Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on the provision of clear care pathways for children with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder.

Ministers and departmental officials hold discussions regularly with NHS England and stakeholders on a range of issues.

We recognise the devastating impact an eating disorder, such as avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), can have on someone’s life, and the earlier treatment is provided, the greater the chance of recovery. We continue to work closely with NHS England to ensure that people with an eating disorder get the care and treatment they need.

In 2019/20, NHS England funded seven community eating disorder teams for children and young people in a pilot programme to improve access, assessment, and treatment for children presenting with ARFID. The training from these pilots is now available for providers in local areas for their children and young people’s community eating disorder services. And in 2021, NHS England commissioned ARFID training for staff delivering treatment in inpatient children and young people’s mental health services.

NHS England also commissioned the research charity Autistica to produce an ARFID and Autistic People briefing paper. This informed two awareness raising webinars, one for staff from the eating disorders charity BEAT, and the other for commissioners, clinicians, and providers, to consider how autistic children and young people with ARFID could benefit from eating disorder support and services.

Building on the work of the Children and Young People’s ARFID pilot, NHS England is developing a framework for community eating disorder services to support them in delivering an ARFID pathway for adults.