Medical ward admissions for children due to eating disorders rose by more than 500 per cent in England in the period from 2012 to 2022.

These study findings were published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health Journal and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In the study, researchers analysed data on all admissions of 5-18-year-olds to medical wards in England from April 2012 to March 2022.

 In the ten-year period, researchers found that admissions for eating disorders rose from 478 to 2,938, an increase of 514 per cent. Out of the admissions for mental health concerns among children ages 5 to 18, one third was made up of females aged 11-15 years, driven largely by the increase in admissions for eating disorders.

Researchers suggest that longer waiting times for mental health services like CAHMS resulting from increased demand, may be driving people to present in crisis to emergency departments.

 Click here to read the full Lancet article