This site is a forum for parents and patients to share their thoughts and experiences of UK Eating Disorders treatment centres.
We ask you to post comments or views that will help people understand how the centre works and it’s philosophy. 
Remember that except for the very few fortunate enough to have private health insurance,people are sent to a specific unit,it is rare for them to have a choice. 
Due to this, try to remain objective in the reviews.
Remember that people’s perception of a unit can be very different,what works for some does not work for others.If you did not like certain things about a unit,question if that was simply your perception or if it was the same for everyone.
If you are going to criticise a unit you must explain why and likewise if you want to praise a specific service,explain how it succeeded in helping you rather than just saying it was a marvellous unit!
In order to keep within the law,we will not publish the names of other patients or staff.
When you or your child are being treated by a unit there is always an independent advocate who visits regularly to talk to parents and in- patients and investigate any serious problems. 
It is therefore inappropriate for people to post serious accusations of abuse or negligence, as one would have to ask why this was not dealt with at the time using the safeguards provided.
If there are reasons why you do not bring any wrong doing to the attention of the authorities whilst you are in the unit ,you should do so immediately you leave. There is a process to address any complaints or feelings/issues of mistreatment within the UK system that cannot be addressed on this site.

Anyone posting comments must realise that they must be accountable for the statements they make,it is not a vehicle for generally criticising a unit just because it did not work for you. 
Remember that each unit is rigorously inspected twice a year and their results audited and published. Any unit which did not have an effective treatment programme would not be allowed to continue admitting patients. This does not mean you cannot post your true thoughts, just please be aware that I, as the administrator, can be held legally responsible and have to let you know that while I would like to promise complete anonymity, I cannot. However, I hope that you will continue to provide reviews from your wise mind, and they don’t have to all be “glowing”-you can still be honest, the main thing is to not mention names, etc, and the site is definitely looking to uphold a more current database. Thank you so much and I hope that people will continue contributing-as you are helping so many others.

2012
There are a lot of interesting views on Rhodes Farm here, and to be honest I am torn, because I feel that I agree and disagree with many of them.
Rhodes Farm did play a huge part in my recovery and indeed in saving my life. However, while I was there I felt that I lost my independence and autonomy, and my body was forced into recovery before my mind was ready.
I did want to get better, for myself and for those around me, and Rhodes Farm certainly helped me to achieve that. As a result since leaving Rhodes Farm nearly 10 years ago, I have lived a relatively normal and happy life. However, I am afraid to say that as the root of my problem was never really addressed or resolved, I have been plagued by disordered eating ever since.
I have not been to any other eating disorder clinic, so I am not sure how others compare. I also know that anorexia is a very difficult illness to overcome, and I don’t think there is a right way to get over the illness. I think everyone has a unique pathway to recovery, and Rhodes Farm helped me along my way, but it by no means ‘cured’ me. But does anyone know of anyone who HAS come out of a clinic being fully cured? I certainly don’t.
I think Rhodes Farm got a lot of things wrong (for me), but it also got a lot of things right. I don’t know if I would be here now if I had not spent time there.
When someone is such a low weight, physically they need nutrients and food, and Rhodes Farm succeeds in helping you to physically get better. Yes, people in some circumstances are tube fed, but what other choice is there if you refuse to eat what is put in front of you? The tube is at times forced on you, but only once you have chosen to refuse all other methods of getting nutrients inside you. It is a last resort if you have refused all other options. I have had anorexia and I do know and understand how hard it can be mentally and physically eat even though you know you need to, but at the end of the day, the purpose of a clinic is to get you better, and to do that you need to be fed.
If I could turn back time, I would choose not to have gone to Rhodes, or at least to have gone there for a shorter period to get me started on the route to recovery. As most anorexia sufferers, I am strong willed and determined, and I had decided I was going to get better no matter what (but isn’t this what everyone believes?). I feel being forced into physical recovery before being mentally ready has been the root of the problems I face today.

2012
First of all I just want to say, no eating disorder unit is perfect, I’ve been in a few and they all have a different approach and have bad/good points, after all anorexia is such a complex illness it’d be impossible to have a “one cure fits all” clinic. Also lets admit the one thing you don’t want to do when your anorexic is eat, and that is the main aim on Rhodes farm to get you to eat and regain the weight to a safe level so your body,brain and vital organs can function properly again. The food we where given is all marks and spencers high quality and yes high calorie food, but imagine how many apples you’d have to eat to get the calories you need to gain weight?! It’d just be ridiculous, the use of high calorie foods is actually because they don’t want to have to feed you gigantic portions on a shrunken stomach!
I am 100% fully recovered and have been for 4 years now, In fact I am actually working to promote healthy body image as my job now and warn of the dangerous effects of eating disorders, would I be here doing this now if it wasn’t for Rhodes farm?! I short no, but you have to **want** to get better yourself, otherwise all the clinics in china won’t make you better, If you put the work in, the staff at Rhodes farm would bend over backwards to help you recover, even the owner herself went out of her way to help me, years after I left, That wasn’t for money, that was just because she genuinely cares about her patients.
I hope I haven’t rambled on to much but please take to heart what I’ve said. You have to **want** to get better, for any treatment or clinic to work, without that gut feeling in your stomach that tells you, you want to break free of this horrible illness, no-one or nothing can make you better!!
My heart goes out to anyone suffering from any eating disorder, its a horrible place to be, and I hope that anyone who is referred to Rhodes doesn’t get refused funding on the treatment that could potentially save there lives.

2012
i was there for 9 months i was only supose to be there for 4 i didnt get discharged at my usual date because my mind was still very ill but i was at target weight they didnt jus chuck me out when i acheived my goal weight. it saved my life no i didnt enjoy it was the hardest thing ever as you no but i feel rhodes farm chuck you in at the deep end wich is good as you no people with eating disorders over think everything rhodes doesnt give you chance to the reality is were there to gain weight i found therapy didnt help me i found i opend up to staff who were always there for me and people around me it was a family inviroment they wanted things as normal as they could get them like haveing burger king once a month and eating chocolate all the food there when i look back was the best quality. as for tube feeding it happened rarely and they out one tablespoon of mayo and cream to bulk well needed calories up and they would everything else before thinking about bringing the tube out im so greatful for what they did and im still friends with alot of the girls who were there with me and there all well and living there life and weve all taken away happy memories from such a hard time.

2012
I’m shocked at so many negative experiences, and I think, having been there myself and in “that place” emotionally too, that what we see as something bad is really for our own good. I HAD to eat those fatty meals because my brain was so starved I couldn’t begin any emotional therapy. After I got fat back into my body, I was able to understand what everyone was telling me and I learned I am not Anorexia and I had some OCD problems. Rhodes farm saved my life and many lives.

2011

Rhodes Farm has joined Care UK’s other eating disorder services, Althea Park House and Ashleigh House, which have a very successful track record in working with women and young people with severe and enduring eating disorders. With Rhodes Farm as part of Care UK, we have a unique range of expertise and experience in eating disorders. At Care UK, clinical governance is absolutely integral to our delivery of high quality care and through our comprehensive systems and audit process we ensure the delivery of safe and continuously improving services. Rhodes Farm is now subject to these arrangements.

Describe the average day: Weighed twice a week (mondays and thursdays) at around 6am-7 Down stairs for breakfast on time at 8am (8:30 on weekends) School 9-10:30. Extras if needed (chocolate bar, and cakes, biscuits if on high calories) at 10:30, school 11-12. If you were over 75% you could go for 30mins walk at 12, 80% for 1hr walk from 12 to 1. Also twice a week was swimming. 1pm was lunch school again at 2-3.30 extras again if you needed them. 3:30-6 Free time, there was always something on in the afternoon, such as stretch and relax on tuesdays, aromatherapy on wednesdays,horse riding on Thursdays, and dance was on mondays, dinner was at 6pm. Then from 6:30 till bed was free time or there were more activties in the evening like Art, Drama, aerobics etc. You couldn’t go to your room before 9pm and lights out depended on age.
What were meals like? Two kitchens one supervised (brown kitched) and when nurses and staff feel they can trust you you move into the blue kitchen next door which is unsupervised. Brown kitchen I found was awkward and very tense. Blue kitchen was much more laid back, and chilled. Normally listened to the radio while eating.
What sorts of food were available or served? Breakfast was a bowl of cereal (either half a bowl or a whole bowl depending on calories you were on) half a glass of orange juice, glass of water and a muffin with lots of butter in, on tuesdays and thursdays you have a croissant instead of muffin.
Snacks were chocolate bars, ribena if on over 3000 calories, cakes, biscuits, flap jacks, lunch was normally a ready meal like ready made pasta, lasagne, no red meat was served there, or *** the nurses would make up a meal like sweet and sour chicken, or a risotto. THen you would eat a dessert which would be something like jam sponge, spotted dick, syrup sponge, roulad and this would be served with cream, ice cream or custard. When I was first admitted there you would have to eat burger king every other week which was delivered to the clinic. And finally for dinner, you would have something like tuna and mayo sandwiches or baked potatoe with a filling, waffles, beans and cheese or fish cakes with cheese on top, and after you would eat yoghurt and fruit.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? If you refused to eat you would be tube fed which would be mixed up with peanut butter, cream etc etc. Also if you didnt eat your meal on time you were put on stepping stones which means you have to eat 3 small meals the same calories, like breakfast would be cheese muffin, snacks would be chopped into bite sized pieces, lunch was blended together, and dinner would be a cheese sandwich chopped into bite sized pieces with 2 cherry bake
What privelages are allowed? Move into unsupervised kitchen when nurses can trust you, exercise if you’re above your line and at a certain % Longer time with parents at weekend.
Does it work on a level system? Not really – if you were caught exercising you would be put on supervision. First visit you had from parents would be on site, then you could have a visit off if at correct weight, then after so many weeks you get to eat a packed llunch with your parents, then if you pass this twice, you get to eat out in a restaurant with parents, and if this is all successful you get to go home forthe weekend.
What sort of groups do they have? Had group therapy once a week which didnt help at all.
What was your favorite group? I really enjoyed Art and Horse riding, As i am very passionate about horses.
What did you like the most? Most of the patients there were really nice, and I made some great friends there – school trips, weekend trips on sundays. Being allowed to go out for walks with other patients.
What did you like the least? That they were very strict there, if you were 0.1 below your line you wouldnt be allowed to have a visit off with parents, and then they would raise your calories so much that by the next time you get weighed you have gained like over a kilo.
Would you recommend this program? No I wouldnt, it didnt really help me, they made me gain weight but as soon as I was discharged I lost some of it, my therapist at home has helped me to make sure I dont go down hill again, and not I would say I am 99% recovered. Most people relapsed and were put back for weekends, and would basically binge the whole weekend, would put them on over 3000 calories depending on how much was lost so they would be at target again by Sunday.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? Quite a lot, depending on what your % was and that you were above your line, you could go on walks, dance, aerobics, badminton etc.
What did people do on weekends? Visit from parents either on saturday or sunday. Sunday if parents visited on Saturday they’d plan a trip out, like bowling, ice skating, cinema, shopping ..
Do you get to know your weight? yep
How fast is the weight gain process? 1kg a week
What was the average length of stay? Minimum was 12 weeks. Some patients there had been there for years. It all depends on how you progress and how much weight you ahve to gain.
What was the average age range? Under 18s
the website says that they rarely use NG tube (only 1-2 per year)…..true??
* It depends really, when I was there they used the tube more than twice. So it depends on the patients there at the time. If they are refusing to eat, then the nurses will tube them.
Whilst i was there, just over 18 weeks, there were two people for certain that were tube fed. one of whom was me.
I was someone that was determined to get better, I went into Rhodes, five days before my 18th birthday, so I could have discharged myself at any time during my stay essentially…..
I was struggling with the amount of food (quantity) that ) was being given, (reason for this being that I was given 300 less calories than they thought, and so I lost weight…and so I was put on increasing calories, up to 3900 in the end) and consequentaly was throwing up at least once a day. Though this was not from choice, I hated it as much as the next person. They told me I was doing it on purpose, however, as much as I say that, its possible that I was doing it subconciously, but even someone very stupid wouldn’t leave during the middle of a supervised meal, essentially run to the bathroom next door to the kitchen, and then come back in, and TELL them that I had just been sick….but anyway…one particular day, I had gone out to the toilet, been sick, and come back in. at which point, they essentially told me that they couldn’t wait for me to re-eat another meal. and so, they tube fed me. This was in in principle….well, not fine, but I could cope with that, BUT, what I objected to was what they told my parents. They told my parents that I had refused to eat that was completely not true, never once I had refused a meal, I was eating 3900 calories a day, essentially more as I had to re-eat meals, and as they couldn’t tell how much was being thrown up, i had to eat the entire meal again, even if i had left half on the plate.
i hate thinking about it all, and i know that i was slightly different to all the rest of the patients, they were all mainly anorexic, whereas i had what was eventually diagnosed as FAED (food association emotional disorder)
i think they don’t normally get too many “different” cases, and so they treat everyone the same, which, in my case wasn’t helpful….however, once they’d realised that i wasn’t lying, wasn’t trying to trick them, and that i couldn’t physically cope with the volume of food going into my body, we came to an agreement that i’d have smaller volume, which really helped in the end, but it took them an extremely long time.
i never felt that they actually listened to what i was trying to tell them, they just accused me of lying quite a lot…..which did nothing for my self confidence, infact, when i came out of there, i lost pretty much most of my confidence, i still don’t have some of it. in some ways, it didn’t help at all, being around the people in there, it gave me some bad habits. but it wasn’t all bad, it helped me to gain weight, which was something that i wanted to do, and was unable to do at home. and once they did start listening, i was able to improve, and they did wave me through the system a bit faster than normal….they also let me out, even during a bad patch to take my recital exam at school, which was a good 2-3hour drive away round the good ol’ M25, and i was able to attend my school leaver’s ball aswell, which meant alot to me, tho by that stage i had threatened to discharge myself several times if they wouldn’t let me go…..
it has its good points and its bad, but it does mainly concentrate on the weight side of things, and not the emotional side.
group therapy was a complete waste of time, we spent most of it sewing, and we never talked, group therapy was a place where we would never talk about food, kinda seemed a bit pointless to me….