HEALTH & BEAUTY
Support for eating disorders
What are you most afraid of? Whether it’s spiders and snakes or heights and flying, there are many different fears that affect people’s lives to varying extents.
Now imagine facing that fear multiple times each day. That’s what happens if what you’re most afraid of is the one thing you need to survive – food. In the UK, 1.25 million people have an eating disorder, particularly young people in their vulnerable teenage years. Life can seem frighteningly lonely when ruled by numbers on a scale and the constant battle with your inner thoughts.
But if you or someone close to you is living
with an eating disorder, they are not alone. They should get help fast.
Expert help is now available at Ellern Mede Moorgate, a new hospital in Rotherham that provides people aged eight to 25 with specialist intervention to recover from a range of eating disorders. For people living with anorexia or bulimia, they become consumed by thoughts about what they consume. It is not just a phase or a fad, a cry for attention or a way to lose a few pounds; the basic human function of eating becomes a painful act that leaves many of its sufferers feeling worthless, embarrassed and unable to change a life-threatening behaviour.
At Ellern Mede, the team care for the most complex or chronic of cases and vow to never give up on any patient. They understand that having an eating disorder is not a choice; what often starts as an easy control mechanism in the chaos of everyday life quickly spirals until it ends
up controlling you.
Some of their patients have complicated conditions such as PAWS, or Pervasive Arousal Withdrawal Syndrome, whereby they refuse not only to eat but also resist walking, talking and any treatment.
Recovery is not just as simple as eating. Since 2000, Ellern Mede’s eating disorder services have helped both private and NHS patients and champions the case for early intervention which is vital for full recovery. With two hospitals in London, Ellern Mede opened their third here in Rotherham last autumn. Based at Moorgate, the 12-bed centre was opened by Mayor of Rotherham and mental health nurse, Jenny Andrews, who previously worked at the site when it was run by Turning Point.
Throughout her career, Jenny has seen the impact mental health problems like eating disorders can have on families. “To have this fantastic facility here in Rotherham as the north’s flagship hospital will mean more people will have access to life-changing care and therapy,” she said as she declared it open.
The hospital is set out over two floors with six beds on each; Aztec for CAMHS patients aged eight to 18 and Inca for 18 to 25-year-olds who are transitioning into adult services and may otherwise fall off the radar.
By bridging the gap between child and adult
care, this investment by Ellern Mede means they can help more people reaching 18 stay in treatment so that the illness will not persist through later life.
Each patient is given a personalised treatment plan based on their physical and psychological needs which includes group and one-to- one therapy by a multi-disciplinary team of mental health nurses, psychiatrists, dieticians, occupational therapists, family therapists and social workers.
Whether it’s body image work, occupational
therapy-led cooking, family therapy or cognitive behavioural therapy, treatment is designed to equip patients with the skills to manage their disorder at home after they’ve been discharged. Life at Ellern Mede is intended to feel comfortably informal and as least clinical as possible. Each patient has their own en-suite room which can be personalised to feel like their home – for now, but not forever.
In the communal areas there are TV lounges, quiet spaces, activity rooms and a dining room plus a garden and outdoor terrace area. There is also a broad activity programme to suit all interests including yoga, art and crafts, writing and trips to the cinema or theatre. On-site, there is also a school for CAMHS patients to work towards the home school curriculum. It is run by the Ellern Mede School team which is rated Outstanding by Ofsted for its Mill Hill school.
Whatever personal goals patients are working towards, the main focus is on recovery and discharge, with Ellern Mede having a high recovery rate and low relapse rate due to the expert team, high staff to patient ratio and level of specialism.
Treating: • Anorexia Nervosa • Bulimia • Binge eating disorders • Eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) • Pervasive Arousal Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) Patients can be admitted informally or in terms of the Mental Health Act
Introducing Ellern Mede Moorgate - a new 12-bed hospital in Rotherham for children and young adults with eating disorders
• NHS referrals • Private patients • Medical insurance options
Inpatient, outpatient and day patient services available
CQC registered and NHS approved qualified provider
136 Moorgate Road, Queensway, Rotherham S60 3AZ
0203 981 7252 or Head Office: 0203 209 7900
www.ellernmede.org aroundtownmagazine.co.uk 11
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