Urgent concern as NAED reveals long waits for treatment
Adults with eating disorders in England are waiting unprecedented lengths of time to access essential treatment, with some reports suggesting delays of up to 700 days. The findings come from the National Audit of Eating Disorders (NAED), the first comprehensive look at how people with eating disorders navigate the NHS system. The stark numbers have raised questions about capacity, funding, and the path to timely care for a condition that can have life-threatening consequences if left untreated.
What the NAED report covers
The NAED aims to map access to evidence-based treatments for adults with eating disorders across England. It examines referral pathways, waiting times, and the proportion of patients who receive timely intervention. Early indications from the report point to significant regional variation and a widening gap between those who seek help and those who can receive it promptly. Experts say that excessive delays can exacerbate physical health risks and complicate recovery, turning what is already a challenging illness into a prolonged ordeal.
Why the waits matter for patients and families
Eating disorders are serious mental and physical illnesses. Prolonged untreated symptoms can lead to dehydration, organ strain, and in extreme cases, life-threatening complications. For many adults, delays in access to multidisciplinary care—therapy, nutrition support, and medical monitoring—hamper recovery momentum. Families and carers report feeling overwhelmed as they watch a loved one’s condition stagnate or deteriorate while navigating a fragmented system.
Impact on mental health and daily life
Beyond the medical risks, extended waiting times erode confidence and motivation to seek help. The uncertainty about when treatment will start can heighten anxiety and self-blame, creating a barrier to engagement with services that could ultimately shorten the illness if accessed earlier.
What could drive the long waits?
Analysts point to several contributing factors: limited specialised intake capacity, uneven regional service provision, and a historically underfunded pathway for eating disorders within the NHS. In many areas, the demand for evidence-based treatments—such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, family-based approaches for adults, and coordinated medical monitoring—outstrips available slots. The NAED findings underline the need for systemic changes to ensure consistent access across regions and reduce avoidable delays.
Policy implications and potential solutions
Health policy experts are calling for scale-up in workforce and better integration of services. Priorities include increasing trained clinicians, standardising referral thresholds, and establishing robust monitoring to track progress in reducing wait times. Some advocates urge the government to ring-fence funding for eating disorder services and to treat timely access as a clinical imperative rather than a secondary metric. Collaborative approaches between NHS trusts, community services, and primary care can help bridge gaps and fast-track patients who are most at risk.
What patients and clinicians can do now
In light of the NAED findings, patients waiting for treatment should maintain documentation of symptoms and prior health impacts, while staying in touch with their GP or local eating disorder service to confirm referral timelines. Clinicians emphasise the importance of early engagement, even before formal admission, and suggest seeking interim supports—such as dietetic advice, online CBT programs, and peer support groups—that can stabilise symptoms while waiting for formal treatment.
Looking ahead
The NAED report marks a critical step in illuminating gaps in England’s eating disorders care pathway. If the NHS responds with targeted funding, better service coordination, and transparent reporting, it could shorten waiting times and improve outcomes for thousands of adults. Stakeholders—including patients, families, clinicians, and policymakers—will watch closely as the NHS develops concrete plans to turn these findings into faster, more reliable access to life-changing care.
Conclusion
With current evidence pointing to waits as long as 700 days in parts of England, the NAED findings are a wake-up call. Timely treatment matters—not only for recovery but for saving lives. A coordinated, adequately funded response could transform the experience of care for adults with eating disorders and help restore hope for patients and their loved ones.
