Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with eating disorders are not turned away from services because of their BMI.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s clinical guidance on managing and treating eating disorders and NHS England’s Eating Disorder Commissioning Guide state that people should not be rejected for treatment solely on the grounds of weight or body mass index. We expect commissioners and providers to adhere to this guidance. All decisions about treatment should be taken jointly between the clinician and the patient, based on the best clinical evidence available and national guidance where appropriate.
We are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and other system partners to identify and support eating disorder training opportunities to enable staff to develop their understanding and improve diagnosis of eating disorders.