Treatable, and treated earlier they do considerably better. A confidential first conversation.
Assessed and treated by a GMC-registered GP
Prescriptions, sick notes and referral letters included
A written treatment plan after every appointment
Your NHS records in the room, with your consent
Care led personally by Dr Khan
Attentive, unhurried care that listens properly
Five-star Google reviews from the people we have looked after
Registered with the Care Quality Commission
Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses affecting how someone eats, thinks about food, and feels about their body. They are not a lifestyle choice, not vanity, and not something anyone chooses.
They are also treatable, and full recovery is genuinely possible — particularly when help is sought early. That matters, because the single strongest factor in outcome is how soon someone gets support.
Three things this page exists to say clearly.
1. You do not have to look unwell to have an eating disorder. Most people with one are not underweight. The distress, the preoccupation and the medical risk are just as real — and being told you "don't look like" you have a problem is one of the commonest reasons people stop asking for help.
2. Weight must never be a barrier to being taken seriously. If you have been turned away, or told to come back if things get worse, that was wrong. Please ask again.
3. It is not too early to ask. You do not need to be at crisis point, and you do not need to have decided you want to change. Ambivalence is part of the illness, not a reason to wait.
If you are struggling with thoughts of ending your life, please call 999 or the Samaritans free on 116 123, any time.
Eating disorders arise from a combination of genetic, biological, psychological and social factors. They are not caused by parenting, by vanity, or by anything the person or their family did. That is worth stating plainly, because guilt is one of the biggest barriers to families seeking help.
The stereotype is narrow, and it costs people their diagnosis:
Type 1 diabetes with an eating disorder. Reducing or missing insulin as a way of controlling weight is extremely dangerous — it causes rapid, serious complications and carries a very high mortality. It is also under-recognised, and people who do it are often deeply ashamed and say nothing. If this is you, please tell someone. It is treatable, and you will not be judged.
There is no test that diagnoses an eating disorder. It is recognised through conversation — and a video consultation from home is, for many people, considerably easier than sitting in a waiting room for a conversation they have been putting off.
Worth knowing in advance, because fear of the appointment is often what delays it:
These check how your body is coping, not whether you deserve help:
Being refused referral because of your weight. National guidance is explicit that weight and BMI should not be used to determine whether someone is offered treatment — and yet it still happens. If you have been turned away on that basis, that decision was not correct. Please ask again, here or elsewhere.
Specialist community eating disorder services provide the treatment, and in many areas you can self-refer without going through a GP at all. We can refer, provide the medical monitoring alongside, and support you while you wait.
We are not a specialist eating disorder service, and we will not pretend otherwise. What we can do matters nonetheless:
Early treatment substantially improves the chance of full recovery. That is the single most consistent finding in this field, and it is the reason we would rather see someone who is unsure and early than someone who waited to be certain.
Call 999 or go to A&E for:
If you are in crisis: Samaritans, free, 24 hours a day — 116 123. You can also contact NHS 111 and select the mental health option.
Seek urgent medical advice for:
Book an appointment — and please do not wait to be "bad enough" — if:
A few things worth knowing:
Not a straight line. There are better weeks and harder weeks, and a setback is part of the process rather than evidence of failure.
People do recover fully — including people who have been unwell for a long time, and people who were certain they never would. It usually takes time and support, and it is genuinely possible.
Eating disorders need specialist multidisciplinary care, and NHS eating disorder services are free and are the right route. They provide the psychological therapies with the evidence base — CBT-ED, MANTRA, family-based treatment for young people — alongside medical monitoring, which is not optional in this illness.
Referral is urgent rather than routine, and NICE is explicit that treatment should start as soon as possible rather than waiting for someone to become sicker.
The most harmful misconception, and the reason people are turned away, is the idea that you must be underweight to have an eating disorder. NICE states clearly that BMI or weight should not be used as the sole measure of whether to treat. Bulimia and binge eating disorder frequently occur at normal or higher weight, and people are regularly told they are not thin enough to qualify for help. That is wrong, and it is worth knowing if it has happened to you.
Free and genuinely good: Beat, the UK eating disorder charity, provides helplines and support groups at no cost.
Where a private consultation helps is arranging the referral quickly, and the medical monitoring — bloods, particularly potassium, and ECG where purging or significant restriction is involved.
What we will not do is manage an eating disorder remotely as a primary treatment, or prescribe weight-loss medication to someone with a current or past eating disorder.
NICE NG69, Eating disorders: recognition and treatment, is the governing guideline. It recommends immediate referral to a community-based, age-appropriate eating disorder service for anyone with a suspected eating disorder.
NG69 is explicit that single measures such as BMI or duration of illness should not be used to determine whether to offer treatment — the basis for the point above.
NG69 recommends specific psychological therapies: individual CBT-ED, MANTRA or SSCM for anorexia nervosa in adults; guided self-help then CBT-ED for bulimia; and family therapy for children and young people.
NG69 also covers physical monitoring, including electrolytes, ECG and bone health, and refeeding syndrome risk.
The RCPsych MEED guidance (Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders) sets out the risk assessment framework and criteria for urgent medical admission.
Yes. There is no threshold you need to reach, and you do not need to look unwell — most people with eating disorders are not underweight. If food, eating, weight or shape is taking up a lot of your thinking, or making your life smaller, that is reason enough. Asking earlier gives a substantially better chance of full recovery.
That was not correct. National guidance is explicit that weight and BMI should not determine whether someone is offered treatment — and yet people are still turned away on that basis, which is one of the most harmful things that happens in this area. Please ask again, here or through a self-referral route. Being refused once does not mean you were wrong to ask.
That is an extremely common place to be, and it is not a barrier. Ambivalence is part of the illness rather than a sign you are not ready. You can come and talk without having committed to anything. Nobody will force a plan on you, and being unsure is a perfectly reasonable thing to say out loud in the appointment.
Not if you do not want to be. You can decline being weighed, or ask to be weighed without being told the figure. Some monitoring may be needed to keep you physically safe, and that can be arranged in a way that works for you. Say what you need at the start — it is a completely reasonable request.
Yes, and a substantial number do — they are considerably under-diagnosed, partly because the stereotype is female and partly because presentation can centre on muscularity and control rather than thinness. Men often wait longer to seek help and are more likely to have it missed, which is exactly why it is worth saying so plainly.
No. Eating disorders occur at every age — including people who have lived with one for decades and people who develop one for the first time in mid or later life, often around a major transition. Treatment works at any age, and long-standing does not mean untreatable.
Talk about how they seem to be feeling, not about food, weight or how they look — comments about appearance almost always land badly, even kind ones. Choose a private moment, say what you have noticed without accusation, and expect them to deny it or push back. That is the illness, not rejection. Keep in touch and keep the door open, and get support for yourself — Beat has help for families on 0808 801 0677.
Yes — genuinely, and including people who have been unwell for years. Recovery is rarely a straight line, and setbacks are part of it rather than evidence of failure. What most improves the odds is getting support earlier rather than waiting to be certain, or to be worse.
August 23, 2026
Ongoing
Time to be seen
Appointment length
Your NHS record in the room
Written treatment plan
Told when a test isn’t needed
Cost
Same day, usually
20 minutes
Yes, with your consent
Included
Yes, and told why
£40 for 20 minutes
Varies by practice
Typically 10 minutes
Yes, your full record
Not routinely
Usually
Free
Same day
Often 10 to 15 minutes
Usually not
Sometimes charged
Varies by provider
Often a subscription
Same-day access is usually available, from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. You choose a time that suits you rather than waiting on hold at 8am.
Yes. Care is led personally by Dr Mohammad Khan, so you are not passed between clinicians. Continuity is the point of a small practice: someone who knows your history and is listening attentively rather than working through a checklist.
Yes, with your consent. We can access your Summary Care Record during the consultation, so your current medications, allergies and significant history are in the room. That means fewer questions you have already answered elsewhere, and safer prescribing.
No. We are not here to replace GPs, only to support them. Your NHS practice remains responsible for your ongoing care, and with your consent we write to them after the consultation. We are useful when you need to be seen sooner, or want more time than a standard appointment allows.
Twenty unhurried minutes and a comprehensive assessment. A written treatment plan is included, along with any prescription, sick note or referral letter arising from the consultation, at no extra charge.
£40 for 20 minutes, self-pay. Membership is optional and never required. Priced for fairness, because we are not here to charge extortionate amounts for access to a doctor.
It means the diagnosis can usually be made from your history and photographs, and that treatment can be arranged safely without examining you. Where a condition is not marked treatable online, it is because examination is the diagnosis — listening to a chest, feeling an abdomen, examining an ear or a joint — or because a procedure or device is needed.
Yes, where there is a genuine bacterial infection — cellulitis, impetigo, bacterial urine infections, confirmed strep throat. We will also frequently tell you that you do not need one. Most sore throats, coughs, colds and earaches are viral, and an antibiotic gives you the side effects with none of the benefit.
If your problem turns out to be genuinely outside what we can do remotely, the doctor will tell you straight away, point you to the right service, and refund your fee in full. We would rather do that than fill twenty minutes to justify the charge.
Call 999 or go to A&E — do not book an online appointment and do not wait for a reply to an email. For urgent problems that are not emergencies, NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, online or by phone, and can direct you to the right service.
Patient reviews
