HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS British Journal of Psychiatry Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Birchall, H. Articles by Gatward, N. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Birchall, H. Articles by Gatward, N.

Intensive day programme treatment for severe anorexia nervosa — the Leicester experience

Leicester Eating Disorder Service, Brandon Mental Health Unit, Leicester General Hospital, Gwendolen Road, Leicester LE5 4PW

Declaration of interest

None.

AIMS AND METHOD

To look at whether the opening of a day programme for the intensive care of people with severe anorexia nervosa in Leicester had the expected impact on admission rates, length of stay, cost of treatment and also simple measures of whether patients got better. Is this day programme an effective resource?

RESULTS

Since the opening of the day programme, in-patient bed days and overall costs of treatment for local patients have been reduced, and the early results in terms of weight gain and readmission rates are promising.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

With many areas planning to set up eating disorder services for local patients, it is important to consider which are the best resources to invest in. The experience of a well-established specialist service in Leicester has shown that a day programme can be an enriching and cost-effective way to treat patients with anorexia nervosa, but that it does not replace the need for the availability of in-patient beds.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S G Gowers Management of eating disorders in children and adolescents Arch. Dis. Child., April 1, 2008; 93(4): 331 - 334. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Palmer Come the revolution: REVISITING... THE MANAGEMENT OF ANOREXIA NERVOSA Advan. Psychiatr. Treat., January 1, 2006; 12(1): 5 - 12. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]