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Service update — Sunday 24th November 2024

Due to adverse weather conditions and flooding, Tenbury Minor Injury Unit is closed today. Our other minor injury units are currently operating as usual.

As a result of ongoing disruption, there may be delays to some of our community services. If you need urgent advice, please contact NHS 111.

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Eating Disorders Team - Herefordshire

  • The Eating Disorders Outpatient Therapies service in Herefordshire provides assessment and NICE guidance approved treatment to adults with a range of Eating Disorders from age 17.6. We are a community-based team dedicated to reducing the risks of Eating Disorders by working collaboratively with other mental health teams, primary care and voluntary sector organisations. We have recently developed a First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders (FREED) pathway. It is a service for 16 to 25-year-olds who have had an eating disorder for three years or less to enable fast access to support.

  • Service Manager Lead: Louise King
  • Address: 27a St Owen Street, Hereford, HR1 2JB
  • Reception phone number: 01432 220 100

About the service

About eating disorders

Eating Disorders can affect anyone of any age, gender, or background and are a serious Mental health illness. Our team understands the complex nature and difficulties of living with an eating disorder, and we are committed to delivering individualised care to help people make sense of these whilst working towards their health and wellbeing.

We appreciate that this can also be difficult for carers, hence, we offer carer screening, support, and signpost to other relevant services where needed.

We aim to provide comprehensive assessments, individualised treatment model based on NICE guidance and consultation and advice to other health care providers. We work closely with the West Midlands Provider Collaborative (Support ED West Midlands) to ensure high quality care for those requiring day services or inpatient admission. We also work with psychiatric liaison and the County Hospital in cases where admission to a general hospital may be necessary. Our treatments are based on individualised care planning and we strive to offer treatment for all types of diagnosable Eating Disorders.

How to be referred

Unfortunately we're unable to accept self-referrals. If you are worried you may have an eating disorder, please speak to your GP or any other healthcare professional you're being supported by.

Professional referrals:

Referrals are accepted for individuals who are aged 17 and half years (17 years and 6 months) and above who have symptoms of:

  • Anorexia nervosa
  • Bulimia Nervosa
  • Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders (OSFED)
  • Severe and Enduring Eating Disorder (SEED)
  • Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

Eating Disorder Team Referral Form

Please include the following details in the referral:

  • Eating disorder symptoms - i.e., restriction, bingeing, vomiting, laxatives, and excessive levels of physical activity/exercise
  • Physical health checks - weight, height, BMI (we need this information to process the referral)
  • ECG results
  • Results of any physical observations
  • Blood tests
  • Rate of weight change over last 6 months (if known)
  • Medical and psychiatric history
  • Any known risk factors (self-harming behaviours, safeguarding risk involving self or others)

Please note that in Herefordshire, we do not accept referrals without ECG results and blood tests.

Urgent Referrals:

We do not accept urgent referrals. Where there is a requirement for urgent mental health care, or if you have immediate concerns for the safety of a patient please contact the 24hr Mental Health Helpline on NHS 111. 

If you have immediate concerns about the physical health of a patient, please consult Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders (MEED) guidance and discuss with the medical registrar at Hereford County Hospital. We are however happy to offer advice in such instances.

As a service we work collaboratively with GPs and other healthcare professionals involved in your care.

We are happy to discuss potential referrals or cases of concern with you. For this, please contact us on: 01432 220100.

Symptoms

Below are some of the most common symptoms of an eating disorder, but they can vary for each individual.

Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa

  • Restricting dietary intake well below what is needed to maintain health
  • Change of behaviour around food
  • Losing weight
  • Morbid fear of weight gain
  • Distorted perception of weight and shape

Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa

  • Restricting dietary intake and then eating larger amounts of food (bingeing) and vomiting after eating or using laxatives
  • Feeling out of control around food
  • Normal weight

Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder

  • Loss of control around food
  • Eating large quantities at a time

Symptoms of Other Specified Feeding and Eating Difficulties (OSFED)

  • If you have been diagnosed with an 'Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder' (called 'OSFED' for short), it means you don't have all the typical symptoms of any of the main types of Eating Disorders. It could be because you have a mix of signs or symptoms of different Eating Disorders.

This does not mean your condition is less serious. NICE (2017).

Contact

Address: 27a St Owen Street, Hereford, HR1 2JB

Service hours: 09:00 – 17:00 Monday – Friday

Telephone: 01432 220100

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

1. Will everything I say be kept confidential?

Information is shared within our team and your GP and where required, with other professionals involved in your care.

On the few occasions that we need to discuss information of concern outside of the professionals above, we will discuss this with you.

2. Can my family and friends who care for me get help?

Our team aims to provide support for your relatives and friends where required.  

We provide a carer’s screen assessment and provide support. As a team we refer/signpost to other Carers Associations, who can complete a more formal Carers Assessment. This helps to identify the Carer’s needs so that appropriate support can be accessed.

4. What do I do if I need help out of hours?

The Eating Disorders Service is Monday to Friday 09:00 -17:00 service, if you are experiencing deterioration with your mental health or eating disorder outside of these hours, please contact one of these as appropriate:

  • Your GP, or Out of hours GP
  • NHS 111 online or call 111
  • Crisis Mental Health Team via NHS 111 - offering 24 hour service, 7 days a week.
  • In an emergency please call 999

5. What do I do if I need an interpreter?

The team will arrange an interpreter for consultations as required.