The count of hospital admissions due to eating disorders has almost doubled in the last six years in the UK.
Eating disorders lead to conditions including anorexia and bulimia.
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The NHS figures indicate that 13,885 people were admitted between April 2016 and 2017 due to these conditions, touching the peak in six years.
This figure is almost twice the 7,260 admissions recorded in 2010-2011.
The count of females admitted to hospitals under the age of 18 for anorexia condition have also surged in the six-year period (2012-2017), touching 1,904. The count in 2010-11 was 961.
By 2020, the government plans to offer treatment to atleast 95% of children and young adults who have been considered as emergency cases within one week.
A Department of Health spokesman was quoted by The Telegraph as saying: “We are committed to ensuring everyone with an eating disorder has access to timely treatment.
“We know the numbers seeking treatment are rising and it’s encouraging to see an increase in patients getting routine care within four weeks, as well as a significant improvement in treatment times compared to last year.
“Inpatient treatment should be seen as a last resort, that’s why we have set out plans to expand community-based care for eating disorders – 70 dedicated community eating disorders services are being developed and recruitment to get the teams up to full capacity is under way.”
