FREED National Funding Update

Joint statement from NHS England, FREED National Team at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London:

Early intervention is critical for those with an eating disorder. For 2023/24 NHS England are continuing to fund the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London (KCL) to support the national implementation of the “First Episode Rapid Early intervention for eating disorders” (FREED) model. This is an evidence-based model that supports early intervention for 16–25-year-olds.

The FREED model means people needing support will be offered rapid access to specialised treatment with the aim of beginning treatment within four weeks of a service receiving a referral. Evidence shows that FREED reduces the waiting times for assessment and treatment; and that patients experience better outcomes.

The national implementation programme is being delivered by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and KCL, who will continue to support services to implement and maintain the FREED model; by hosting communities of practice, providing training and implementation supervision.

As part of the wider Community Mental Health Transformation all Eating disorder services should implement an early intervention model such as FREED. Please review the Community Mental Health Transformation Roadmap for further details or contact the FREED Co-Leads (Giulia giulia.diclemente@slam.nhs.uk and Jess jessica.griffiths2@slam.nhs.uk) for further information and support to implement the FREED model.