A report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eating Disorders has warned that “woefully inadequate care” for those with eating disorders has resulted in lost lives and families being torn apart. While the report acknowledges an “alarming” increase in anorexia and bulimia over the past decade, it suggests that education about eating disorders is essential to ensure that males and females of all ages and ethnicities can receive help.
Many teachers and doctors misunderstand eating disorders, sometimes viewing them as lifestyle choices or solely affecting young white women. Such an approach results in care services that are “grossly” underfunded, where variations in access and quality are significant across the UK.
MPs from the APPG spent six months interviewing clinicians, bereaved families, academics and patients and found that eating disorders are serious illnesses that can be treated. The report cites different sources that underline the scale of the problem: for example, 12% of all 17-19-year-olds and nearly 21% of young women have an eating disorder, according to a 2023 mental-health survey. The number of hospital admissions for eating disorders in England has also risen, exceeding 31,000 in 2023-24.
The APPG calls for a national strategy to support young people, families, healthcare staff and adults; mandatory training for nurses and teachers to help them diagnose illness and offer aid; and more funding for better access to care. Consultant child-and-adolescent psychiatrist Dr Vic Chapman, who works for an eating-disorders service run by London’s Royal Free Hospital, welcomed the proposals, highlighting a “big treatment gap” for eating disorders
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