Aim: We describe 2-year outcomes of a novel first episode early intervention service for young adults with a recent onset eating disorder (FREED).Outcomes in FREED patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) were compared with those from patients previously seen in our service [treatment as usual (TAU) cohort], matched for age, illness duration and diagnosis. Methods: Electronic case records of FREED-AN (n = 22) and TAU-AN patients (n = 35) were examined to identify service utilisation and clinical outcomes over 24 months. Results: Outpatient service utilisation was similar in both groups, but FREED-AN patients needed intensive (in-or day-patient) treatment less frequently than TAU-AN (23% vs 32%). FREED-AN patients had a higher estimated mean body mass index [19.2 kg/m 2 ; 95% CI (18.21, 20.16)] than TAU patients [18.0 kg/m 2 ; 95% CI (16.90, 19.15)] at last contact.

Background. To assess barriers and facilitators in the pathways toward specialist care for eating disorders (EDs).Methods. Eleven ED services located in seven European countries recruited patients with an ED. Clinicians administered an adapted version of the World Health Organization "Encounter Form", a standardized tool to assess the pathways to care. The unadjusted overall time needed to access the ED unit was described using the Kaplan-Meier curve.Results. Four-hundred-nine patients were recruited. The median time between the onset of the current ED episode and the access to a specialized ED care was 2 years. Most of the participants did not directly access the specialist ED unit: primary "points of access" to care were mental health professionals and general practitioners. The involvement of different health professionals in the pathway, seeking help for general psychiatric symptoms and the lack of support from family members were associated with delayed access to ED units.Conclusions. Educational programs aiming to promote early diagnosis and treatment for EDs should pay particular attention to general practitioners, in addition to mental health professionals, and family members to increase awareness of these illnesses and of their treatment initiation process.

Aims and methodThis service evaluation was conducted to find out: (1) if mixed gender accommodation in eating disorder units is perceived to be helpful or unhelpful for recovery, and (2) if men were being discriminated against by the implementation of the 2010 Department of Health (DoH) guidelines on the elimination of mixed gender wards. All 32 in-patient units accredited on the Quality Network for Eating Disorders were contacted via a survey. RESULTS: We received 38 responses from professionals from 26 units and 53 responses from patients (46 female, 7 male) from 7 units. Four units had closed admissions to male patients due to DoH guidelines.Clinical implicationsWe found that it is possible to provide admission for men with eating disorders, while respecting the single gender accommodation rules, and that doing so is likely to be helpful for both genders and prevents discrimination against men.Declaration of interestNone.

Objective To assess the COVID-19 vaccination rates of a severe mental illness (SMI) population in Western Australia (WA) in January to March 2022, and to evaluate an inpatient COVID-19 vaccination program available to this group. Method A retrospective audit of the COVID-19 vaccination status of inpatients at the Mental Health Unit (MHU) at a tertiary hospital in WA was conducted and compared with the state average. Additionally, the medical records were interrogated to determine whether eligible inpatients were offered and received COVID-19 vaccination via the inpatient vaccination program. Results Vaccination rates for the MHU population were substantially lower than those for the WA population, particularly earlier in 2022. During January, just 49.0% of admitted patients had received two doses of the vaccine, compared to 92.8% of WA. Over the three months, 67 (47.2%) of all admissions were eligible for vaccination during their admission and 19 of the eligible patients (28.4%) were successfully vaccinated. Conclusion This audit has demonstrated a slow uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations in the SMI population, despite the wide availability for 12 months prior to this period. This indicates a significant potential for targeted, assertive programs to improve vaccination rates in this population group.