The Spring Tide Eating Disorder Day Service in Hove, which is run by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, provides an intensive treatment programme to young people aged 18 and under as an alternative to inpatient care.
There's been a significant increase in the need for inpatient services for young people in Sussex with an eating disorder; with young people presenting at a later, more acute state which requires more physical health interventions.
In the 12 months up to June 2019 before the pandemic, 240 young people started treatment for an eating disorder with the Sussex Family Eating Disorder Service, and of these on 14 were triaged as urgent. In the 12 months up to Jun 2022, 259 young people started treatment with 156 were triaged as urgent.
Spring Tide opened in October 2022 and is the first of its kind in Sussex and only one of four in the South East. It enables young people to be treated in the community and to stay at home to be supported by their families.
It delivers a 14-week programme which includes group and individual therapy, meal support and support for families. It is designed around term time, including two half-terms and a four-week programme offered over the summer holidays, to allow the young people to continue with their education.
The feedback has been positive. In a post-treatment questionnaire, young people said they felt they were listened to, that staff were kind and supportive and helped them in their recovery.
A key aspect of the programme is that it supports families around mealtimes through education, group work and family therapy for eating disorders.
Families said they found the support helpful because it helped them to feel less alone and able to see the eating disorder from the perspective of their child. Overall families felt better equipped to support their young person with their ongoing recovery.
Spring Tide is based on a successful service developed by the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. The learnings from Spring Tide will help to inform the development of further provision in Sussex. As well as the benefits they offer to patients and their families, community-based intensive treatment programmes, like Spring Tide, offer considerable cost savings, compared to inpatient services.
The eating disorder day service was commissioned by the Kent and Sussex CAMHS Provider Collaborative, with funding from NHS England, as part of its commitment to reduce reliance on in-patient services, treat patients in the least restrictive environment and as close to as possible to their families and communities.