Diabetes and Eating Disorders: Health Services
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help develop guidelines for (a) general practitioners and (b) diabetes care teams on managing type one diabetes and disordered eating.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The National Health Service recognises the impact that type 1 diabetes with disordered eating can have on people and their families, which is why it has been piloting services to support those with the condition, and integrating care to help people improve their confidence and ability to manage their diabetes alongside their mental wellbeing. These pilots have shown improved outcomes for patients and cost effectiveness, and the NHS has now expanded sites to every region of the country, so that even more people can benefit from them.
The Department, in partnership with NHS England and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, produced the Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders guidance in May 2022, which has a full annexe on type 1 diabetes and eating disorders, and they are currently working to roll out the guidance to all systems.
NHS England is continuing to expand community-based eating disorder service capacity, including crisis care and intensive home treatment, to improve outcomes and recovery, reduce rates of relapse, prevent eating disorders continuing into adulthood and, if admission is required as a very last resort, reduce lengths of stay. NHS England has asked local health systems, through this year’s NHS operational planning guidance, to focus on improving performance against the waiting time standards for children’s eating disorders services of 95% of urgent cases seen within one week, and 95% of routine cases seen within four weeks.
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