Omnie AI technology to speed up access to treatment for eating disorder patients

People with eating disorders may be given access to potential treatment more quickly thanks to AI technology being used in a pilot project by national charity Beat.

The eating disorder charity currently helps tens of thousands of people every year by providing a wide range of support including free resources, helplines and support groups, as well as training healthcare professionals and campaigning for improvements to care.

A new much-needed service is Amplify which helps those being denied a referral, assessment, information or treatment that guidelines say they are entitled to to challenge them. This includes the creation of appeals letters for people who have been declined a referral to an eating disorder specialist. During the pilot, every single person Beat supported was able to overturn their bad decision to get the care and support they need. However, the cases can take over 10 hours to handle manually but the charity will soon be using Omnie AI from Intreface to reduce the process of writing letters to a few minutes.

Umairah Malik, Clinical and Co‑production Manager from Beat said: “Eatingdisorders 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.”

Damian Edwards, Managing Director of 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.”

Founded in 1989 as the Eating Disorders Association, the charity’s mission is to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders.

Eating disorders include bulimia, binge eating disorder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED), and anorexia, which tragically has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, though all eating disorders can be deadly.

Beat’s national Helpline exists to encourage and empower people to get help quickly, so they can take positive steps towards recovery. The organisation also supports family and friends, equipping them with essential skills and advice, so they can help their loved ones recover whilst also looking after their own mental health.