Eating Disorder Support App (UK)
Eating disorders are among the most serious and complex mental health conditions – and among the hardest to reach people with early.
The Eating Disorder Support App gives organisations one trusted, clinically grounded resource to put in people's hands: free, discreet, and available at the moments services can't be there.
Available free on the Apple App Store and Google Play. No account required.
The gap that's hardest to close.
Eating disorders don't follow office hours. The most difficult moments – the urges, the uncertainty, the sense of being completely alone with what's happening – often arrive between appointments, during waiting periods, or late at night when no one is available.
For the people you're trying to reach, that gap is where things can escalate. And for their families and carers, it's where confusion and distress can become overwhelming.
People are often unsure:
- whether what they're experiencing is serious enough to act on
- what is safe to do right now, in this moment
- where to turn – and whether they'll be understood if they do
Mixed messages, stigma, and unsafe online content make that uncertainty worse. And the longer help-seeking is delayed, the harder recovery becomes.
The pressure this creates for services.
You might lead an eating disorder service, a CAMHS team, a university counselling service, or an integrated care system. You understand the clinical complexity – and you know that demand consistently outpaces capacity.
Waiting lists are long. Transitions between services create dangerous gaps. And the people who would benefit most from early support are often the least likely to reach out – or the last to be identified.
You need something that works in the spaces your service can't fill – something clinically safe, evidence-informed, and appropriate to share with confidence across your whole organisation.
Earlier, safer support doesn't just help individuals – it reduces the risk of escalation while people wait for, or transition between, services.
Calm, trusted support – co-produced with those who know it best.
The Eating Disorder Support App was developed by Bristol Health Partners Eating Disorder Health Integration Team (EDHIT) and Expert Self Care – co-produced from the outset with clinicians, eating disorder specialists, people with lived experience, and specialist charities including Anorexia & Bulimia Care, First Steps ED, and PANS PANDAS UK.
That means the content is not just evidence-informed – it's grounded in the realities of living with and recovering from an eating disorder.
It reflects what people actually need in difficult moments, not what a clinical framework assumes they need.
Inside the app, people can:
- Understand what's happening – with clear, stigma-free explanations that reduce confusion and fear
- Use safer coping strategies – practical tools for difficult moments, grounded in best practice
- Find moments of calm – grounding, relaxation, and gentle activities for times of distress
- Access the right help – signposted to NHS pathways, specialist charities, and crisis support
- Know when urgent help is needed – with clear, calm next steps
Everything is written in plain English and designed to be easy to return to – especially when concentration is low, and emotions are high.
The app is not a replacement for clinical care. It sits alongside your existing services – reinforcing professional messages, reducing harmful misinformation, and supporting people between appointments and after crisis contact.
Free for users and organisations. No contracts, no set-up, no personal data collection.
Built to standards you expect.
The Eating Disorder Support App has been independently assessed and meets recognised quality and safety standards, including:
- PIF TICK certified
- ORCHA assessed
- NHS DTAC compliant
"It's unique — a one-stop shop for so much support. Well presented and easily accessible."
– Eating disorder service user"An excellent tool for spotting early signs and helping young people. So helpful to have everything in one place."
– Teacher
For more details on how we develop and quality-assure our content, visit our Quality Assurance and Editorial pages — both open in a new tab.
The difference it makes for your organisation.
For eating disorder services, CAMHS teams, and commissioners, the app supports priorities that are difficult to deliver at scale:
- Earlier intervention – reaching people before symptoms become entrenched
- Safer waiting – providing clinically appropriate support during gaps and transitions
- Consistent messaging – one trusted resource reinforcing what professionals already say
- Reduced escalation – helping people manage difficult moments without defaulting to crisis services
It offers a low-risk, scalable way to extend your reach – without adding burden to already stretched teams.
Make it feel local.
You can localise the Eating Disorder Support App to reflect your area, service, or care pathway – adding a branded home page and a directory of local services, referral routes, and support.
It's a straightforward way to connect trusted, nationally recognised guidance to your own pathways – helping people find the right support first time.
Let's talk.
Want to know more first? Find out how our free apps work and how to localise this app for your organisation – both open in a new tab.
If you'd like to explore how the Eating Disorder Support App could support your organisation or community, we'd be glad to talk.