Support with eating disorders offered to students during awareness week

To raise awareness and widen support for people with eating disorders, council staff and experts from a leading UK charity are working with students in York during eating disorder awareness week.

From Monday 27 February to Sunday 5 March, students at the University of York will be offered webinars, one-to-one sessions, and information and advice.  This is designed to help individuals recognise and manage early signs of eating disorders, and to learn that if they need support they know which option to pick and how to sign up to tailored programmes.

Beat, a UK charity specialising in addressing and managing eating disorders, will lead on the webinars which will discuss the support available in York. They will outline the criteria for each support programme and how to self-refer or access them. The webinars will be hosted by the Students’ Union, and will give attendees anonymity. This will be followed by an on-campus information session with one-to-one meetings.

Cllr Carol Runciman, Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care at City of York Council, said: “These programmes are already offered to adult residents in the city and the Council welcomes the opportunity to work with Beat and York Student Union. With a significant student population, it’s important to work with our colleges and universities to further support their own mental wellbeing activities.

“With the experts at Beat, we can share this support and are delighted to do so during eating disorder awareness week. We hope to facilitate similar events in other locations across the city.”

Caroline Price, Beat's Director of Services, said: “Going to university and being away from home for the first time can feel overwhelming, particularly if you're unwell with an eating disorder or worried about your health. We’re very pleased to be able to hold these sessions to reach students and help early identification and treatment, as we know that the sooner people get help the better their chances of a full recovery.”

Franki Riley, York Sport Union President at the University of York, said: "We are delighted to be working collaboratively with City of York Council and BEAT to provide extra support for students during Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2023. This is an issue that many students will face either directly or indirectly across their time at university and it is vital that they are aware of the support they can access.

“Within my role in sports, I know how prevalent eating disorders are amongst young athletes and that getting the right support is crucial to supporting their recovery. We need to be talking more openly about eating disorders and the impact they have, and I am looking forward to this year's Eating Disorder Awareness Week starting some really important conversations."

David Kerr, Community Mental Health Transformation and Programme Delivery Lead at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, who provide local mental health services, said: “The Community Mental Health Transformation Programme is an ambitious programme to increase and improve access to services for people with an eating disorder. It aims to link services across the whole system together and has invested in new specialist roles in North Yorkshire and York. The ultimate aim is to reduce barriers to access and ensure services are provided in the right place at the right time. “

Beat is commissioned by the Connecting Our City community mental health project, as part of the North Yorkshire and York Community Mental Health Transformation Programme to enhance support in the city for people with an eating disorder and their families.

To find out more about the programmes available for people with an eating disorder or a family member/carer of someone with an eating disorder, please visit: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/get-information-and-support/beat-support-in-my-area/get-support-in-england/