Eating Disorder Service

We offer assessment and treatment for people of any age who have anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder or mixed eating disorder symptoms (other specified feeding or eating disorder).

Our aim is to help people overcome their eating disorder and maintain their physical and emotional health. We provide support and therapy to people with an eating disorder and their families.

The Eating Disorder Service is made up of five teams and covers Lancashire and South Cumbria. Clinicians in the teams include psychologists, psychological therapists, specialist nurses, dietitians, medics, psychiatrists and mental health practitioners. The majority of people are treated in an outpatient setting.

Referrals

Eating disorders can be serious psychological and medical problems and it is important to access professional help. We know that sometimes it can be difficult to seek support, or to acknowledge that we may need additional help with things that we are struggling with. The first step to accessing support from the service is to speak to your GP about your concerns and difficulties around eating. The eating disorder charity Beat have produced a GP Leaflet (First Steps) which could be helpful to read through if you are considering seeking help via your GP. It explains some common misconceptions about seeking help for an eating disorder, as well as offering the GP some guidance. It could also be useful to download and print this and take it with you to your GP appointment.  

Your GP or any other health professional can refer you to your local eating disorder service. As part of the referral process, we ask your GP to conduct blood tests and a physical health assessment, including weight and height. This information is important to help us understand your current situation and the associated risks at the point of referral. We accept referrals for people across the full weight range. 

Assessment

Once a referral is received, if it appears likely that you are suffering from an eating disorder and we have the relevant information, you will be offered an assessment. Many people feel anxious before their assessment, so you are not alone if you’re feeling this way. The assessment will consist of a meeting with one of our team, which will last approximately 90 minutes. In the assessment, information will be gathered about your current difficulties around eating and the history of your difficulties. You will also be asked about any other mental health difficulties and information will be gathered about other aspects of your life. Following this assessment, a decision will be made about whether our service is appropriate for you and a plan will be made with you about the most appropriate treatment.

Following the assessment, we will send yourself, the referrer (for children and young people this might be CAMHS) and/or your GP a written report of the assessment and a care plan for next steps.

In some circumstances, the All Age Eating Disorder Service will also need to work with other agencies to ensure you have additional support, which they will discuss with you before a referral is made.

Treatments

A variety of therapies are offered within the specialist eating disorder services and are based on the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The service offers both group and individual sessions with an eating disorder specialist. Young people will often be offered family-based approaches such as Family Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa (FT-AN) or Family Therapy for Bulimia Nervosa (FT-BN). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E) is the most likely treatment option for adults, either in individual or group settings. Other cognitive interpersonal therapies such as the Maudsley Model of Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults (MANTRA) may be offered. Family Therapy and Systemic Therapy may be considered if they are deemed to be more appropriate.

Alongside psychological interventions, people may also be offered dietetic interventions, case management and physical health monitoring.

Visit the treatments page to find out about the various support we offer. 

What are eating Disorders?

Eating disorders are mental health conditions which can develop in people of any age, gender or ethnicity.  Eating disorder behaviours often develop in the context of difficulties with body image and as a means of coping with difficult feelings and situations. The behaviours may involve eating too little, eating in a way which feels out of control and/or trying to get rid of food or preventing weight gain in an unhealthy way. The person who is suffering from the eating disorder is never to blame, and with the appropriate treatment and support, most people can recover.

Most Common Eating Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) may be characterised by someone trying to control their weight by restricting their energy intake. They may experience an intense fear of weight gain and/or distorted body image. They are likely to have lost significant weight or be maintaining their weight at a level below what is appropriate for their height and age.

Bulimia Nervosa (BN) may be characterised by someone having frequent episodes of bingeing where they experience a loss of control over how much they eat. Attempts are made to prevent weight gain, such as vomiting, abusing laxatives or diuretics, or excessive exercising. It is likely that someone’s view of themselves will be disproportionately influenced by their shape and weight.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) may be characterised by someone having frequent binge eating episodes, where they experience a loss of control over how much they eat. In binge eating disorder, this would not be associated with frequent attempts to compensate for these episodes

OSFED (Other specified feeding or eating disorder): A person may have OSFED if their symptoms do not exactly fit the criteria of any specific eating disorder, but they still have significant difficulties around eating. This can include atypical anorexia nervosa and atypical bulimia nervosa.

More in this section

• Useful resources and information
• Frequently asked questions
• Hear from our service users