THE South Lakes MP is urging health bosses to invest in specialist services to help young people with eating disorders in Cumbria.

The specialist service only exists for adults. Tim Farron MP says people under 18 get treatment from excellent, committed professionals but it is not a specialist service - so young people are losing out.

In February 2016, the government paid what was Cumbria CCG £5m to be used to create a bespoke county-wide one-to-one eating disorder service. However, two-and-a-half years later and there is no sign of such a service. Mr Farron, who has written to NHS bosses about the matter, said: “I’ve seen an increasing number of parents that come to me who just can’t get the right treatment for their kids who have eating disorders. There is a desperate need out there for a specialist service but sadly those parents continue to be let down by the decision makers. We know that there can be tragic consequences if the proper support isn’t there.”, so it’s absolutely critical that we put the pressure on health bosses to provide a specialist service for our young people.”