Helping to support children and adults living with eating disorders

24 Feb 25

More than 1 in 50 people in the UK have an eating disorder. It not only impacts on the individual but also their families and friends around them, who often feel powerless to help. At HPFT we provide support for both adults and children who are living with an eating disorder.

Eating Disorders Awareness Week written in black on a blue background

Vicky works in the HPFT Community Eating Disorders Service.

“We diagnose and treat people who have a moderate to severe eating disorder -anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. The team is made up of doctors, nurses, psychologists, therapists, social workers, dietitians, support workers and healthcare assistants so we can address all the needs of those we are caring for. We also have great admin support which is a really important part of the service user experience.”

The service offers intensive treatment with the aim of avoiding inpatient admission (by recognising at an early stage a decline in physical and mental wellbeing) or supports those who have been an inpatient and tries to prevent readmission.

One of the services – the Virtual Intensive Team - (provided by the East of England Provider Collaborative and delivered by HPFT) is a 12-week online programme offering meal and group support.

Sarah* has previously received support from the Virtual Intensive Team (VIT). Her eating disorder started in lockdown. She was diagnosed with anorexia and was initially admitted to a children and young people’s inpatient service. Sarah was discharged and joined the VIT to try and prevent her from becoming an inpatient again. She describes the online support as being “really helpful” and her experience means that she has lots of advice for others who may be going through something similar.

“People mustn’t wait until they are fully recovered to enjoy life. I think at the beginning of my journey I was always waiting for the next thing to happen, this could be good or scary, and it stopped me from living in the moment. Enjoying all the good things, even if they may seem small, as they happen, can help your recovery journey.

“Eating disorders can be a lot about control and allowing others to help, even though it can be scary, can take the pressure off a little.

“I am proud that I haven’t given up. There have been times when I haven’t given recovery my all and the eating disorder has crept back in, but the quote ‘you have survived 100% of your hard days’, proves that carrying on even when I’ve had a blip is so worth it.

“My family and friends really inspire me to keep going. My family shows me that they will always love and support me unconditionally. Friends with eating disorders show me that recovery is possible and we support one another. Friends without eating disorders show me balanced lifestyles and give me experiences that allow me to see there is life outside of my eating disorder.

“VIT helped me to re-integrate back into the real world in a way that felt safe. My community eating disorder team continue to work with me and I work with them, and I am so grateful for the continuous support they offer me.”

Children and young people’s support

HPFT also have a dedicated service for children and young people with eating disorders. A multi-disciplinary team provides home-based treatment, out-patient treatment and supports referrals to inpatient services when needed. It includes intensive home-based support for high risk cases; community based support to provide early intervention to all children with an eating disorder and specific eating based therapy working on recovery and family therapy.

The team also liaises closely with colleagues at the First Steps Eating Disorder service.

For more information on our services visit:

Adults – https://ow.ly/jK3b50QGF79

Children - htt ps://ow.ly/33mP50QGF78

*not her real name

Related Pages

Helping to support children and adults living with eating disorders