FREED awarded BMJ prize for Mental Health Team of the Year

The British Medical Journal’s (BMJ) prize for Mental Health Team of the Year was awarded last night to the FREED team from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London.

First episode and rapid early intervention for eating disorders (FREED) is a novel service for young people with a first episode of an eating disorder, which focuses on optimal delivery of rapid, personally tailored and well integrated care. The introduction of FREED has been shown to significantly improve treatment uptake, clinical outcomes and service satisfaction and reduces needs for in-patient care.

With support from the Health Foundation, FREED is currently being rolled out to three other large mental health trusts.

The team’s evaluation lead Ulrike Schmidt, Professor of Eating Disorders at King’s College London said: 'We are absolutely thrilled to have won this prestigious award. Eating disorders remain highly stigmatised. This award raises awareness of the plight of a very vulnerable group of young people and shows that how we deliver care makes a big difference to people’s lives.’

The project's clinical lead, Danielle Glennon, Eating Disorders Outpatient Service Lead at SLaM, said: 'This award is hugely motivating for our team. It will support us in our endeavour to make early intervention a reality for all young people with eating disorders.’

The BMJ Awards, now in their 9th year, are the UK's leading medical awards. They recognise and celebrate the inspirational work of healthcare teams across the country. Over a 6-month period more than 350 teams submit entries which our distinguished judges whittle down to 60 shortlisted teams and 15 eventual winners who are all showcased in The BMJ.

To find out more about FREED, visit their website.

Photographer: philippaedgephotos