Hospital admissions for eating disorders double

The number of admissions to hospital for eating disorders has nearly doubled in seven years, NHS figures show.

Data from NHS Digital show admissions for conditions including anorexia and bulimia reached 13,885 in 2016-17.

The figure is almost double the 7,260 admissions seen in hospitals in England in 2010-11.

The number of girls under 18 admitted for anorexia jumped from 961 in 2010-11 to almost 1,904 in 2016-17.

Community-based care

The government says it is aiming by 2020 to provide treatment within one week for 95% of children and young people referred as urgent cases of an eating disorder.

Responding to the NHS figures, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘We are committed to ensuring everyone with an eating disorder has access to timely treatment.

‘We know the numbers seeking treatment are rising, and it’s encouraging to see an increase in patients getting routine care within four weeks, as well as a significant improvement in treatment times compared to last year.

‘Inpatient treatment should be seen as a last resort. That’s why we have set out plans to expand community-based care for eating disorders – 70 dedicated community eating disorders services are being developed, and recruitment to get the teams up to full capacity is under way.’

In other news

• Analysis reveals 5,000 new cases of female genital mutilation
• RCN criticises ‘short-sighted’ move to scrap bursary for postgraduate nursing students