak up and share their stories, yes, but also to sign up to back our campaign online."
The charity's chief exec Andrew Radford, said: "It is essential that all medical students receive training on eating disorders. Quality education about eating disorders during medical school will help our future doctors to increase their understanding of these complex illnesses, identify the early signs and symptoms, and signpost people to treatment.
"Healthcare staff work tirelessly to provide the best care for their patients, but through no fault of their own they often do not have the training that they need."
The NHS says it has never before treated as many young people for eating disorders - with "almost 10,000" people having started treatment between April and December 2021.
Claire Murdoch, the NHS Mental Health Director said: "NHS services remained open throughout the pandemic as hard-working mental health staff worked to deliver care to more people than ever before.
"The NHS continues to see record-high numbers of young people for eating disorders and it is vital anybody who might need care comes forward as quickly as possible so the NHS can get you any care you may need.
"Parents can find information on potential symptoms, such as binge eating, feeling guilty after eating, and negative self-image, and other signs of a potential eating disorder are available on the NHS website and they should not hesitate to contact the NHS if they think their child might need some support."
Regarding medical education, a spokesperson for the Department of Heath and Social Care told the BBC last week: "We are working with partners - including Health Education England - to improve training for GPs, and with the General Medical Council to ensure newly qualified clinicians understand and know how to respond to eating disorders."
If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s health, you can contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, on 0808 801 0677 or beateatingdisorders.org.uk
