CAEDS is a specialist community eating disorder service developed to support the needs of adults with anorexia nervosa or severe, medically complicated bulimia. We are based at Ashgrove, St Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Our service was set up to provide assessment and treatment to people living in Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, Sunderland, South Tyneside and Northumberland.
Our Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) is made up of a Psychiatrist, GP, Psychological Therapists, Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, Specialist Nurses, FREED Champion/Specialist Nurse, Community Practitioners, Clinical Support Assistants, Admin Assistant.
We work very closely with teams at the Richardson Eating Disorder Service (REDS) Intensive Day Service, Benfield House, and the inpatient unit, Ward 31A, RVI, to best support patients moving through the pathway. We also work closely with local Community Treatment Teams, Childrens Eating Disorder Service (CEDS), Eating Distress North East (EDNE), and other services.
Our aim is to support patients to improve both their physical and psychological wellbeing following a comprehensive assessment and formulation of their individual needs, including a robust risk assessment. We provide regular care reviews to ensure the care plan is appropriate for the physical and mental health needs of the patient. We offer support to carers and encourage them to attend carers groups to access emotional support as well as supporting them to develop skills and knowledge to support their loved one.
We follow the FREED pathway which is a structured approach to early intervention for patients aged 18-25, who have had their diagnosis for three years or less.
We follow a PEACE pathway which focuses on the needs of people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how treatment may need to be considered differently. We also have a pathway for people who have long and enduring symptoms in relation to their eating disorder. They may not feel able to work towards full recovery of their eating disorder but may need support to remain physically and psychologically stable in the community.
Most of our referrals come via the local Community Treatment Teams (CTT) or from other Specialist Eating Disorder Services in the country. We have a robust duty system in place where all referrals are triaged in a timely manner by experienced eating disorder clinicians.
How can I get referred
Referrals are accepted directly from secondary care mental health services only. Referrals can be made to us in writing or via email. Unfortunately, we cannot accept self-referrals and first point of contact to initiate this process would be your GP.