A NURSE claims her anorexic daughter has been left on the brink of death because her NHS treatment is too costly.
Mrs Ouadia Lewis’ 17-year-old daughter is now critically ill in hospital.
Ouadia’s daughter Megan – not her real name to protect her identity – has suffered from anorexia nervosa for two years.
Anorexia, a serious mental health condition, is an eating disorder where sufferers restrict the amount of food they eat and have an irrational fear of gaining weight.
Megan, who was 9st 5lbs at her heaviest, now weighs less than 5st.
She was admitted to a private hospital for nine months, paid for by the NHS, at a cost of around £4,500 week. But the treatment failed and Megan sank back into an anorexic spiral, eventually refusing to eat at all.
Ouadia, an intensive care nurse herself, told the Examiner how over three months she literally begged Huddersfield’s Child Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to find an in-patient unit for her.
By the time Megan was admitted she was gravely ill and Ouadia said: “I don’t know whether she will make it or not.”
Ouadia, who works at Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, accused doctors of not listening to parents and being obsessed with costs.
“I know that £4,500 a week is expensive but this is about someone’s life,” she said.
“If she had been admitted earlier they could have managed her condition.
“They said if she loses more weight we’ll admit her but then, when she became critical, there were no beds. It was then a life or death situation.”
Ouadia told how she went to CAMHS, based near Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, and persuaded them to find a bed for her daughter. One was found at the nearest eating disorder unit – 150 miles away in Birmingham.
Married Ouadia, who has another school-age daughter, is now making the 300-mile round trip from her Mirfield home to Birmingham every day.
Megan, whose organs are failing, is now being tube-fed and Ouadia said: “Her mood is very low. She is confused and oblivious to what is happening really.”
Ouadia bravely spoke to the Examiner during Eating Disorder Awareness Week to highlight the terrible toll conditions such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa inflict on sufferers and their families.
Megan’s illness started with a New Year’s resolution diet in January 2011.
She wanted to lose weight to look good at her end-of-year school prom – but it was a diet that became an obsession.
Megan started exercising to excess – running, cycling, swimming and going to the gym – and the weight fell away.
But Megan cut down on food and then began lying about meals, saying she hadn’t got time for breakfast, was eating at a friend’s or was going to McDonald’s.
Then she would disappear to the bathroom straight after a meal, forcing herself to be sick.
Ouadia recognised the signs but waited until Megan had completed her GCSEs in May that year before seeing the doctor.
From being referred to CAMHS in June, it was the end of August before she was assessed.
From there she was admitted to an in-patient unit at The Priory, a private clinic in Manchester.
Paid for by the NHS, she remained there for nine months.
In all she was tube-fed for 26 weeks.
According to Ouadia the treatment failed.
“She went in bulimic and came out scarred for life,” said Ouadia.
Megan self-harmed, cutting her hands and arms and scratching her face and attempted suicide, trying to hang herself.
Despite everything the treatment continued until she was deemed well enough to be discharged in July last year into the care of CAMHS.
“She came home and said she would try her best,” said Ouadia.
“But all she wanted to do was come home to lose more weight. She was 17 and weighed 8st but her weight dropped to 7st within four weeks. She was eating and vomiting and hiding her food.
“At first she was very depressed and had no will to live but she started going to college. She wanted to be a normal teenager.”
The alarm bells were ringing as Megan was eating less and now had more anorexic tendencies – and Ouadia began asking CAMHS for help.
Over three months doctors said they would ‘wait and see’. Ouadia believes they did not want to admit Megan to hospital because she was a nurse and she knew how to take care of her daughter.
“I am an intensive care nurse,” said Ouadia. “I am not trained in eating disorders.”
Eventually Ouadia called in her MP, Dewsbury Tory Simon Reevell.
Finally, as Megan’s condition deteriorated, Ouadia demanded an in-patient bed.
When she heard she was going back to hospital Megan stopped eating altogether.
On Tuesday of last week Megan collapsed and turned blue in her mum’s arms.
Megan was rushed to Dewsbury District Hospital where she was resuscitated.
She was kept in the Medical Assessment Unit until the Thursday when she was transferred by ambulance to the specialist eating disorders unit at Birmingham.
Her heart rate dropped again and she was taken for emergency care at Stafford Children’s Hospital before being stabilised and returned to Birmingham where she remains.
Ouadia said: “The doctors have failed in their duty of care to my daughter.
“I have been begging since September for them to do something. I want everyone to know about this.
“Eating disorders are a mental illness. If she was a druggie she would have been seen to.
“Because she is an anorexic they see it as her choice not to eat. It is not seen to be serious until it becomes serious.”
Eating disorders can affect anybody and are often triggered by stress or a life-changing event.
“This was just a diet that went wrong,” said Ouadia. “My daughter wanted to look nice and glamorous for her prom. She never achieved that.”
If she wins her immediate fight for life Megan could face up to 12 months in hospital.
“I just want my daughter to get better,” said Ouadia.
“This is the worst thing that can happen to a human being.”
Mr Martin DeBono, director of children’s, women’s and families division for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We cannot comment on individual cases.
“However, this is a very complex area of care and the patient’s safety is always our top priority.
“We are sorry if Mrs Lewis feels she has not been listened to.
“We work hard to ensure that families are involved in decision-making, where this is appropriate, and will continue to do so.”
The Examiner understands the Trust strenuously denies making any decisions based on cost of care and has always acted in the patient’s best interests.
EATING disorders – anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating – are serious mental illnesses.
1.6million people in the UK are affected.
The condition can affect anyone at any time but girls and young women aged 12-20 are most at risk and 15-20% of cases are boys and men.
Eating disorders are treatable and people do recover fully.
Anorexia is the rarest eating disorder at 10% of cases. Bulimia is the most prevalent.
The causes of eating disorders are complex and not yet fully understood but include a mix of genetic, biological and cultural factors.
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness – with up to 20% of those seriously affected dying prematurely.
The sooner someone gets the treatment and support they need the more likely they are to make a full recovery.
The number of people seeking help and treatment has increased over the past 20 years but it is not known whether the illnesses themselves are becoming more common.
Eating disorders are mental illnesses – so it is someone’s thoughts, feelings and emotions that are involved.
Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes and not everyone affected will be very underweight or even ill-looking.
People with eating disorders do not choose to be ill and they are not trying to seek attention. They can find it very difficult to believe that they are ill and equally hard to acknowledge it once they do know. This is one of the most challenging aspects of how the illness affects someone’s thinking and behaviour.
If you suspect that a loved one has an eating disorder then you should seek medical help straight away.
B-eat is the leading eating disorders charity and provide helplines, online support and a network of UK-wide self-help groups to help adults and young people in the UK beat their eating disorders.
Contact details: Website: www.b-eat.co.uk
Helpline: 0845 634 1414
Email: help@b-eat.co.uk and fyp@b-eat.co.uk
Youthline: 0845 634 7650
Text: 07786 201820
