Adult Eating Disorders Intensive Treatment (A-EDIT)
From January 2026, the Adult Eating Disorders Intensive Treatment (A-EDIT) service has opened as a new alternative to specialist inpatient admissions for adults with severe eating disorders.
Although the full service will launch later in the year, A-EDIT is already supporting adults who may otherwise require a long hospital stay. The programme offers intensive community based treatment, helping people work towards recovery while remaining in their own home environment.
Recovering from an eating disorder can take time and emotional energy. For some, admission to a specialist inpatient unit is the right and necessary option. For others, recovery can be safely supported in the community with more intensive input. A-EDIT aims to make this possible.
Staying at home means learning and practising recovery skills in everyday surroundings—shopping in local shops, preparing meals in your own kitchen, eating at your own table, and maintaining connection with the people who support you.
It can also help reduce the gap in support that some people experience when moving between inpatient care and the Community Eating Disorder Service (CEDS).
If this approach feels right for you, it may support a more sustainable recovery.
What the team provides
A-EDIT offers support Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), between 8:30am and 4:30pm, typically two or three times a day. Support may include:
- Meal support
- Help with food shopping
- Space to process emotions linked to eating regularly and restoring weight
- Psychotherapy (if not already provided by CEDS)
- Occupational Therapy assessment
- Regular dietetic sessions
- Keywork sessions
- Group support
All sessions are currently provided online. Support for carers is also available, including access to an online carers’ group. As the service develops, A-EDIT will offer a mix of online and in person sessions and will include specialist support such as physiotherapy for those struggling with compulsive exercise and input from a consultant psychiatrist.
Programme length
The programme runs for eight weeks, with the option to extend to 12 or 16 weeks if this is clinically helpful and certain criteria are being met. Because A-EDIT is designed as an alternative to inpatient treatment, there is an expectation of consistent weight restoration to ensure service users can remain safely supported in the community during and after treatment.
How to access the service
If you think A-EDIT may benefit you, please speak to your CEDS team. Eligibility requires a level of need equivalent to a specialist eating disorder inpatient admission, and your CEDS team will assess whether a referral is appropriate.
If you are not currently under a CEDS team but believe you should be, please contact your GP to discuss a referral for assessment.