Home treatment for children with eating disorders

Home treatment will primarily support young people around mealtimes and will be guided by their family, says a service provider

Children with eating disorders in Coventry and Warwickshire will receive some treatment at home under new plans.

A team within mental health and well-being services is being created to treat more young people in their own environment.

Currently patients have to be admitted, even if they could be well supported at home, said Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust.

The new treatment aims to help patients transition into day-to-day life.

"We know that home is often where the young people we work with feel most comfortable so this is where we can get the best outcomes for them and, importantly, the maximum input from their family," trust medical director Sharon Binyon said.

"While inpatient settings are the best place for some young people, others can find them very intimidating which does not help the work we do with them to understand and overcome their condition."

RISE, the mental health and wellbeing service for children and young people in Coventry and Warwickshire, said it was to recruit more staff to support the new service.

Home treatment would primarily support young people around mealtimes and would be guided by their family while helping them understand eating disorders and techniques to manage difficulties, the trust said.