Eating Disorders Awareness Week
The College worked to raise awareness of the needs of children and young people as it marked Eating Disorders Awareness Week from 24 February - 2 March.
We issued a press release highlighting plans to cut funding for children and young people’s eating disorder services in more than half of areas across England.
Our analysis found the planned real terms spending cuts would collectively amount to £835,000 across the current financial year (April 2024 to March 2025).
The College called for the creation of a national eating disorders strategy in England to help address rising referrals, long waiting times and workforce shortages.
Dr Ashish Kumar, Chair of the RCPsych Eating Disorders Faculty, explained how eating disorders affect children and young people’s physical and mental health during an interview with Times Radio.
The BBC also covered the story:
- on their website
- on BBC Breakfast
- on BBC Radio 2,4 and 5 Live.
Additionally, the story received coverage on:
- Sky News
- The Independent
- The Daily Mail
- BMJ.
Members of the public also engaged with our posts on social media, including an infographic (pictured) with statistics demonstrating the pressure services are under.
Separately, Dr David Coyle, a consultant eating disorders psychiatrist at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Northern Ireland, wrote an article about eating disorders and how they can affect people for Belfast Live.
Dr Coyle made it clear that people with eating disorders can recover with the right treatment, including weight restoration, therapy and other forms of care. He also shared advice on how people can support their family, friends and colleagues if they have an eating disorder.