Children, Young People and Families Berkshire Eating Disorders Service (BEDS)

We don’t have a waiting list for new referrals. Urgent cases are seen within a week and routine cases within six-eight weeks. Following assessment, treatment is generally offered in the locality nearest to the young person’s home.

Assessment takes place at our base in Maidenhead, where our team assesses the young person’s needs, and identifies the best way to support them.

The first appointment lasts about two and a half hours. We’ll see the young person individually, and with you, their carers or the rest of their family.

You’ll meet with members of our team who’ll talk to you about the concerns that led to the referral. Then, after a half hour break, we’ll discuss the outcome of the assessment, and plan and agree the best treatment together. You’ll be given a copy of the treatment plan, and a copy will also be sent to the young person's GP.

We can offer a variety of treatments that are consistent with 'The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Guidelines for Eating Disorders (2017).'  We aim to improve the psychological, physical and social functioning of the young person.

We develop treatment plans to meet the individual needs of the young people we see. These might include:

• Family based treatment (FBT): there is evidence that a family based approach to treatment is associated with improved outcomes. Generally all young people and their families will initially be offered FBT which aims to enlist the support of the whole family in supporting the young person's recovery
• Individual therapy: the young person might be offered one-to-one sessions to help them make changes. This could start with supportive work, and move towards specialist cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or another model of therapy, depending on their needs
• Family therapy: this can help family members improve communication and relationships so they can understand one another better, and work together to make the changes they feel are necessary
• Dietetic support: specialist dietetic support is available for all young people referred into our service
• Medical monitoring: eating disorders can have a serious impact on physical health. We’ll regularly monitor the young person’s weight, blood pressure and pulse, and arrange blood tests, ECGs and bone density scans if required
• Parents/carers groups
• Multi-family therapy
• Liaison with inpatient teams: sometimes young people need to be admitted to hospital for more intensive support. If this happens, we’ll liaise closely with hospital teams to make sure the transition is smooth
• Participation and support group for young people
• Liaison with schools and other professionals.

If you're over the age of 18, you can find support from our Berkshire Eating Disorders Service (BEDS)

Berkshire Eating Disorder Service

The CYPF Eating Disorders Service can help anyone aged 8-18 who has an eating disorder and significant concerns about their weight and shape, and anyone can make a referral to us. 

Before you make a referral for an eating disorder, we recommend that you collect the following information and include it in your referral: 

• Height in cm
• Weight in kg (including pattern of weight gain or loss)
• Physical checks: pulse and blood pressure
• Menstruation history (onset and current pattern)
• Eating pattern and behaviour (past and current)
• Any bingeing and/or purging (including exercise, self-induced vomiting) and frequency of these
• Any laxative or diuretic use
• Any prescribed medication
• Any recent history of dizziness or fainting
• Any significant family history.

You might find it helpful to ask your young person to complete the SCOFF questionnaire, a tool that helps assess the possible presence of an eating disorder.

For more advice on eating disorders, please see our mental and emotional health pages.

If you need to talk to someone to discuss what support you might need, or need to discuss your case, we operate a duty line from 9am until 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Call: 0118 904 3010 

Email: BEDSchildrenadmin@berkshire.nhs.uk