Rharian Fields, North East Lincolnshire’s first dedicated eating disorder facility will officially open at the end of this month during Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

Kevin Bond, chief executive of NAViGO Health and Social Care Community Interest Company who will be providing services at Rharian Fields, will declare the new unit open on Friday, February 24.

Amanda Hind, eating disorders manager for NAViGO, said:

“We are all very excited about the launch of the new dedicated unit.

“Sadly, eating disorders are becoming more and more common and as such we recognised that we needed to change and adapt our service to reflect this.

“Although NAViGO already provides an outpatient eating disorder service, the new Rharian Fields unit will allow for the specialist team to apply even more innovative practice and to keep at the forefront of national service.”

Rharian Fields has been designed to deliver bespoke secondary and tertiary services to adults aged 12 and over.

Building on the existing eating disorder service provided, this new specialist eating disorder unit based at The Gardens, Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, is the first of its kind in North East Lincolnshire. Four levels of treatment will be available at Rharian Fields depending on the nature of the eating disorder including outpatient and day services as well as home treatment and in-patient stays.

Rharian Fields offers five inpatient beds, the small nature of the unit means that the team will be able to offer a highly personalised level of care with a high staff to client ratio.

Dr Kate Kucharska-Pietura, consultant psychiatrist and master practitioner for eating disorders and obesity for NAViGO who will oversee the unit said:

“Rharian Fields will offer a service that maximises service user engagement in their treatment, promoting choice when it comes to the options available to them.

“We want to improve the quality of life for those suffering from eating disorders, and we feel strongly that the client is an equal partner in the management of their eating disorder. We therefor aim to deliver a service that focuses on the individual, working with each individual to develop a bespoke treatment package to suit them and their stage of recovery.”

The opening of the unit has been planned to coincide with Eating Disorder Awareness Week. The awareness week is organised by the charity b-eat who provide information, advice and support to people suffering from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia.

Kevin Bond, chief executive of NAViGO, said:

“The opening of Rharian Fields is a big step forward for mental health services in North East Lincolnshire meaning that local people will no longer need to travel hundreds of miles to receive the vital treatment they need to address their eating disorders