Bristol health centre pilots eating disorder clinic
Rather than waiting for hospital appointments, people who attend the University of Bristol Students' Health Service can now see a psychologist based at the practice.
They will be able to start cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) almost immediately, rather than having to wait weeks for a first hospital appointment.
Doctors at the Hampton House clinic in St Michael's Hill have identified 90 patients with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia and say there could be more who have not admitted the problem.
If the year-long pilot is a success among the students who use the surgery, it could extend to other patients in the city, initially in west Bristol.
At least one in 20 women in the country have an eating disorder, but problems tend to develop in teenagers and those in their early 20s, so can be more common in students.
CBT therapist Will Devlin has now seen his first patients at the health centre.
The work involves helping patients to understand why they think the way they do about food and how they can change their habits.
Dr Devlin will work with people for six months to a year in weekly sessions, depending on the individual.
He said: "This is putting specialist treatment where people can get it.
"This is where students are and the fact they can get access to great GPs and specialist services in one place is great and shows some real vision on the part of the primary care trust that they are funding a service like this.
"CBT is all about what people think and how they feel and what they need to do. These are linked together."
He said that there are four stages to the treatment for patients with eating disorders: to get an understanding of their problems, getting more regularity to their eating, understanding the psychological reasons behind their issues with food, and, finally, ensuring that patients stay with the changes and learn how they can cope with any slip-ups.
Dr Devlin said: "The patients do all the work themselves. They have to work really hard and I see myself as someone who is helping them."
Dr Dominique Thompson, a GP at the health centre, said: "It can feel very frustrating when you want to help patients, and know there is help out there but it can take weeks access it through the normal channels.
"There is a real sense of relief among all my colleagues that now, when we have a patient present with one of these eating problems, that we have something new and very quick we can offer them, rather than sending them away and saying they will have to wait eight weeks.
"Often the momentum has built up and often there is a sense of relief of telling someone, but if they have to wait for treatment that can really put people off.
"The treatment itself is not a quick fix but having this available really makes doctors feel they are able to help more."
She said that since posters went up at the health centre to inform patients of the service more people have asked their GPs for help.
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