GPs are failing people with eating disorders, says charity

GPs are routinely failing to provide adequate care to patients with eating disorders, with one in three not referred for specialist assistance, a leading charity has warned.

Beat, the UK’s primary eating disorder charity, found that half of people with some experience of the condition rated GP care as “poor” or “very poor” and 30% were not referred to mental health services after their appointment.

The charity polled 1,700 people, the majority of whom had sought medical help for an eating disorder. Of the 1,267 who had gone to a GP for help, only 34% said they felt their doctor knew how to treat them.

This is despite National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) guidelines that say patients should “receive treatment at the earliest opportunity”.

It comes amid growing concern about eating disorder services in general and the help available for patients once they are referred. NHS data shows a 36% drop in the number of hospital appointments for eating disorders in England, leaving thousands of children and teenagers forced to wait months for help. Charities warned that some patients were essentially being told they would not get help unless they starved themselves further.

Beat’s warnings will add more pressure on the government to improve care for patients. The charity has called for better training for medical students specialising in general practice, as well as more funding for mental health services once referrals are made.

Andrew Radford, the chief executive of the charity, said: “Unfortunately many of our respondents identified poor care, with many GPs not knowing what the real signs and symptoms are.

“This isn’t about blaming GPs, it’s about enabling the 50% of GPs who didn’t provide good care to be as supportive of eating disorder sufferers as the 50% who did.”

Elizabeth McNaught, 25, a junior doctor who had eating disorders when she was younger, agreed training was not good enough. “Many doctors do not know enough about eating disorders because they don’t feature very highly in medical training. We had just two hours on the subject throughout five years of study.”

Eating disorder numbers among the young have risen over the years. While 658 under-19s in England needed a spell in hospital in 2003-04 to treat an eating disorder, by 2013-14 that number had increased to 1,791, up 172%.

At least 725,000 people in the UK of all ages, genders and backgrounds now have an eating disorder. Research has found 20% of anorexia sufferers will die prematurely from the illness.

Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, dismissed claims that family doctors were not trained to identify and treat eating disorders. She added that Nice guidelines did not recommend immediate referral for all patients who might have an eating disorder. “In some cases the condition can be dealt with effectively in primary care,” she said.

Stokes-Lampard said the figures did show the intense pressure GPs were under. She added that it was not always possible to assess the needs of complex patients in a 10-minute appointment, calling for more investment and longer consultations. She also said better mental health services in the community were needed.

The Guardian heard from several people who had trouble with their GP, including Matt Foster, 28. He said: “I had spoken to my GP before about mental health issues and they were unsympathetic.” Another person, who wished to be anonymous, said: “When I first asked my GP for help, he sounded bemused. He said throwing up your food is bad for you and you are hardly fat, so what do you have to worry about?”

Rhiannon Lambert, a nutritionist, said: “Approaching a GP will always be a vital move in treatment and more needs to be done to support patients. Eating disorders need to be taken seriously. While recovery is possible, they often last a lifetime or sadly take a life.”

GPs are failing people with eating disorders, says charity