An 'early intervention scheme' for young people with eating disorders has been launched in Rutland
'FREED' will allow treatment to start within four weeks of a referral.
Last updated 26th Nov 2020
Funding of £35,000 is being used towards an early intervention scheme for young people with an eating disorder in Rutland.
'FREED' which stands for First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders, was developed six years ago by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London.
The scheme provides quicker access to care for people aged between 16 to 25 in the early stages of illness when treatment is most likely to be effective.
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust received £35,000 funding for the programme.
It will allow treatment to start within four weeks of referral to an eating disorder service, as well as attending to the specific needs of young people in the early stages of an eating disorder.
The Trust said:
"It emphasises early, pro-active engagement; early symptom change; family involvement; attention to the effects of eating disorders on the brain; attention to social media use; and attention to transitions (out of school, to university, into work) and ‘emerging adulthood’. FREED operates as a ‘service within a service’.
It complements, rather than replaces, existing eating disorder services and treatments, to provide the most appropriate care and reduce waiting times.
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."
Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s national director for mental health, said:
“The funding will support our ambition to expand services and improve access to early intervention, treatment and support for young people with eating disorders meeting the rising demand for such services.
“The NHS Long Term Plan will see an additional £1 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand and improve community mental health care so adults, including those with an eating disorder, can get early access to care, as close to home as possible.”
Nicole McGlennon, Managing Director of East Midlands AHSN, said:
“We are delighted that two of our trusts in the East Midlands are amongst the 18 new services across England to receive funding to implement the FREED model of care for young people aged 16-25 years.
Early intervention in eating disorders is shown to lead to substantial improvements in clinical outcomes at a critical time of transition and development and is highly acceptable to both patients and families.
Debbie Whight, Clinical Team Manager for Leicestershire Adult Eating Disorders Service, said:
“We are really excited to be part of this national programme, which will make such a difference for young people with eating disorders.
FREED, with its focus on early intervention and treatment, is a highly effective model and we are keen to implement this in our team as soon as possible.
We have a wealth of information, advice and resources on our website www.leicestereatingdisorders.co.uk for patients, carers and health care professionals.
If you are concerned that you might have an eating disorder, talk to your GP who can refer you to the service.