Posted on: 22 February 2024
Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) is hosted by BEAT and runs from 26 February to 3 March 2024.
This year, we are shining a light on the support available at CNWL – including Milton Keynes.
An eating disorder is a mental illness that can impact on an individual’s day-to-day life. It might involve not eating enough food, eating large quantities of food at once or using unhelpful or harmful behaviours such as making yourself sick or using laxatives.
Between 2022 and 2023, CNWL treated over 1,300 eating disorder patients, and we offer a range of specialist services for people suffering from anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and other eating disorders.
What support is available?
Vincent Square Eating Disorder Service
The service offers a range of specialist services for people aged 18 years and over, and our expert team have helped many patients and their families to recover from eating disorders.
We're located in Kensington, but there is also a clinic for patients in Brent and Harrow.
What do people say?
"Throughout my years of treatment, Vincent Square has provided me with a safe and supportive space in which I can be open and honest about my struggles, my fears and even my triumphs. But above all, they have treated me as me, as a human being, rather than just as a patient."
You can watch short videos of what our staff say about working at Vincent Square, and learn about their roles.
Hear from our staff
An afternoon of crafting
To mark EDAW, Vincent Square is hosting a zine making event, open to current and former patients and staff.
A zine (short for magazine) is a small piece of original artwork, an image or short pieces of writing and texts, often in the form of a small booklet.
An individual zine often centres around a theme or prompt, and this collection will be looking at eating disorders, including self-care and recovery. The zine will become part of a Vincent Square collection booklet.
Find out more in this poster.
STRIDES
Do you experience any of the following?
- Feeling very preoccupied with thoughts about food and eating
- Worrying a lot about your body weight and shape
- Limiting food intake to manage weight and shape worries
- Compensating for eating (for example, exercising, using laxatives)
- Having food binges (feeling out of control and eating a very large amount of food all at once)
- Feeling like your relationship with food, exercise, or your body is having a negative impact on your life
If so, then STRIDES is here to help and support you.
STRIDES (Support to Recovery in Disordered Eating Service) help young people understand their problems and provide skills to regulate eating and exercise, manage difficult emotions, and improve body image and self-esteem in the long-term.
You can find us in Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Harrow, Hillingdon and Brent.
Community Eating Disorder Service for Children and Young People
We offer help and support to children and young people aged 17 or under who have a suspected or confirmed eating disorder diagnosis.
Arc Day Programme
Arc Day Programme is a community-based service run by CNWL for young people aged between 13 and 17 who have an eating disorder diagnosis.
The programme’s team treats patients in North West London with a first-of-its-kind, family-centred model of care, supporting families to develop techniques and strategies as part of recovery.
Milton Keynes Lifespan Eating Disorder Service (MK LEDS)
MK LEDS will treat you at any age. They will be there for you, and if appropriate, your family or carers throughout the duration of your care.
Read more from the team in this article: CNWL's Eating Disorders Service in Milton Keynes says we're here for you
Online self-help and support
Best for You NHS
The Best For You website has information about wellbeing, as well as content on common mental health topics like anorexia, binge eating disorder, ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder) and bulimia.
They also signpost to a range of support options including a 24/7 text support line, services run by various organisations in each CNWL borough, or safe, innovative digital apps.
Visit: https://bestforyou.org.uk/
Outside support
BEAT
Beat is the world’s largest eating disorders charity. It provides support and information to anyone affected by eating disorders, including sufferers, their family members and friends, professionals and anyone who wants to find out more about eating disorders.
One-to-One Web chat is Beat’s online service where you can talk to one of Beat’s advisors via an instant messaging service. Beat’s advisors are highly trained and available to talk to anyone affected by an eating disorder.
- Monday to Friday: 12pm to 8pm
- Saturday-Sunday: 4pm to 6pm
Beat also provide daily support groups via online chat rooms. There are many different chat rooms to access, including ones specifically for students and family members.
Click here to access the online chat rooms.