The Vincent Square Clinic Eating Disorders Service is part of Central North West London Mental Health NHS Trust and provides a tertiary Eating Disorder Service for people with severe or complex Eating Disorders aged 16 or more.
The clinical service model is consistent with National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance for the management of Eating Disorders. A stepped care approach is used in which intensity of treatment varies according clinical need.
Referrals from the local commissioning area (currently includes Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon) are accepted only with appropriate authority from the local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), or secondary Eating Disorder Service where available.
National referrals can be accepted from any professional. Authorisation of funding from the Primary Care Trust will be needed before assessment and treatment can be offered.
If there is significant psychiatric co-morbidity or evidence of high medical or psychiatric risk, a complete assessment, initial management and Care Programme Approach procedures should be completed before making a referral to Vincent Square.
The clinic does not have social work resources within the team and the input of CMHT approved social workers is needed for MHA and placement work.
Liaison Service
This service provides liaison and joint working with referrers and other agencies. Flexible, short term outpatient work for difficult to engage or high risk patients may be provided and may take place at the clinic or within primary and secondary care settings.
Outpatient Treatment
Brief, time limited evidence based therapies for the full range of Eating Disorders are offered, in line with NICE guidance. Short term follow-up is offered before either discharge back to the referrer or the offer of further treatment if indicated.
Typically, these therapies are cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or cognitive analytical therapy (CAT) extending over 20 sessions for bulimia and 40 for anorexia. Longer term outpatient treatment may be offered for those with chronic severe illness, where specialist treatment is necessary to maintain slow progress toward recovery or to prevent deterioration.
During treatment, responsibility for medical care and prescribing remain with the GP, with access to specialist medical review at Vincent Square when required. We aim to maintain good liaison and consultation with other services involved in care throughout treatment and follow-up.
Those assessed as needing urgent treatment, usually due to high medical or psychiatric risk, are offered start of treatment as soon as possible. This is usually within 2-12 weeks.
Inpatient treatment
We have twelve inpatient beds for local and national patients. Inpatient treatment is provided for those at high medical or psychiatric risk and those who are motivated to make changes but have been unable to do so after an effective dose of outpatient treatment. Occasionally it is also necessary to provide admission for those experiencing such high levels of social adversity that treatment in the community is not possible.
If admission is indicated, patients and their carers are offered the opportunity to visit the unit and to meet with inpatient staff for an introduction to the unit and preparation for admission. Multidisciplinary inpatient care provides nutritional, medical, psychological, occupational and social components of care through a combination of individual, group and family work.
On admission a keyworker from the nursing team is allocated who will meet weekly with the patient and co-ordinate care. An initial Care Programme Approach is organised soon after admission to begin the process of discharge planning and liaison with relevant after care services.
Ongoing treatment in day patient and outpatient settings is recommended for at least 1 year following discharge from inpatient treatment. For the majority of patients this will be offered at Vincent Square although sometimes it may be appropriate to transfer care to a local Eating Disorder Service, where available.
Day Patient Treatment
Day patient treatment offers an intermediate intensity of care for those who might otherwise require inpatient treatment to achieve or sustain recovery. Day patient treatment is particularly helpful for those leaving inpatient care with a high risk of relapse. Components of care provided are identical to those of the inpatient program, but with a greater emphasis upon community care and rehabilitation. Intensity of treatment varies from 1-5 days according to clinical need.
There are currently 8 full time day patient places available, which may be shared between more than 8 patients.
Please click here for contact details at the Vincent Square Clinic.
This service provides liaison and joint working with referrers and other agencies. Flexible, short term outpatient work for difficult to engage or high risk patients may be provided and may take place at the clinic or within primary and secondary care settings.
Outpatient Treatment
Brief, time limited evidence based therapies for the full range of Eating Disorders are offered, in line with NICE guidance. Short term follow-up is offered before either discharge back to the referrer or the offer of further treatment if indicated.
Typically, these therapies are cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or cognitive analytical therapy (CAT) extending over 20 sessions for bulimia and 40 for anorexia. Longer term outpatient treatment may be offered for those with chronic severe illness, where specialist treatment is necessary to maintain slow progress toward recovery or to prevent deterioration.
During treatment, responsibility for medical care and prescribing remain with the GP, with access to specialist medical review at Vincent Square when required. We aim to maintain good liaison and consultation with other services involved in care throughout treatment and follow-up.
Those assessed as needing urgent treatment, usually due to high medical or psychiatric risk, are offered start of treatment as soon as possible. This is usually within 2-12 weeks.
Inpatient treatment
We have twelve inpatient beds for local and national patients. Inpatient treatment is provided for those at high medical or psychiatric risk and those who are motivated to make changes but have been unable to do so after an effective dose of outpatient treatment. Occasionally it is also necessary to provide admission for those experiencing such high levels of social adversity that treatment in the community is not possible.
If admission is indicated, patients and their carers are offered the opportunity to visit the unit and to meet with inpatient staff for an introduction to the unit and preparation for admission. Multidisciplinary inpatient care provides nutritional, medical, psychological, occupational and social components of care through a combination of individual, group and family work.
On admission a keyworker from the nursing team is allocated who will meet weekly with the patient and co-ordinate care. An initial Care Programme Approach is organised soon after admission to begin the process of discharge planning and liaison with relevant after care services.
Ongoing treatment in day patient and outpatient settings is recommended for at least 1 year following discharge from inpatient treatment. For the majority of patients this will be offered at Vincent Square although sometimes it may be appropriate to transfer care to a local Eating Disorder Service, where available.
Day Patient Treatment
Day patient treatment offers an intermediate intensity of care for those who might otherwise require inpatient treatment to achieve or sustain recovery. Day patient treatment is particularly helpful for those leaving inpatient care with a high risk of relapse. Components of care provided are identical to those of the inpatient program, but with a greater emphasis upon community care and rehabilitation. Intensity of treatment varies from 1-5 days according to clinical need.
There are currently 8 full time day patient places available, which may be shared between more than 8 patients.
Please click here for contact details at the Vincent Square Clinic.