New eating disorder clinic for teenagers set to open in Wolverhampton
A new specialist eating disorder clinic for teenagers is set to open in Wolverhampton, after the number of children waiting for help soared nationally during the pandemic.
Park Lodge Specialist Children's Hospital will provide accommodation and treatment facilities for up to fifteen young people aged between 13 and 18.
Run by Arcadia Care, the hospital is located in the West Park area of Wolverhampton, with the building previously used for children with learning disabilities and as a care home for older people.
Careful thought has been given to the design of the new hospital to ensure a homely and safe environment is available to provide the highest standards of care.
Each young person and their family will be cared for by a specialist team of doctors, nurses, therapists and healthcare support workers to help them recover from their eating disorder.
Park Lodge is now undergoing the final stages of preparation with NHS commissioners of specialist children’s services before opening its doors to the first patients.
CEO Jawad Sheikh said: "We are proud to launch our flagship service, providing therapeutic support and care to enable individuals to be valued and heard.
"This will support to improve life skills through partnership, enabling more independent living. Our new tech will help in advanced teaching methods as well as care."
The hospital will help to meet the rising demand for services for young people who require in-patient care for complex mental health needs and eating disorders, after the need for eating disorder services rose during the pandemic.
The need for specialist services continues to outstrip the ability of services to meet this rising need.
NICE guidance states that 95 per cent of urgent eating disorder referrals should be treated within one week. Across the country, the proportion of children with an urgent referral seen within one week fell from 88 per cent in the year to June 2020, to 68 per cent in the year to June 2021.
Across the same period, the number of children waiting for urgent treatment across England has increased fourfold – from 56 to 230.
The Department for Health and Social Care said it is "determined" to provide mental health care to those with eating disorders and that it will invest in services to treat an additional 345,000 children and young people by 2024.
