Introduction

Welcome to Cotswold House and Wiltshire Community Eating Disorders Service

As you will know, your loved one has recently moved from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to Cotswold House (CHM) or Wiltshire Community Eating Disorders Service (WCEDS).

Together they are a specialist eating disorder service for adults based at Savernake Hospital, Marlborough.

Generally, you will have attended a transition meeting or Care Planning Approach (CPA) meeting to discuss your loved ones continuing care plan prior to them moving to the adult service.

We know this can be a difficult time for young adults and their families/ carers/partners as they move between services.

We hope to make this process run smoothly for all involved to ensure the least disruption to the care your loved one receives.

Family involvement in Cotswold House and Wiltshire Community Eating Disorder Service

In CAMHS family/carers/partners involvement is considered central to a young person’s recovery and you will probably have been involved in family-based treatment sessions, treatment reviews and information about your loved one’s physical health will have been shared.

In the initial stages of treatment, you will probably have been involved in supporting your loved one with meal planning and supervising mealtimes.

In contrast, the focus of treatment in WCEDS is on the individual, who is seen as responsible for their own recovery.

Information about an individual’s health status is not shared with parents/carers without their consent, unless there is a concern that they are a risk to themselves or others.

Moving from CAMHS to adult services can leave parents/ carers feeling concerned about their loved one’s health and treatment and they may feel excluded from their care.

Young adults may feel worried about being in charge of their own care and may want their parents/carers involved, or they may feel ready to take on this responsibility and request that their loved ones are not involved in their care.

There are no right or wrong ways of managing this, however living with an eating disorder is challenging for both the individual and their loved ones.

We believe it is helpful (with the individual’s consent) for parents/ carers to continue to offer support and be involved in treatment.

Cotswold House and Wiltshire Community Eating Disorders Service offer the following opportunities for parent, carer, partner involvement

Friends and family Meeting runs once a month on Saturday mornings at Savernake Hospital 10.00-11.30am.

This meeting is held online and is an opportunity to meet other carers for support and discussion, facilitated by members of the WCEDS team.

A topic is presented each month and there is an opportunity to suggest questions for discussion in advance of the meeting.

If you are interested, you can be added to our mailing list by contacting oxfordhealth.wiltscommunityed@nhs.net.

CPA/ reviews

Service users are offered regular review meetings to discuss their treatment, parents/ carers are encouraged to be involved in person or via conference call with your loved one’s consent.
CPA’s are generally offered to in-patients and day-patients.

Carer’s liaison

Carers are always welcome to raise concerns with us if they feel that their loved one is deteriorating, and they have serious concerns about their physical or mental health and/or if a patient has disengaged and is no longer in treatment.

In this case we may advise to contact their GP for new referral.

If your loved one has agreed for you to be involved in their treatment and are admitted to our inpatient unit or day programme, we offer weekly carers liaison contact.

Family Therapy

Sessions are offered in our clinic base in Savernake Hospital, Marlborough. This can be offered to families, parents / carers, couples and individuals.

Useful Resources

There are a range of resources out there that you can use to support yourself.

We recommend that you seek appropriate medical advice from your GP if you feel you need further support.

Beat is the UK’s leading eating disorder charity. Through their website you can find local support in your area, information on eating disorders, how you can support yourself and how others can support you.

You can email BEAT for more information on onlineservices@beateatingdisorders.org.uk
or access their website at: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk