Last Friday we had a good meeting with the Department of Health and Social Care and had the space to share our key recommendations and more to tackle the rise in eating disorders, the lack of care, and the lack of interventions out there. You will be able to see a complete update from the meeting later this week here!

Following the meeting, we fully briefed all MPs over email regarding the next steps and recommendations. However, MPs emails get inundated so we need to ensure they see these emails so that we can keep momentum up. We need to make sure that we can end the injustices for people with eating disorders, and ensure that they are included in the COVID19 recovery plan! This is especially important as the recent funding announcements only included a tiny amount for Children's eating disorder services and nothing ring fenced for adults. 

There are two things you can do right now to show your support and help make this change: 

1. Show your support on social media! Please do use the hashtag #DumpTheScales so we I can share too.

2. Write to your local MP (This is super important and I have included a template below, but do please feel free to personalise it too!) If you hear back please feel free to send it on to me (hopevirgo@hotmail.com) and share it on social media!  

Please do forward this on to everyone you know and ask them to get involved!

Thank you so much for your support! We are at a crucial point to make these changes and we can’t do it without you!

Hope xxx

MP LETTER - PLEASE SEND: 

Dear [INSERT MP]

I am writing to you as a member of your constituent to ask you to support Hope Virgo’s #DumpTheScales campaign and the recent recommendations she sent over to the government regarding eating disorders.

Over the last year we have seen a huge rise in the number of people struggling with an eating disorder. An illness which still carries a huge amount of stigma which prevents people reaching out for support. 

The recent 2019 Health Survey found that 16% of adults aged 16 and over (19% of women and 13% of men) screened positive for a possible eating disorder. This included 4% (5% of women and 3% of men) who reported that their feelings about food had interfered with their ability to work, meet personally and have a social life. This is a 266% increase in the last 12 years.  

Eating disorders services were already overstretched, but COVID19 has quite literally brought services to their knees. Staff are overstretched and unable to keep up with the demand, waiting lists are longer than before and individuals are being left without any support. 

On Monday 29 March, Hope Virgo sent over the briefing paper with key recommendations on how to tackle this; from an injection of funding into adult services, recommendations on training and education amongst other key recommendations all of which will help save lives.

What you can do to support people affected by eating disorders: 

1. Write to Matt Hancock and ask for a timeline of implementation around the recommendations his office has now received 
2. Show your support for the campaign on twitter (suggested tweet: "I am supporting @HopeVirgo's #DumpTheScales campaign because everyone deserves treatment for an eating disorder https://www.change.org/p/eating-disorders-are-not-just-about-weight-dumpthescales"
3. Meet with myself and Hope Virgo, to talk about how we can work together to make sure people with eating disorders are getting the best possible care and treatment.
Eating disorders carry the highest mortality rate, but with the right support, treatment, funding and early interventions this can change!

I look forward to hearing from you

Best wishes

[INSERT NAME AND ADDRESS]