In Scotland, the Local Delivery Plan (LDP) Standards state that patients should not have to wait more than 18 weeks from referral to the start of psychological therapy. However, they do have general mental health waiting time targets. In England, the NHS is expected to assess all under-19s within a maximum of four weeks of a referral with a suspected eating disorder.Įquivalent standards specific to eating disorders do not yet exist for Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales. The NICE guidelines state that anyone suspected of an eating disorder should receive an assessment. If this does not happen, this does not mean that you do not need or deserve help. The eating disorder service has denied me an assessmentįollowing referral, you should receive an assessment appointment at a specialist eating disorder service. This may mean they are keen to help you to receive NICE recommended treatment, to make sure a complaint isn’t necessary. While the Practice Manager cannot overturn a GP’s decision, they would be the person you would have to speak to if you wanted to complain.You should be able to find his or her name on the practice website or on information boards in the surgery, or just ask at reception.If it’s not clear, or you need help with the self-referral, our Helpline should be able to help.If self-referral is offered, the HelpFinder will include a web page, phone number and/or email address for you to use.Check Beat’s HelpFinder to find your local service and to see if it allows self-referral.Some adult services and children and adolescent services outside England may also accept self-referral, but are not yet required to. You might be able to refer yourself to your local eating disorder service without needing to go through your GP.Īll children and adolescent eating disorder services in England are required to accept self-referrals by March 2022 and many already do this. Remember that you have a right to a referral and that the NICE guidelines are on your side.Most services are listed on Beat’s HelpFinder. If there isn’t a specialist treatment centre in your area, ask your GP to find out about specialist treatment elsewhere and to refer you there.How you have been feeling more generally.The physical and emotional impact of your eating difficulties, including how it affects you on a day-to-day basis, for example in social situations or in terms of your relationships.Your thoughts, feelings and behaviours around food.Here are some things you might want to include: This will help make sure you say everything you want to say. Before the appointment, it could be helpful to write the doctor a letter or take along some bullet points about what you’re going through.Some people find it helpful to attend the appointment with a supportive friend or family member, or to have them come along and sit in the waiting room. Booking a double GP appointment allows you more time to talk, rather than being rushed, so may be less anxiety-provoking, although it may also increase the length of time you have to wait for an appointment.There is also space on the leaflet for you to write down any questions or comments that you have. This leaflet has a section for you to give to the GP to explain that they should refer you to a specialist eating disorder service, and how to do this. Read Beat’s First Steps leaflet and take a copy with you to your appointment.Ask the receptionist if there is a GP with a specialist interest in mental health that you could make the appointment with. In many cases, this may be enough to get the referral you need. What you could do to overturn that decision:īook another appointment, ideally with a different GP in the surgery And don’t worry about challenging a GP’s decision – they want to make good decisions, but sometimes haven’t had much training in this area. If your GP did not make a referral to a specialist eating disorder service, this does not mean you do not need or deserve the help – it is important that you continue to seek help. If this is the case, talk to your GP to find out whether they can make an out-of-area referral for you. These restrictions are most often due to commissioning, and are not reflective of the help and support you need or deserve. Alternatively, due to service restrictions, some GPs may be unable to refer you for an assessment locally. This may lead to them not making the referral you need. Some GPs haven’t been trained in eating disorders and so aren't aware of how serious they are or know that they require specialist treatment. The NICE guidelines for eating disorders recommend that GPs make an immediate referral to a community-based, age-appropriate eating disorder service for a specialist assessment if an eating disorder is suspected, since people with eating disorders should receive treatment at the earliest opportunity. My GP did not refer me to a specialist eating disorder service
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