Beat responds to the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan

Today, the Government has published its 10 Year Plan to improve the health of everyone in England. While it includes some important pledges to improve mental health care, we're very disappointed that it doesn't go further. No specific commitments on eating disorders have been made within the Plan.

It comes at a time when many thousands of people with eating disorders – both adults and under 18s - are unable to access the support and treatment they so desperately need. This often leads to devastating consequences for them and their families, and significant avoidable costs to the NHS and the wider economy.

When the Government was consulting on what should be included in the plan, we submitted a detailed written response. We also met with civil servants and a Special Advisor to the Health and Social Care Secretary, and called on the Government to:

• Invest in early intervention in eating disorders
• Address serious inequities in access and experience of treatment
• Shift care closer to home through expanding access to intensive community and day treatments
• Ensure proper support for families and carers
• Build greater capacity to conduct eating disorder research.

Although we are disappointed by the lack of commitments on eating disorders within the 10 Year Health Plan, we recognise that the plan is intended to give people a general idea of how things will work going forward. In the months ahead, the Department of Health and Social Care will begin working out in much more detail how to achieve the broad vision set out in the plan. This next phase will present a crucial opportunity.

At Beat, we will do all we can to persuade the Government to prioritise action on eating disorders. With your support, we will continue to provide a voice for people affected by eating disorders, including the thousands who turn to us every year through our Helpline, our support services, and our incredible community of volunteers. Their experiences and insights will shape everything we say and do. We won’t stop pushing for the Government to make the commitments necessary so that everyone with an eating disorder can access the help they need, when they need it.

Beat’s CEO, Vanessa Longley says:

“We’re very disappointed to see that mental health hasn't been consistently highlighted as a priority throughout the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan, and that there are no specific commitments on eating disorders. Eating disorder services are in crisis, with demand rising dramatically in recent years.

“Figures from NHS England show 1 in 8 people aged between 17 and 19 had an eating disorder in 2023, up from less than 1% in 2017. Eating disorders have very high mortality rates: it’s vital that patients are given the appropriate support at the earliest opportunity.

“The Department for Health and Social Care must prioritise the crisis in eating disorder services as it implements this plan. We must all come together to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders.”