A new free support app developed in Bristol aims to make mental health support for eating disorders more accessible, with high user satisfaction and plans for expansion beyond the region.
Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that can affect physical health, emotional wellbeing and, in some cases, become life-threatening, according to the US National Institute of Mental Health. The NHS says they can affect anyone, though teenagers and young adults are most often impacted, and notes that many people recover with treatment. In Bristol, a local partnership is trying to make support easier to find while people wait for care or move between services.
Christine Ramsey-Wade, an academic at UWE Bristol and interim deputy director of the Centre for Appearance Research, is co-directing the Bristol Health Partners Eating Disorders Health Integration Team. The group has helped develop the Eating Disorder Support App, a free tool designed to give users safer coping strategies, moments of calm and clear signposting to help at the right time. Bristol Health Partners says the app was co-produced with clinicians, specialists, people with lived experience and charities including Anorexia & Bulimia Care, First Steps ED and PANS PANDAS UK.
The app appears to be gaining traction. UWE Bristol says it has been downloaded more than 23,000 times, while Bristol Health Partners says a 2024 review found 94% of users rated it excellent or good and 87.6% said they would recommend it to a friend with an eating disorder. The charity Mind also lists it in its app library as the only app it recommends there, giving it an added stamp of credibility for patients, families and health professionals seeking trusted support.
Ramsey-Wade’s work with the project has also led to a new role with the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, where she has joined the advisory board. The not-for-profit organisation says its focus is shifting towards mindfulness in lifestyle medicine, and Ramsey-Wade’s involvement will centre on mindfulness, food and eating. She is due to speak at the Oxford Mindfulness annual conference in 2026 and has been invited to help deliver the Mindful Eating – Conscious Living programme in 2027. Bristol Health Partners says the app will remain free and plans are under way to extend the care pathways it points to beyond Bristol, Bath, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
