Children with eating disorders waiting too long for treatment at the Hertfordshire Partnership University Trust

Guidelines say patients should begin treatment within four weeks of referral, or within one week for urgent cases
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NHS England data shows more than a dozen children with eating disorders are waiting too long for treatment at the Hertfordshire Partnership University Trust despite new targets imposed this year.

Mental health charity YoungMinds warned the consequences of leaving young people in limbo can be "potentially devastating".

Guidelines say patients should begin treatment within four weeks of referral in 2020-21, or within one week for urgent cases.

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Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and learning difficulty services in Hertfordshire.

NHS England data shows at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Trust, 97 per cent of children and under 18s were seen within four weeks between July 2019 and June this year – meaning four waited longer for treatment.

This exceeds the 95 per cent target set for all NHS trusts and other healthcare providers.

But waiting times for urgent cases lag behind the target – of 41 urgent cases processed over the period, only 32 (78 per cent) were seen within one week.

The target referral window follows extra investment aimed at improving eating disorder services across the country.

Between April and June, the first three months of 2020-21, 87 per cent of young patients across England were seen within four weeks for routine cases, and 88 per cent within one week for urgent cases.

This meant the NHS fell below both targets, although performance was up from 83 per cent and 78 per cent respectively a year earlier.

A spokesperson for the Hertfordshire Partnership Trust said: "Our dedicated staff have continued to provide high quality care and treatment for children and young people with eating disorders throughout this pandemic.

"We are committed to keep improving waiting times, so that all those who are referred into our services, receive the support they need, when they need it."

Eating disorder charity Beat welcomed the improvement, but said more progress is needed to help services achieve the new standard.

Tom Madders, director of campaigns at YoungMinds, said it is "encouraging" that many young people were able to access eating disorder treatment during lockdown.

"However, there is real variation across the country, with some areas already meeting the waiting times standard and others falling behind," he added.

"This means that some children and young people will be waiting a lot longer, with potentially devastating consequences.

"As we move into the next stage of the pandemic, it’s important for children and young people to have access to the right information and support.”

Beat's Rebecca Willgress said: "Children are more likely to develop eating disorders if they are prone to anxiety or worried about their weight.

"Our report into the impact of anti-obesity measures concluded that weighing children in schools does little or nothing in its aim of reducing obesity at a population level, however it does pose a significant risk to those vulnerable to eating disorders."

Overall, more youngsters with eating disorders are now starting treatment in England than a year ago.

In the year to June, 7,840 patients started treatment – up from 7,621 over the previous 12 months.

The Hertfordshire Partnership University Trust, by comparison, saw cases fall during this time, from 168 to 166.

An NHS spokesman said: “Record numbers of children and young people are being treated for eating disorders, waiting times are improving significantly and it is thanks to the hard work of staff that despite the pandemic, the NHS supported more children and young people to get the care they need within four weeks compared to the same period last year.”