Adults with eating disorders in England are facing waits of up to 700 days for treatment, according to the first national audit examining access to specialist services, raising serious concerns about delays in care and widening inequalities across the NHS.
The findings, published in the inaugural National Audit of Eating Disorders, highlight stark differences between services for adults and children, with demand for adult care significantly outstripping available capacity.
First national audit reveals delays
The National Audit of Eating Disorders was commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership and funded by NHS England to assess how easily patients can access eating disorder services across the country.
Using data collected between January and May this year, the audit provides the first comprehensive national picture of waiting times and service availability for both adults and children.
Adult patients wait far longer than children
The audit found that adults with eating disorders wait, on average, twice as long as children for an initial assessment and more than ten times as long to begin treatment.
Nationally, the median waiting time for adults was 28 days for assessment and 42 days for treatment. However, in the worst cases, adults were waiting up to 700 days to receive care.
By comparison, children and young people typically waited 14 days for assessment and four days for treatment, although some experienced treatment waits of up to 450 days.
Fewer services for adults
The report identified a significant imbalance in service provision between age groups.
There are currently 93 community teams and 54 inpatient teams supporting children and young people in England, compared with just 69 community teams and 33 inpatient teams for adults.
The audit found that 3,855 people were waiting for an assessment from an adult community care team, while a further 4,537 were waiting to start treatment.
Capacity pressures driving delays
Among community teams with waiting lists, 71% said the most common reason for delays was demand exceeding capacity.
The findings come amid rising referrals for eating disorder services, following increased awareness during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside growing pressure on NHS mental health services more broadly.
Charity warns of growing disparity
The eating disorder charity Beat said the findings were deeply concerning, particularly the growing gap between child and adult services.
Tom Quinn, Beat’s director of external affairs, said the audit was a vital step in understanding where services are falling short but warned that many adults are still being told there is no local support available.
He said community care staff are working under intense pressure, but patients are facing devastating delays at the point when they most need help.
Postcode lottery in adult care
Beat also warned of significant regional variation in access to treatment, describing a postcode lottery for conditions such as binge eating disorder, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder and night eating syndrome.
Mr Quinn said the lack of accessible adult services, limited self-referral options and uneven availability across England are leaving many patients without timely care.
He added that remaining at home while receiving intensive community or day services often leads to better outcomes, and called for wider access to local support rather than reliance on inpatient treatment.
NHS England response
NHS England acknowledged the findings and said it is committed to improving access to eating disorder services for adults as well as children.
A spokesperson said it was encouraging that children are, on average, being seen within two weeks of coming forward, but stressed that consistent and timely care must be available for patients of all ages.
They said every local health system now has at least one specialist eating disorder service supporting adults and children, and that the audit’s findings will be used to help NHS teams reduce waiting times.
The spokesperson urged anyone struggling with an eating disorder to contact their GP as early as possible to begin the process of accessing support.
