AI tech from Yorkshire firm will aim to aid eating disorder treatment

The platform is designed to help people challenge decisions and write appeal letters when they are denied a referral, assessment, information or treatment that they believe guidelines say they are entitled to.

Umairah Malik, clinical and co‑production manager at Beat said: “Eating disorders are very complex and there are different regulations depending on the type of disorder and the region of the UK the person lives.

“Our team needs to evaluate a great deal of guidance and best practice to compile the necessary information that is required for a case to be reviewed. Now, the AI is being trained with the information to dramatically speed up the process of writing letters to 10 seconds.

“This means that people affected by eating disorders and their carers can submit their letters of appeal more quickly and potentially gain access to information and treatment, which had been previously denied.

“Our time can then be better spent providing other services to the people we support. Omnie AI is a game changer, and Intreface have been so easy to work with.”

The charity said that the cases which it will use Omnie for can otherwise take over 10 hours to handle manually.

During a pilot, every person Beat supported was able to overturn the decision they challenged.

Damian Edwards, managing director at Intreface, said: “This is a perfect example of how AI can be used to trawl through complex information in the matter of seconds and deliver outcomes that can genuinely save lives.

“Treatment for eating disorders can be a postcode lottery and can be impacted by small nuances based on a person’s experience.

“We’re delighted that Omnie AI is being used in this trial to support and offer hope to vulnerable people.”

The Beat charity helps thousands of people each year by providing a range of support including free resources, helplines and support groups, as well as training healthcare professionals and campaigning for improvements to care.

Founded in the late 1980s as the Eating Disorders Association, Beat says its mission is to “end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders”.

Eating disorders include bulimia, binge eating disorder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, other specified feeding or eating disorders, and anorexia.