Beat is the UK’s eating disorder charity. We exist to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders. We do this by working directly with sufferers and their families, highlighting the challenges they face, and campaigning for change.
We want to see a society where people with eating disorders experience care and understanding, and health systems where they can quickly access effective treatment. To achieve this, we are calling for Government, the NHS and others in several key areas to make vital changes.
Due to devolution, the specific changes we are campaigning for vary between the different countries of the UK. Please click the tabs below to find out more about what we are campaigning for.
There is an urgent need for major improvement in access to evidence-based treatment for adults, and achievement of national standards for children and young people’s eating disorder services in every area. The Government's anti-obesity measures are a source of concern for the wellbeing of those vulnerable to or currently experiencing an eating disorder, we are urging the Government to reconsider their approach. We are also calling for all England-based medical students and junior doctors to have proper training on eating disorders, and campaigning for eating disorder research to be properly funded.
Ensuring that Government campaigns to address obesity do not pose risks to people with eating disorders
The UK Government have announced their plans for a range of measures to encourage weight loss. These measures include a weight loss app and the introduction of calorie labelling in restaurants, cafes and takeaways with more than 250 employees.
Previous Government anti-obesity campaigns have been ineffective in reducing obesity. However, they have increased stigma, and have put those vulnerable to developing an eating disorder or those currently experiencing an eating disorder at risk. You can read more about this in our research paper.
Beat recognises the importance of reducing obesity, but it is vital that the public are not shamed into losing weight in an attempt to solve this problem. This approach oversimplifies obesity, reducing people’s weight to a matter of individual choice and ignoring the many complex factors involved, which may include eating disorders.
Beat is calling for the UK Government to re-think their plans and ensure that campaigns take a holistic approach, rather than stigmatising weight, viewing obesity as a choice, or encouraging restrictive eating patterns. Support this campaign.
Introduction of a fully funded ‘Access and Waiting Time Standard for Adults with an Eating Disorder’
Right now, there are no national waiting time targets for adults who need eating disorder treatment.
Achievement of the Access and Waiting Time Standard for Children and Young People with an Eating Disorder, in every area.
An access and waiting time standard for children and young people was published in 2015, with implementation beginning the following year. For the first time, this set clear expectations around the maximum time children and young people should be waiting to access to evidence-based treatment – one week in urgent cases or four weeks in all other cases. Crucially the Government and NHS England are continuing to provide significant additional funding. This has led to a major improvement in service provision for children and young people. However, some areas of the country are being left behind.
To support this campaign, please get in touch with the team by emailing us to find out more.
Eating disorders are appropriately taught and assessed at all medical schools and all junior doctors gain clinical experience during their Foundation training
Doctors of the future must have a good understanding of eating disorders so they can help patients access treatment at the earliest opportunity and manage their care safely. All trainee doctors should leave medical school with basic levels of knowledge and skills in the identification, safe management and referral of patients with eating disorders. All junior doctors should gain clinical experience in eating disorders through their Foundation training.
Improved teaching, assessment and clinical experience in eating disorders during medical training would also be likely to increase the number of trainees choosing to specialise in eating disorders.
To support this campaign, please get in touch with the team by emailing us to find out more.
Significant increase in funding for research into eating disorders
While some high quality research is underway and effective therapies have been developed, we still don’t have a full understanding of what causes eating disorders or how best to treat them. This is not surprising considering the way that research funding is allocated in the UK.
The UK Government is a major funder of health research and has significant influence over other research funders. The UK Government has committed to ensuring that mental health conditions are treated with the same level of importance as physical health conditions. This principle must be applied to the allocation of research funding. A significant increase in the funding provided for eating disorder research is required to reflect the number of people affected and the severity of these conditions.
To support this campaign, please get in touch with the team by emailing us to find out more.
We are campaigning to ensure that the forthcoming national review of eating disorder services is based on the experiences of people affected by eating disorders and clinical experts, and for the review to produce a series of recommendations that can lead to real change. We are also calling for all Scotland-based medical students and junior doctors to have proper training on eating disorders, and campaigning for eating disorder research to be properly funded.
Ensuring that Government campaigns to address obesity do not pose risks to people with eating disorders
We are campaigning to ensure that public health campaigns tackling obesity in Scotland are informed by eating disorder experts and by experience to ensure that messaging doesn’t cause distress to people at risk of developing an eating disorder or exacerbate eating disorder behaviours in those already diagnosed.
We have had positive conversation with Public Health Scotland and are working with them on a weight stigma training resource. We are also working with the Scottish Government to ensure the voices of our beneficiaries in Scotland don’t go unheard.
The national review into treatment and support for eating disorders is guided by the expertise of people with lived experience and clinicians
During Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) 2020, the Scottish Government announced that it would commission a review of eating disorder services across Scotland. Beat and others have long called for this as an important first step towards ensuring that everyone in Scotland, wherever they live, is able to access timely, safe and effective treatment.
To support this campaign, please get in touch with the team by emailing us to find out more.
Eating disorders are appropriately taught and assessed at all medical schools and all junior doctors gain clinical experience during their Foundation training
Doctors of the future must have a good understanding of eating disorders so they can help patients access treatment at the earliest opportunity and manage their care safely. All trainee doctors should leave medical school with basic levels of knowledge and skills in the identification, safe management and referral of patients with eating disorders. All junior doctors should gain clinical experience in eating disorders through their Foundation training.
Improved teaching, assessment and clinical experience in eating disorders during medical training would also be likely to increase the number of trainees choosing to specialise in eating disorders.
To support this campaign, please get in touch with the team by emailing us to find out more.
Significant increase in funding for research into eating disorders
While some high quality research is underway and effective therapies have been developed, we still don’t have a full understanding of what causes eating disorders or how best to treat them. This is not surprising when considering the way that research funding is allocated in the UK.
The Scottish Government is a significant funder of health research and has influence over other research funders through its engagement with industry and academia. The Scottish Government has committed to ensuring that mental health conditions are treated with the same level of importance as physical health conditions. This principle must be applied to the allocation of research funding. As part of this effort it should take steps to support a significant increase in funding for eating disorder research so that it reflects the number of people affected and the severity of these conditions.
To support this campaign, please get in touch with the team by emailing us to find out more.
In Wales we are campaigning for full implementation of the recommendations made by the Government-commissioned Eating Disorder Service Review 2018. Campaigning will be crucial to securing enough funding, staff and training to realise the review’s ambition of world-class treatment and support across the whole of Wales. We are calling for all Wales-based medical students and junior doctors to be properly trained on eating disorders and campaigning for eating disorder research to be properly funded.
Ensuring that Government campaigns to address obesity do not pose risks to people with eating disorders
We are campaigning to ensure that public health campaigns tackling obesity in Wales are informed by eating disorder experts and by experience to ensure that messaging doesn’t cause distress to people at risk of developing an eating disorder or exacerbate eating disorder behaviours in those already diagnosed.
Our campaigning is including working to ensure that any public health campaigns emerging from the Healthy Weight Healthy Wales 10 year anti-obesity strategy use appropriate messaging. We are also working with the Welsh Assembly and Public Health Wales to ensure the voices of our beneficiaries in Wales don’t go unheard.
Full implementation of the Welsh Eating Disorder Service Review’s recommendations
The Welsh Government commissioned the Welsh Eating Disorder Service Review in 2018, led by Dr Jacinta Tan (Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board) and developed through close collaboration with experts by experience.
It found that the current system in Wales is based on reacting to patients who are already severely ill, rather than intervening early, and that there is a postcode lottery in the level and quality of treatment.
It made a series of ambitious recommendations for improvement, prioritising early detection of eating disorders, rapid access to treatment, and equitable provision of evidence-based treatment nationwide. Its recommendations include the introduction of a waiting time targets for patients of all ages, which with the right safeguards and monitoring would make a huge difference to people with eating disorders across Wales. It also recommends that patients and their carers are fully involved in the development of services, and that families and other carers receive the information and support they need.
The Welsh Government has published the Executive summary of the review and asked health boards to begin implementing its recommendations. However, there are questions as to whether sufficient funding, workforce and staff training will be provided to realise the review’s ambition of world-class treatment and support across the whole of Wales.
Eating disorders are appropriately taught and assessed at all medical schools and all junior doctors gain clinical experience during their Foundation training
Doctors of the future must have a good understanding of eating disorders so they can help patients access treatment at the earliest opportunity and manage their care safely. All trainee doctors should leave medical school with basic levels of knowledge and skills in the identification, safe management and referral of patients with eating disorders. All junior doctors should gain clinical experience in eating disorders through their Foundation training.
Improved teaching, assessment and clinical experience in eating disorders during medical training would also be likely to increase the number of trainees choosing to specialise in eating disorders.
To support this campaign, please get in touch with the team by emailing us to find out more.
Significant increase in funding for research into eating disorders
While some high quality research is underway and effective therapies have been developed, we still don’t have a full understanding of what causes eating disorders or how best to treat them. This is not surprising when considering the way that research funding is allocated in the UK.
The Welsh Government is a significant funder of health research and has influence over other research funders through its engagement with industry and academia. The Welsh Government has committed to ensuring that mental health conditions are treated with the same level of importance as physical health conditions. This principle must be applied to the allocation of research funding. As part of this effort it should take steps to support a significant increase in funding for eating disorder research so that it reflects the number of people affected and the severity of these conditions.
To support this campaign, please get in touch with the team by emailing us to find out more.
In Northern Ireland, we are campaigning for full implementation of the recommendations made by the 2015 RQIA Review of Eating Disorder Services. We are calling for all Northern Ireland-based medical students and junior doctors to be properly trained on eating disorders and campaigning for eating disorder research to be properly funded.
Full implementation of the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) 2015 ‘Review of Eating Disorder Services in Northern Ireland’ recommendations, enabled by sufficient funding, workforce and staff training
In the years leading up to the collapse of the Northern Irish Executive, there was significant progress in reviewing eating disorder service provision, and a care pathway was published setting out what should be provided for patients. In the absence of a working Government that progress stalled.
The new power-sharing Government must make it a priority to act on the recommendations made by the RQIA’s ‘Review of Eating Disorder Services in Northern Ireland’. Implementation of these recommendations will be critical to ensuring that patients can benefit from early intervention and access to evidence-based treatment as close to home as possible, and that families and friends get the information and support they need.
To support this campaign, please get in touch with the team by emailing us to find out more.
Eating disorders are appropriately taught and assessed at all medical schools and all junior doctors gain clinical experience during their Foundation training
Doctors of the future must have a good understanding of eating disorders so they can help patients access treatment at the earliest opportunity and manage their care safely. All trainee doctors should leave medical school with basic levels of knowledge and skills in the identification, safe management and referral of patients with eating disorders. All junior doctors should gain clinical experience in eating disorders through their Foundation training.
Improved teaching, assessment and clinical experience in eating disorders during medical training would also be likely to increase the number of trainees choosing to specialise in eating disorders.
To support this campaign, please get in touch with the team by emailing us to find out more.
Significant increase in funding for research into eating disorders
While some high quality research is underway and effective therapies have been developed, we still don’t have a full understanding of what causes eating disorders or how best to treat them. This is not surprising when considering the way that research funding is allocated in the UK.
The Northern Ireland Executive is a significant funder of health research. It has committed to ensuring that mental health conditions are treated with the same level of importance as physical health conditions. This principle must be applied to the allocation of research funding. As part of this effort it should take steps to support a significant increase in funding for eating disorder research so that it reflects the number of people affected and the severity of these conditions.
To support this campaign, please get in touch with the team by emailing us to find out more.