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Thousands of adults are waiting an average of five months to get treatment for eating disorders, with one trust experiencing an 18-month backlog.

The figures come from new research by the University of Liverpool, shared exclusively with Sky News.

It found that, across 19 NHS trusts providing community-based treatment for eating disorders, 68% have waiting times exceeding three months.

There is an average wait of five months between referral and treatment.

But the longest waiting time was 18 months at Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust.

Jayya Malhorta has been in and out of treatment for an eating disorder for most of her life.

She developed anorexia nervosa by the age of nine, meaning she spent many years in hospital.

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She told Sky News that this had a “detrimental impact” on every aspect of her life – from education, to relationships with friends and family.

‘Significant delay’

She added: “When accessing treatment for anorexia there has not been a time when I’ve not experienced a significant delay.”

Jayya Malhorta has been in and out of treatment for an eating disorder for most of her life
Image:
Jayya pictured as a teenager
Jayya Malhorta has been in and out of treatment for an eating disorder for most of her life
Image:
Jayya pictured as a teenager
Jayya Malhorta has been in and out of treatment for an eating disorder for most of her life
Image:
Jayya celebrating her 30th birthday
Jayya Malhorta has been in and out of treatment for an eating disorder for most of her life
Image:
Jayya at her sister’s wedding

Ms Malhorta is currently waiting for community-based care, a wait that has reached 12 months so far.

Meanwhile, she has been relying on friends and family for support but she is worried that her condition could deteriorate by the time she receives the care she needs.

When patients get early help ‘they get better faster’

Dr Ashish Kumar, vice chair of the faculty of eating disorders at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, told Sky News there is a “real sense of urgency” around improving investment in adult eating disorder services.

When patients get help earlier, “they get better faster”, he said, adding that, without better care, a “whole generation of young adults and adults” could be negatively affected.

Dr Kumar added: “If you do not treat these patients early, their chances of getting better decreases significantly, their chronicity increases.

“Their chance of death changes increases massively as well because eating disorder is a multi-systemic disorder, meaning that it affects a patient’s heart, the brain, the kidneys, the lungs and bones, their fertility.”

Eating disorders cost the economy more than £9bn every year

According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, more funding is desperately needed for eating disorder services in the NHS.

PhD researcher Daniel Bowman at the University of Liverpool said: “We know that eating disorders cost the UK economy over £9bn every single year.

“If this government is serious about reducing costs they need to put forward an invest-to-save model which actually invests in community care, which means that people get care in more of a timely manner and don’t become more acute and put extra pressure on an NHS which is already struggling.”

A government spokesperson said: “Improving eating disorder services is a vital part of our work to bolster mental health services.

“That’s why we are investing almost £1bn in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness, including eating disorders, by 2024 and an additional £53m per year in children and young people’s community eating disorder services to increase capacity in the 70 community eating disorder teams.”

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Labour MP Dan Norris has been arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest.

“We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”

Police said a man in his 60s had been arrested on Friday on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl, rape, child abduction and misconduct in a public office.

Sky News has contacted Mr Norris for comment.

Mr Norris, 65, defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg to win the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham in last year’s general election.

He has also lost the party whip in the House of Commons and has stepped down from his role as chair of the League Against Cruel Sports.

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offences having been committed against a girl.

“Most of the offences are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s, but we’re also investigating an alleged offence of rape from the 2020s.

“An investigation, led by officers within Operation Bluestone, our dedicated rape and serious sexual assault investigation team, remains ongoing and at an early stage.

“The victim is being supported and given access to any specialist help or support she needs.

“A man, aged in his 60s, was arrested on Friday (April 4) on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl (under the Sexual Offences Act 1956), rape (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), child abduction and misconduct in a public office. He’s been released on conditional bail for enquiries to continue.

“This is an active and sensitive investigation, so we’d respectfully ask people not to speculate on the circumstances so our enquiries can continue unhindered.”

Mr Norris first entered Parliament when Tony Blair came to power in 1997 and served as the Wansdyke MP until 2010.

He was an assistant whip under Mr Blair and served as a junior minister under Gordon Brown.

Mr Norris has also been West of England mayor since 2021 but is due to step down ahead of May’s local elections.

A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports, a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to end sports such as fox hunting and game bird shooting, confirmed he had stepped down from his role.

“The charity cannot comment further while an investigation is ongoing,” a statement said.

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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