This important meeting follows our recent work with Richard Quigley MP, who raised a parliamentary question highlighting the severe underfunding of eating disorder research compared with its prevalence and economic cost.
Thank you to everyone who engaged on social media about what we should raise with the Minister. A clear message came through about the need for access to high quality treatment irrespective of diagnosis (or lack of it), comorbidities or duration of illness, which we put to the Minister. Other issues raised with the Minister following your suggestions were the need for better funding of treatment, improved training on eating disorders and the need for better understanding of the relationship between obesity and eating disorders.
The Minister engaged positively in the discussion and agreed that everyone should be able to receive the treatment that they need. He offered to bring together local NHS leaders to ensure this was happening and we will be following up with the Department for Health and Social Care to make sure this takes place.
He also committed to exploring whether some of the recently announced £50 million for mental health research could be used to support vital research into eating disorders.
We’re encouraged by this positive progress and will continue to push for eating disorders to receive the attention and investment they urgently need. We’ll share further updates as this work moves forward.