New service to provide earlier support to young people in Salford with an eating disorder
Young adults in Salford with an eating disorder including anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating are set to receive rapid help with the launch of a new service.
Eating disorders cause serious physical and mental health problems which can last decades and cause significant disruption to the young adult and their family.
The expanded service will target care to those aged 18-25 who have been living with a condition for fewer than three years, to tackle problems before they escalate. Those coming forward who would benefit from treatment will be contacted within 48 hours and with treatment beginning as soon as two weeks later.
It is one of 18 new sites across the country and build on a successful model shown to help 16- to 25-year olds in London. Developed six years ago by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, FREED provides rapid access to high-quality care for people in the early stages of illness when treatment is most likely to be effective.
A two-year follow-up study on FREED, published in October last year, showed that patients who were treated for anorexia nervosa via FREED had better clinical outcomes including a reduced need for day/inpatient care, compared to patients that were treated via standard care pathways.
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is launching a new service to provide rapid support to young adults with an eating disorder in Salford.
- The First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders (FREED) service is an evidence-based early intervention model for eating disorders, tailored to the needs of young adults.
- It is one of 18 new sites across the country as part of a nationwide rollout, supported by NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Health Innovation Manchester.
Eating disorders can ruin the lives of young people so it’s vital that we provide support as quickly as possible to prevent a devastating impact on our young adults.
We’re excited to be launching FREED and hope that with this new approach those in Salford who are experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder will be able to access a rapid, evidence-based intervention before the condition disrupts their lives physically, socially, and emotionally.
The service is also commissioned and funded by NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
Salford CCG is pleased to be able to increase our investment in the existing commissioned community eating disorders service to provide this vital support for young adults in Salford experiencing an eating disorder. The ability to quickly access evidence-based support is particularly important for people in the early stages of their illness, given the serious physical and mental health implications for the young person and their family. This service will offer vital support to people as early as possible, helping to improve people’s recovery journey.
GMMH Eating Disorder Service will also be launching FREED in Manchester and Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale in early 2021. The service is hopeful of FREED being available in the other areas of Greater Manchester where GMMH provides the service and commissioners have been very positive about this development.
