"Lack of services for people with eating disorders"

As the mother of a daughter with anorexia and as a staff member of Nottinghamshire NHS trust, I am horrified by the lack of provision given to those suffering from an eating disorder. In my opinion, the Trust seems more concerned with its social profile, I. e. number 1 in the Stonewall Top 100, than it does in caring for this section of the community. As the biggest killer within the spectrum of mental illnesses statistically, I am at a loss to comprehend that my daughter has currently been offered only monthly out-patient appointments with a psychiatrist and dietician. All studies and research on these types of conditions recommends a much more robust service.

Fortunately my daughter has been placed on the waiting list for in-patient services in Leicestershire; however, she was told that had she lived in the area, she could have accessed the specialist eating disorder day unit immediately and who knows, may never have therefore required in-patient care. As it is, my extremely ill daughter, is now faced with having to go into hospital over an hour away from home for at least 6 months and in the mean time has to rely on seeing a professional once a month and while we wait, we have to watch our daughter to continue losing weight. Perhaps it is time that Nottinghamshire NHS Trust stops worrying quite so much about its public image and starts thinking more about the people it supposedly serves.