Northamptonshire Eating Disorder Service (NEDS) has been supported by NHS England and EMAHSN in developing their existing pathways that tailor evidence-based eating disorder treatment for young people with a first episode of an eating disorder.

Part of a national NHS drive to transform community mental health services, the Trust has been implementing the First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders (FREED) model.

This means young people with eating disorders in Northamptonshire will be supported with rapid early intervention by clinicians, which will allow them to receive treatment faster, leading to better outcomes.

An evidence-based model developed by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, it provides rapid access high-quality care for people in early stages – when treatment is most likely to be effective.

A two-year follow-up study on FREED, published October last year, showed that patients who were treated for anorexia nervosa via FREED had better weight outcomes and reduced need for day/inpatient care, compared to patients that were treated via standard care pathways.