Backbench business

Andrew Gwynne Excerpts

Thursday 14th February 2013 Westminster Hall

[Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Walker. I congratulate the hon. Member for Romsey and Southampton North (Caroline Nokes) on securing this important debate, particularly as we mark eating disorders awareness week, and on the extremely powerful case that she made in opening the debate. I, too, want to commend the work of the all-party parliamentary group, because it has ensured that this debate has been incredibly well informed. The debate has provided us with an opportunity to highlight the issue not only in Parliament, but, hopefully, in the media and the wider health sector, including among national health service staff, so that we can all examine what more we can do to help those with eating disorders. I also commend the personal contribution of the hon. Member for Braintree (Mr Newmark), who showed extreme courage in sharing his experiences with us today. He has really helped to inform the debate, and I thank him for sharing those personal experiences.

I pay tribute and offer my appreciation and thanks to Beat, a national eating disorders charity, and it would be unfair not to mention also Anorexia and Bulimia Care, and some of the other local charities that hon. Members have mentioned. According to Beat, eating disorders affect 1.6 million people in the United Kingdom, which is one in 39 people or 2.6% of the population. Statistically, that means that around 2,000 people at a top premier league club home game will have an eating disorder; 11 passengers on a jumbo jet; or more than 200,000 people here in Greater London. Therefore I am pleased that, throughout eating disorders awareness week 2013, Beat will highlight that the illnesses are far more common than perhaps most people would think or appreciate. The theme of this year’s campaign is “Everybody knows somebody”. It is a laudable aim of the campaign to encourage people to reach out to others—whether a partner, colleague, best friend, brother or sister—to talk about the illnesses, to express their concerns and to seek help before they reach hospitalisation stage.

Eating disorders primarily affect young women aged 18 to 25, but of course not exclusively. Most people would consider them as a young girls’ disease, and there is a great deal of stigma and misunderstanding still attached to the issue. Conditions such as anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and compulsive overeating have high mortality rates for mental health illnesses. Up to 20% of those affected may die prematurely. I was interested in the contribution of my right hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley (Mr Howarth) regarding diabulimia, which is something I was not aware of, so I thank him for sharing that with us today.

As we have also heard, an increasing number of men—some 20% of those affected—have an eating disorder. An important contribution was made by the hon. Member for South Basildon and East Thurrock (Stephen Metcalfe) in highlighting that issue. However, there can also be issues with older people, particularly the elderly and frail, for whom recognising an eating disorder may be problematic. Beat is right that the problem can affect anyone at any time in their life.

The media have a central role to play in the issue and, in many ways, have a great responsibility. Some media images of excessive thinness must play a large part in encouraging, particularly, young people to aim for an unrealistic body weight and risk becoming anorexic. What has perhaps been more worrying is the recent trend in social media that could encourage eating disorders. The hon. Member for Romsey and Southampton North and others have raised that issue in their contributions. I am a father of three young children. I have two sons—one has a birthday today; he is a teenager, because he is 13—but I worry particularly about my daughter, who is 11 and very conscious of some of the unrealistic images that she gets bombarded with. It is a concern of mine, as a father, and no doubt of other hon. Members who have children. I can see how the problem could start to escalate. There were concerns earlier this year with online sites such as Instagram, which appeared to allow users to view pictures encouraging eating disorders and self-harming. According to press reports, some of the messages on the website encouraged people not to eat. That is incredibly concerning, because Instagram has more than 80 million users worldwide. The growing influence of a variety of social media and the popularity of phone apps give people, especially young people, access to images that encourage the individual to believe that an eating disorder—we have heard this in the debate—is a lifestyle choice. Surely that is wrong, especially as the number of hospital admissions for eating disorders is growing.

A report last year from the health and social care information centre shows that the number of hospital admissions for eating disorders has risen by 16% to 2,288, a point that was eloquently made by my hon. Friend the Member for North Tyneside (Mrs Glindon).Of those admissions, 203 were men or boys. The statistics also reveal that more than 50 under-10-year-olds were admitted to hospital with an eating problem, and the biggest increase in admissions was among girls aged 10 to 15, which are up 69% since 2011. We must recognise that social media and pro-anorexia sites can affect those who may already be vulnerable to eating disorders and who already feel pressured. I am pleased to see that there have been at least some positive changes in the media. Last year, Vogue announced that it was banning models with visible signs of eating disorders from its glossy pages, and the editor of British Vogue pledged not to use any models under the age of 16, thereby helping to project an image of healthy models.

I also notice that Channel 4, alongside other broadcasters, has actively sought to raise awareness of body image issues, including a wide range of eating disorders, among its audiences through a number of programmes and online projects such as “Gok’s Teens: The Naked Truth”, which looked at British teenagers and offered advice on how to address their issues and anxieties, focusing particularly on teens suffering from body dysmorphia and anorexia. The programme also included an examination of the impact that the media and internet can have on young people’s body image. Clearly, the more programmes that highlight those problems, the better the chances of eliminating stigma and increasing understanding among the wider public. Media and social media have a role to play in addressing all of those issues, and I hope that media organisations work closely with eating disorder charities to introduce more positive stories and messages.

People who are experiencing an eating disorder often feel alone and need to be provided with good advice. We need to bring an end to the stigma surrounding the condition. There is also a need for good advice for those who may be able to spot the symptoms, such as family members or teachers, so that we can ensure that people are aware of the problems. Of course, the media have an important role to play in highlighting that. The symptoms of an eating disorder include finding reasons to skip meals, avoiding family meals or expressing a wish to eat alone, being noticeably self-conscious about body image or becoming very withdrawn. Those are all known warning signs. Clearly, anything that can help to identify the risk signs and help those affected to confide in parents or teachers can only be positive. We know that the sooner people come forward, the sooner treatment can start and the better the outcomes. Of course, we should also consider how to raise awareness in the national health service and to ensure that staff know about such conditions, can identify the signs of an eating disorder and are able to offer the right treatment as early as possible. We should consider how to ensure that all health professionals are fully aware of the symptoms.

This is not the time or the place to make political points. The Minister knows the concerns of Opposition Members about the new NHS structures, but I urge him, in the spirit of co-operation—the hon. Member for Romsey and Southampton North made this point in her opening contribution—to ensure that the commissioners within the new NHS structures take seriously the needs of those who may be at risk from eating disorders and ensure that their needs are seen in the round, because often a holistic approach to their health care needs is required. GPs, as commissioners of services, may not always recognise the symptoms of eating disorders. People must continue to receive the help they need when they need it. My right hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley, and the hon. Lady in an intervention, mentioned the treatment of diabulimia, which starkly highlights the issue. The experience outlined by the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr Burrowes) further reinforced those concerns.

I hope that when people are diagnosed with an eating disorder they get the help they need. Clearly, different people will require different treatments, and in some cases they will need access to mental health services. When Opposition Members talk about whole-person care, we mean not only the adult social care needs of the elderly but all society’s health needs. Eating disorders are an important issue that should be included within the concept of whole-person care.

There is an increasing incidence of eating disorders among men, and both men and women are influenced by what they see in the media. Indeed, as reported in the Nursing Times, NHS figures show that there has been a 66% increase in hospital admissions for male eating disorders during the past 10 years. That rise has been blamed on the increasing pressure on men to look good, with the media again having a central role. The eating disorder charity Beat has said that men’s reluctance to be open about their health is hampering efforts to address the problem. Again, I commend the hon. Member for Braintree for his contribution to today’s debate. We should bear in mind that resources and treatments for eating disorders are relevant to both male and female patients.

I have a couple of questions for the Minister, the first of which is on monitoring eating disorders. At present, as I understand it, the Government do not collate national statistics on the number of people affected by eating disorders who seek treatment. That would be a useful tool for assessing the overall need and geographical breakdown of eating disorders. What plans does he have in place to begin monitoring eating disorders? Likewise, does he plan to review the guidance on eating disorders issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence under the previous Government?

There is overwhelmingly broad agreement on both sides of the House that identifying eating disorders as soon as possible is important and that people should receive appropriate treatment as soon as possible, too. Again, I pay tribute to the work of eating disorder charities and the all-party group on body image, which have done so much to highlight the issue. Although they have done a great deal, there is clearly so much more that society can do to take on this challenge and to ensure that we all work together to prevent more tragedies and blighted lives.