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Wisteria ward provides specialist care and treatment for young people with moderate to severe eating disorders.
- Base: Springfield University Hospital
- Service Type: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
- Service Contact: admin.wisteria@swlstg.nhs.uk
- Service Category: Inpatient
- Disabled access: Yes
- Address: Elizabeth Newton Building, Springfield University Hospital, Elizabeth Newton Way, London, SW17 0YG
- Reception hours: 24/7. Please speak to the ward about visiting times.
- Reception phone number: 0203 513 6255
About our care
Wisteria ward is 12-bed mixed gender inpatient unit that focuses on the assessment, treatment, and support of young people with eating disorders.
Key interventions include meal time support, medical assessments, medication reviews, therapeutic groups, occupational therapy assessments and individual psychological support.
In line with best evidence and national guidance, the service is focused on the crucial role of families to help young people recover from their eating disorder.
Families are involved in every stage of the admission and post-discharge, helping the young person with their recovery after they leave the ward. Support for families includes family therapy sessions, supported family meals, parent/carer support groups, multi-family groups and trial home leave.
Who is this service for?
Children and young people aged 11-18 with a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder which cannot be treated within the local community eating disorders service, or where there has already been an admission to or assessment by another inpatient unit, and the severity/complexity of the eating disorder or lack of response to treatment means inpatient care is required.
Referrals and access
Referrals to Wisteria ward will be from a specialist children and young people's community eating disorder service or, on some occasions, other inpatient eating disorder services or medical wards.
Referrals are made via an NHSE Form 1 to the centralised CAMHS bed management service who will forward the referral to Wisteria ward. This should include a current mental state assessment, risk assessment, multi-agency care plan and any other previous plans.
Referrals are accepted from Tier 3 and Tier 4 CAMHS services.
All referrals go through the South London Partnership bed management team.
Referrals can be made by a range of services and professionals including CAMHS, paediatricians, social services, schools and GPs. The service does not accept self-referrals.
The service encourages telephone contact to discuss potential referrals. Following this a referral form is completed and sent via secure email to the unit. The unit is commissioned by NHS England and referrals are accepted from within the UK. For referrals outside England, funding will need to be agreed with the local team prior to admission.
