Eating disorder care practices to be studied

The use of restraints and feeding by tubes in NHS eating disorder care is to be studied, with the aim of reducing restrictive practices.

The University of Cumbria said the £1.1m project would see it work with researchers, clinicians, young people and parents to examine care across the country.

Umairah Malik, from eating disorder charity BEAT, said it was a "vastly underfunded area of research", while project leader Prof Joy Duxbury said eating disorders remained among the mental health conditions with the highest mortality rates.

The closure of the Richardson Eating Disorder Service, the only adult eating disorder inpatient ward serving north Cumbria, was announced in January.

The research, which has been funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), will review existing evidence and national data to map current patterns of restrictive practice in NHS services.

The study will also conduct interviews with young people, families, and staff to explore their experiences.

Restrictive practices is a collective term for different types of restraint, according to NHS England.

It can include feeding via nasogastric tubes, locked doors and limits on personal freedom, all of which the university said could be traumatic for patients, families, and staff.

Use of any type of restrictive practice has the potential to interfere with human rights, the NHS said.

Professor of mental health nursing Duxbury said understanding how restrictive practices were used was vital, adding numbers of young people needing hospital care continued to rise.

The university said it would produce a "final implementation phase to support meaningful, lasting change".

"Despite rising admissions of young people with eating disorders, there is limited research into the emotional and practical impact of these interventions, or how their use might be reduced," the university said.

Duxbury said the project sought to deliver evidence which "reflects the reality and challenges of clinical environments, giving services the tools and insights they need to enhance care, protect well-being and foster trust".

BEAT said it would provide well-being support for those involved, with groups for carer and parents and young people with lived experience of eating disorders.

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