Overview
- New national guidance instructs clinicians not to use BMI centiles as a barrier to assessment, admission or discharge, prioritising behaviour changes and family concerns.
- Teachers, school nurses and GPs will receive free online training to spot early signs and refer children for specialist help, backed by Beat and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
- The overhaul is the first major update since 2015 and includes clearer pathways for conditions such as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.
- NHS England reports every local area now has a specialist service for children and young people, with treatment typically offered within three weeks of referral.
- Audit data show national median waits of 14 days to assessment and four days to treatment but extreme outliers up to 450 days, prompting calls for proper funding, staffing and prompt implementation by local commissioners.