419 young people benefit from an earlier assessment of an eating disorder thanks to intervention programme
Eating disorders are associated with high levels of disability and deaths. A 2015 report estimated that in the UK eating disorders affect between 600,000- 725,000 people, and every year costs the NHS up to £4.6 billion in NHS treatment, £8 billion in lost income and £3.1 billion in carer-related costs.
Our Early Intervention Eating Disorders programme uses the First Episode Rapid Early intervention for Eating Disorders (FREED) model, in which services provide a specialist care package for 16 to 25-year-olds soon after they first develop an eating disorder. The programme aims to support NHS trusts to implement and evaluate this model and improve the care, experience and outcomes of young adults with eating disorders across the East Midlands.
We are working with mental health providers to implement the FREED model, which enables providers to start treatment within four weeks of referral to an eating disorder service.
During the past 12 months in the East Midlands, the FREED model was rolled out within Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Rutland and Northamptonshire; with Lincolnshire and Derbyshire planning to introduce the FREED model to their services from April 2022. This now offers widespread coverage across the East Midlands.
The AHSN Network is supporting the national spread and adoption of this programme across the country, and initial evaluations indicate that it has:
- Reduced waiting times by 32% for assessment and 41% for treatment.
- Helped 59% of anorexia nervosa patients reach a healthy weight within 12 months of starting treatment, compared to 17% of non-FREED treatment as usual patients.
Learn more about the Early Intervention in Eating Disorders programme
