Find support

You might hear our team called CEDS. This stands for Community Eating Disorder Service. We are a specialist team that supports children and young people aged 8 to 17½ who have a moderate to severe eating disorder.

We work across Herefordshire and Worcestershire to give care, advice, and treatment.

It can be hard to accept an eating disorder. Asking for help can feel scary. You may have many different feelings, such as fear, anger, guilt, or shame. Eating disorders are complex, and you may need a lot of support. 

• Family treatment: We look at how an eating disorder affects everyone, and we help support you and your family.
• Therapy: You will meet with a CAMHS therapist. We will look at the type of therapy that helps you understand and manage your thoughts and feelings.
• Food and diet support: We provide meal plans, and a dietitian helps guide this.
• Medication: You may be offered medication if you have feelings like low mood and you have found that the therapy with your keyworker has not helped after at least 6-8 sessions.
• Medical (physical health) checks: Eating disorders can affect your body. We check your weight and physical health and look out for any medical problems. In some cases, we take blood, and you may need to be seen for all of your checks twice a week. Checks include pulse, bloods, blood pressure (this can feel a little funny as you have a cuff around your arm) you will be asked to sit and stand whilst these checks are taking place, your temperature using a thermometer, your height and weight.
• Learning about eating disorders: We help you understand eating disorders. We talk about triggers, health risks, and ways to stay well. 
• Parent support groups: We run a group for parents and carers. It helps them learn more about eating disorders, feel more confident, and support their loved one to get better.

What happens after a referral is made?

We aim to see you within 28 days after we accept the referral. If the problem is urgent, we act more quickly and can start treatment within 1 week.

If the eating problem is life‑threatening, we act straight away. A doctor may decide you need to go to a children’s hospital ward, where the medical team will support you.

Assessment

After you are referred, we will meet you for an assessment. We ask questions, learn about your eating difficulties, and check how we can help.

Sometimes our service is not the best match for your needs. If this happens, we will help you get support from another service.

If we can help, we make a recovery plan together with you, and we work on it as a team.