Leicestershire Adult Eating Disorder Service, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

Caring about someone with an eating disorder can be difficult. Whether you are a relative, friend or a colleague, you may be feeling concerned, confused and unsure about how to help. Carers of people with eating disorders may feel anxious because of the highly visible symptoms of starvation, abnormal food behaviours and personality change. Understandably, this can lead to a desire to have information about the treatment, progress and well-being of their relative. There are laws protecting individuals’ rights to privacy and guaranteeing them confidentiality, which means we are unable to share any personal information with carers without the permission of the individual patient. All patients are however, given the option of choosing the level of carer involvement they would like and we encourage an open dialogue and close involvement whenever possible. We do however aim to provide carers with sufficient information to help them provide care effectively. Information sourced from website: http://www.leicestereatingdisorders.co.uk/carers/working-with-carers/