Patient and public engagement

Every year ED HIT holds a patient and public event. These events are led by Carolyn (Peer Co-director & Patient and Public Involvement Lead). The events are open to anyone affected by an eating disorder or on a recovery journey, and family, carers and friends. They are very informal but a very useful way for the HIT to gather information and share our research. Information from these events inform ED HIT priorities as they help identify barriers or challenges on care, and sometimes they highlight good practice which we cascade through our professional channels.

Our 2023 event was called “Words that inspire”. This encouraged our audience to think about poems, creative writing and any other written or spoken words that play a role in their everyday victories over eating disorders. There was an online event discussion board that was used to post “words that inspire”.

Carolyn has also worked to produce our Eating Disorder Support and Resources Guide (PDF), available for those living in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.