Eating disorder services (children and young people)

  • The service aim is to work in collaboration with children, young people and their families or carers to offer specialist assessment and treatment provision in order to restore both physical and psychological wellbeing.

  • Age: 10-18 years
  • Referral Criteria: Through GP, School or hospital
  • Address: Wood End Health Centre 67a Deedmore Rd, Coventry, CV2 1XA
  • Hours: 9:00am to 5:00pm
  • Telephone number: 02476 961110
  • Service hours: 9:00am to 5:00pm

About us

Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust provide a Specialist Community Eating Disorder Service for Children and Young People. The service promotes early intervention and offers prompt support and treatment for young people and their families experiencing eating disorders. Its aim is to restore physical health and psychological wellbeing in a safe, collaborative, and compassionate way.  We work closely with families, GPs, schools, and local health and social care partners across Coventry and Warwickshire.

This specialist, community-based, multi-disciplinary team delivers evidence-based assessment and treatment for children and adolescents up to 18 years old with eating disorders including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and eating disorders not otherwise specified. 

The team accepts referrals for young people who are registered with a GP within the Coventry and Warwickshire area. 

About the team

The team is multi-disciplinary and includes:

·       Psychiatrists

·       GPs

·       Psychological Professionals (including Clinical Psychologists, a Clinical Associate Psychologist, Assistant Psychologists and CBT therapists)

·       Specialist Nurses

·       Specialist Dietitians

·       CAMHS Practitioners (which includes an Occupational Therapist and Social Worker), and Support Workers. 

We are strongly supported by the Family Therapy team. 

We also work closely with the paediatric departments within the local hospitals.

All clinicians in the team are trained to work with young people and their families. We work together as a team to ensure that young people are receiving the right support. 

Please let our team know if there are any reasonable adjustments we could make to improve accessibility to our service. We are able to share more information about the clinicians you will meet if this would be helpful to you.

We can work with interpreters if you need one. 

About the treatment we offer: 

We provide assessment, diagnosis and interventions for Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder and Eating Disorders not otherwise specified. We offer treatments in line with NHS NICE Guidelines for Eating Disorders.

Interventions we offer:

Physical health monitoring: This is an essential part of the care plan due to the medical risks associated with eating disorders. It includes regular monitoring of weight, blood pressure, and pulse, and an assessment of general health. Most monitoring is completed by medical or nursing staff, though other clinicians may occasionally record weights.

You may also be asked to have blood tests with your GP or attend hospital for an ECG.

Dietetic support: a specialist dietitian may help create a personalised meal plan as this can be helpful to support physical health and provide meal structure. 

Parent skills group: we run a weekly online parent skills group to help parents and carers understand eating disorders and develop skills to support your child through their recovery journey.

Family-based treatment: This is our most commonly used treatment model. It focuses on understanding the impact of the eating disorder on the whole family and identifying how family members can support the young person in restoring regular eating patterns and weight where needed.

Individual therapy: This can take many forms. We generally wait until physical health has improved and regular eating has been established before offering regular formal individual therapy. 

Individual therapy can take many other forms and will be guided by the clinical formulation. It may include motivational work, supportive interventions, goal-based approaches, or work focused on body image.

In some cases, cognitive behavioural therapy for eating disorder (CBT-ED) may be recommended. This collaborative approach helps the young person understand what is maintaining the eating disorder, how to restore healthy eating, and how to address emotional or behavioural difficulties. CBT-ED requires a high level of motivation and willingness to take responsibility for recovery.

Multi-family therapy: A four-day intensive programme for families, with a one-day follow-up session. This evidence-based approach supports families to make effective changes that promote recovery.

Psychiatric assessment: appointments may be offered to monitor mental health and assess any need for medication when appropriate. Medication is not routinely used in treatment of eating disorders. However, if the young person has an associated mental illness such as depression or an anxiety disorder that has not responded to a therapeutic intervention, medication may be considered. 

Home intervention: If higher-intensity support is needed, time-limited intensive home-based support may be offered. This is usually considered when a young person is at risk of hospital admission.

We also offer consultation, training and support to staff working in other services for children and young people. Please contact us for further information.

How to contact us

If you would like more information about the service or need to discuss a referral, please get in touch using the details below. Our service operates from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.

Phone: 024 76961110
Email: riseeds@covwarkpt.nhs.uk
Address:

Wood End Health Centre
67a Deedmore Rd
Coventry
CV2 1XA

Please note that we are not a crisis service, so if your query is urgent or out-of-hours we would advise that you contact your GP surgery, seek advice from the telephone 111 service or attend A&E if needed. 

 

Where to find us

Our team is currently based at Wood End Health Centre in Coventry. Initial assessments are held here where we have full access to our multi-disciplinary team and facilities to complete relevant health checks.

Wood End Health Centre
67a Deedmore Rd
Coventry
CV2 1XA

Referrals

How to refer

We accept referrals for children and young people up to 18 years old who are registered with a GP in Coventry and Warwickshire.

In the first instance, we ask that the child or young person is seen by their GP, who can then refer into our service with consent from parents/carers. This allows necessary physical observations to be completed to inform the referral and enables the GP to rule out or treat any physical health issues that may be causing symptoms. 

We also accept referrals from other professionals such as School Nurses, other Health Professionals, schools and social workers, with parental consent. However, we ask that the child/young person is also seen by their GP. The referral can be made at the same time as arranging the GP appointment.

We are unable to accept self-referrals at present, but this is something we are working towards.

Once a referral is received, it will be triaged by a member of the team. This may include a telephone call to gather more information.

If a referral is accepted, we will aim to arrange an assessment within 4 weeks of receipt of referral whenever possible.

If you are unsure if a referral is appropriate, please contact us on 024 76961110 to speak to our duty clinician. 

 

Urgent support: 

If you are worried that a young person may be medically unstable (e.g: fainting, experiencing rapid weight loss, dehydration, chest pains, or being a very low weight), please contact a GP urgently or attend your nearest Emergency Department or call 999.

If you are concerned about a young person's mental health, please contact our crisis team via 111.

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