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Press Release: Dump the Scales - National Eating Disorder Strategy Campaign


Embargoed until 00:01am on Friday 17 April 2026

People with eating disorders are being left to die: Campaigners, clinicians and public figures unite behind call for a National Eating Disorder Strategy


London, April 2026


A major national petition calling for urgent government action on eating disorders launches today, as campaigners warn that lives are being lost due to systemic failures in care.


Led by grassroots campaign Dump the Scales, the campaign is urging the public to sign a 38 Degrees petition demanding a fully funded, standalone National Eating Disorder Strategy something campaigners say is long overdue.


The petition comes ahead of a mass protest in Westminster on Saturday 18 April, where campaigners, clinicians, celebrities and people with lived experience will march to demand change.


Hope Virgo, founder of Dump the Scales and Secretariat for the APPG on Eating Disorders said:


“People are dying from eating disorders and it is preventable. This petition is about forcing change. Right now, people are being turned away, deteriorating, and in some cases losing their lives not because recovery isn’t possible, but because the system is failing them. We need urgent, national action.”


The petition calls on the UK Government to introduce a standalone cross-government Eating Disorder Strategy to address what campaigners describe as a “deadly treatment gap”.


Key demands include:


  • A national inquiry into eating disorder services

  • Guaranteed timely access to specialist treatment

  • Dedicated care pathways for all diagnoses, including binge eating disorder and ARFID

  • Investment in early intervention and prevention

  • Workforce training and long-term sustainable funding

  • Trauma-Informed and Neurodiversity-affirming treatment models


Campaigners say the current system is fragmented, underfunded and inconsistent leaving thousands without the care they need.


The petition launches amid escalating concern about the scale of the crisis:


  • Over 4 million people in the UK are living with an eating disorder

  • Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness

  • 1 in 5 deaths are by suicide and are preventable

  • They now represent the largest treatment gap in modern healthcare


Despite this, access to care remains inconsistent, with many patients denied treatment based on narrow criteria or long waiting lists.


The campaign highlights real-life cases, including Charlotte, who died after years of being denied appropriate care despite severe illness. She was repeatedly told she was either “too thin” or “not thin enough” for treatment, and at critical moments, no inpatient bed was available.


Campaigners say her experience reflects a wider systemic failure. “No one is untreatable,” said Hope Virgo. “But without early, consistent support, people become more unwell. This is not inevitable it is the result of political inaction.”


Veronica Hawking, Campaigns Director at 38 Degrees said:

"Too many of us have experienced first hand the terrible damage of eating disorders, either on ourselves or loved ones. Enough is enough. It's time this crisis was finally tackled head on, so those affected by eating disorders are guaranteed the help they need, when they need it, regardless of who you are and where you live. That's why 38 Degrees is proud to be working with Dump the Scales, and why thousands of people, from all walks of life and every corner of the country are backing this campaign."

 

Dominic Streeter, Director at Hide&Seek Media stated:

“Hide&Seek are incredibly proud to be the production partner on this important campaign film for Dump The Scales. Eating disorders remain widely misunderstood, and we believe this film will surprise people and challenge many of the preconceived assumptions that surround this issue. The work Hope and her team are doing to challenge stigma, change policy and drive awareness is seminal. It has the potential to be generationally transformative, saving or improving millions of lives, and we are honoured for Hide&Seek to play a role in supporting their vital advocacy.”


The campaign is supported by broadcasters Sean Fletcher and Simon Thomas, actor Ben Cameron, campaigner Alex Light, and MP Richard Quigley.


It is also accompanied by a powerful new film by documentary makers Hide & Seek, released on 17 April, exposing the realities of living with an eating disorder in the UK today.


Clinicians warn the system is at breaking point.


Bethany Francois, Specialist Eating Disorders Dietitian said:

"“I’m seeing people fall through the cracks every day. By the time many access care, their illness is far more entrenched. Recovery is possible but the system is delaying it.”


Wera Hobhouse, Co-chair of the Eating Disorders All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) added:

"Our APPG has been calling for a National Eating Disorder Strategy for years because the reality is that the eating disorder crisis is getting worse, not better. We are seeing a fragmented system that is failing to provide timely, consistent and appropriate care, leaving too many people to deteriorate or fall through the cracks. Only a dedicated, fully funded national strategy will address the scale and seriousness of this crisis and prevent further avoidable deaths.”


The petition marks the start of a wider national movement, culminating in the Dump the Scales Eating Disorders march on Westminster on Saturday 18 April.


How to support


Supporters are being urged to:




Notes to Editors


Dump the Scales is a UK-based CIC advocating for systemic reform in eating disorder care. Case studies are available on request.



#DumpTheScales petition image with QR code and text urging government-led strategy, set against a dark building backdrop. Mood: urgent advocacy.

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