Age discrimination leading to avoidable eating disorder deaths, government warned

The government must end “age discrimination” against eating disorder patients that is causing avoidable deaths, experts have warned.

A cross-party parliamentary group and the Royal College of Psychiatrists are calling for access targets to make sure adults with eating disorders get treated within a set time. The demands come after the healthcare watchdog said patients were dying while waiting to be seen.

Wera Hobhouse, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group, and Agnes Ayton, chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ eating disorder committee, said the targets must be equal to those for children, which were set in 2016.

According to the Health Service Journal, 19 patients under the care of inpatient and community eating disorder services have died since 2017.

A senior coroner in Norfolk also highlighted failings in 2019 and sent a warning to both NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care, over the deaths of five young women.

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Source: The Independent, 1 March 2023

To support Eating Disorders Awareness Week, we have pulled together eight useful resources to help healthcare professionals, friends and family support people with eating disorders:

• Top picks: Eight resources on eating disorders