More than 250 people have died from eating disorders since the government pledged to improve services six years ago, openDemocracy can reveal.
The data, from the Office for National Statistics, shows 94 people died from eating disorders in 2021 alone, the latest year with available statistics. Deaths are highest among women aged between 40 and 50, but six teenagers have died since 2018. A string of avoidable deaths in the years before 2017 saw the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman urge the government to clean up its act, but the ombudsman warned in February this year that little progress had been made.
Eating disorder services remain desperately stretched, with no new beds for adults since 2017 despite soaring demand. The situation is so bad that nurses on general wards are having to turn to security guards to help them restrain patients, which can be traumatising.
