Edward has secured and led a well-attended House of Commons debate to mark Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which is between 26th February and 4th March, highlighting the progress made and what more needs to be done to improve how, as a country, we tackle eating disorders.
In his speech he used the opportunity to raise his concerns about intervention and spoke about the need to improve awareness and better waiting times for treatment. Despite the fact that 1.25 million people suffer from an eating disorder in the UK, it is still considered not spoken about as much as it should be. Whilst we have made significant progress in discussing physical illnesses, we still have a very long way to go when it comes to talking openly about mental health issues, including eating disorders. Since being elected, Edward has worked with Beat, the national eating disorder charity to address this very issue.
Last year, Edward attended the launch of a report published by Beat which focused on how long it takes from someone developing an eating disorder to receiving treatment for it. At the launch, he had the pleasure of meeting some inspirational people who had suffered from and overcome and eating disorder. Beat’s report found that the average cycle of relapse and recovery could be six years, and that it took an average of 176 weeks, between someone developing an eating disorder and getting treatment for it. It is worth noting that it takes 91 weeks before an individual or those around them recognise that they have an eating disorder, and a further 58 weeks before they seek professional help. This is evidence that more needs to be done to improve awareness and dialogue about eating disorders enabling people to spot symptoms sooner, and get the necessary treatment more quickly.
The Minister’s response was positive and she acknowledged that more needs to be done to reduce waiting times and ensure that medical professionals have up-to-date training to spot the symptoms at the earliest opportunity. Good progress is being made towards the 2020 target of ensuring that 95% of children with an eating disorder receive treatment within one week for urgent cases and within four weeks for routine cases. As part of the Green Paper on Children and Young People’s Mental Health, the Government is seeking to create new mental health teams in schools to increase awareness and improve early intervention.
Edward concluded his speech saying: "I pay tribute to the work of Beat, which has campaigned tirelessly to highlight this issue, and to the work of those who operate its advice helpline. I commend its report to the Minister, and to all colleagues. However, I pay the greatest tribute to all those who suffer from an eating disorder and have had the bravery to talk about it, to seek the help that they need, and to face down an illness that depends on secrecy, isolates sufferers, and affects every aspect of their lives and those of their families. We must ensure that we match the courage of those who face it, determined to beat it, with an equal determination to give them the support, treatment and investment that they deserve. We must continue to drive down the delays and waiting times, raise awareness, and strip this disease of some of the power that it has over people by talking about it. We must stand shoulder to shoulder with all who face it, with the clear message that, together, we will beat eating disorders."