New government scheme launched to improve eating disorder treatment

The diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders among children and young people with eating disorders is to be transformed by a new government scheme.

Backed by funding of 150 million pounds, the project will focus on channelling money from expensive institutional care to local provision, while developing waiting time and access standards for eating disorders for 2016.

Schemes will be launched to facilitate early access to services in community-based services with properly trained teams, making hospital admission a last resort, while extending access to talking therapies.

The investment will be rolled out over five years and was announced as part of the government's Autumn Statement this week.

Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said: "We need to act now to transform the current system, intervening earlier with dedicated and targeted community-based services to ensure that we don't fail this generation or the next."

Although eating disorders tend to be more common in certain age groups, it is not uncommon for eating disorders to affect people of any age. They are more prevalent in women, but men can also be affected.