Petition Establish a national Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) care pathway & diagnostic training across all NHS Wales health boards
ARFID is a serious eating disorder disproportionately affecting autistic people. NHS Wales lacks a consistent national clinical pathway for ARFID, leaving children and adults without diagnosis or care. Patients are routinely turned away by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and eating disorder services because ARFID is not driven by body image concerns. This structural failure causes severe malnutrition, avoidable hospitalisations, and trauma. Welsh health boards must establish dedicated ARFID services and training.
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Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a serious eating disorder recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), characterized by severe food restriction based on sensory properties, fear of aversion, or lack of interest in eating. It is distinct from anorexia and bulimia, as it is not driven by body image concerns.
Research shows a significant co-occurrence with neurodivergence: up to 21% of autistic individuals experience ARFID, yet healthcare provision in Wales fails to account for this link. Across Health Boards, patients are routinely bounced between or rejected by CAMHS, adult eating disorder services, dietetics, and paediatrics due to a lack of defined clinical pathways.
Beat Eating Disorders highlights that delayed intervention leads to malnutrition, tube feeding, severe psychological distress, and avoidable hospital admissions. Establishing standard diagnostic pathways and mandatory workforce training across NHS Wales will prevent long-term clinical deterioration and systemic failure.
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