{
  "id": 179584,
  "title": "Most people with eating disorders don't receive specialist NHS referral",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/most-people-with-eating-disorders-dont-receive-specialist-nhs-referral",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-05T15:20:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-people-disorders-dont-specialist-nhs.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A study of over 35,000 adults in England and Northern Ireland found that 75.8% of those diagnosed with an eating disorder were never referred to specialist NHS treatment. Researchers from King's College London and the University of British Columbia analyzed GP records from 2010 to 2023, noting that referral odds differed based on weight status and diagnosis type. Being underweight increased referral chances for anorexia nervosa but decreased them for bulimia nervosa and other specified feeding or eating disorder diagnoses. However, the link between weight and referral wasn't significant for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and binge-eating disorder diagnoses. Women were also referred at nearly double the rate of men, and referral rates varied by region, with the South East and North West showing higher rates compared to the North East, South West, and West Midlands. The study highlights inconsistencies in how eating disorders are recognized and the need for referral pathways that consider a person's body weight, as well as appropriate resource allocation for specialist services to provide effective treatment and care.",
  "summary": "A study of GP records for more than 35,000 adults in England and Northern Ireland has found that most people diagnosed with an eating disorder are never referred to specialist NHS treatment and that body weight plays a large part in who is seen and who is not. Using anonymized primary care data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD Aurum), covering records from 2010 to 2023,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}