The First episode Rapid Early intervention for Eating Disorders (FREED) programme has achieved several successes, according to the final learning report, which has now been published.
These successes include increased access to early intervention for eating disorders, with 2,430 patients receiving FREED treatment, as well as an estimated cost savings to the NHS of £10.9 million.
FREED is an evidence-based service model to provide developmentally informed, person-centred early intervention for young people aged 16-25 within three years of developing an eating disorder.
Adolescence and early adulthood are unique in being the peak age for eating disorder onset, as well as a time of neurodevelopmental change and significant life changes. Research shows the earlier an eating disorder is addressed, the greater the likelihood of making a full recovery.
FREED was developed by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London.
In 2020 the FREED model was selected by the AHSN Network as a national programme for spread and adoption due to the evidence for its effectiveness and scalability.
The programme ran until March 2023 and was successful in achieving:
- Interest or adoption of FREED in all 54 eligible NHS Trusts.
- Increased access to early intervention for eating disorders, with 2430 patients receiving FREED treatment.
- Estimated cost savings to the NHS of £10.9 million.
- Overwhelmingly positive feedback from FREED service users/carers, workforce and AHSN leads.
If you are concerned you or someone you know has an eating disorder speak to your GP, or you can find support and advice via organisations such as Beat Eating Disorders or Barnardo’s.
This video also provides a further look at the FREED story.
“Health equity is the attainment of the highest level of health for ALL people. Achieving health equity requires valuing everyone equally with focused and ongoing societal efforts to address avoidable inequalities, historical and contemporary injustices, and social determinants of health — and to eliminate disparities in health and health care.” (health.gov) Within the NHS there [...]
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a serious and lifelong health condition. People with SCD produce unusually shaped red blood cells that can cause problems because they do not live as long as healthy blood cells and can block blood vessels. This can result in suffers experiencing painful episodes, called sickle cell crises, as well as anaemia, [...]
At the Royal Society of Medicine’s Tackling Inequalities conference it was clear from the passion in the room that great progress has been made across the system to better support some of our most under-served communities. To maintain this momentum, we must not just embed tackling health and healthcare inequalities in all that we do, [...]
