NHS Digital figures for England show an increase in admissions in all parts of the UK, with the pandemic also having an effect on inpatient treatment. From April to October 2021, there were 4,238 hospital eating disorder admissions for children aged 17 and below – up 41 percent from 3,005 in the same period of 2020. The figure is 69 percent higher than 2019’s – the year before Covid hit – when there were 2,508 admissions for those aged 17 and below.
Dr Agnes Ayton, of the Royal College of Psychiatrists said: “We cannot afford to let this go on. Early intervention is key to recovery and prevention, which is why it’s crucial the money announced by the Government urgently reaches the front line. The Government must also deliver a workforce plan to tackle shortages in eating disorder services so they have enough staff to treat everyone who needs help.”
Tom Madders, from the mental health charity YoungMinds, said: “The impact of the last two years has left many young people isolated, uncertain about the future and with less control over their lives. It’s clear the Government must re-double its efforts and ensure that it improves access to NHS services.”
Overall, there were 23,302 admissions for eating disorders among all age groups in the financial year 2020/21. This represents an increase of 13 percent from 20,647 in 2019/20 and up 21 percent on the 19,244 from 2018/19.
Tom Quinn, of eating disorders charity Beat, said: “The number of hospital admissions is only the tip of the iceberg, and there are many other people needing support. We urge the Government to publish data about the number of adults waiting for and accessing treatment, so we can better understand the scale of demand and assess what improvements are needed.”
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