New specialist eating disorder inpatient unit for young people opens in Chester
Wednesday, 15 April 2026
A new specialist inpatient unit for young people with eating disorders opened in Chester on Monday, 13 April 2026.
Sapphire Ward is based at Ancora House at the Countess of Chester Health Park, alongside the Sapphire Eating Disorder Day Service, which opened in September 2025. Both services are provided by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP).
Commissioned by LevelUp - Cheshire and Merseyside’s young people and families lead provider collaborative (LPC), the new unit will offer 24-hour, intensive support for young people aged 13 to 18 with an eating disorder diagnosis across Cheshire and Merseyside.
Sapphire Ward is a small, specialist inpatient unit with capacity to support four young people at any time. It is designed for young people who require the highest level of care, complementing the existing Sapphire Eating Disorder Day Service as well as the Cheshire and Mersey Eating Disorder Service (CHEDS), which provides community-based interventions.
Anne Casey, Head of Operations for Children, Young People and Families Care Group, said:
“We recognise most young people will not require inpatient services and are much better served within day hospital care or in a community setting closer to home. It is, however, essential to have some dedicated inpatient support for those young people with the most complex needs.
“The development of Sapphire Ward means young people required inpatient support can now be referred to a service much closer to home. By co-locating the inpatient unit with the Day Hospital, young people will also benefit from shared therapeutic spaces, education and a consistent model of care. Where an inpatient admission is needed, we also expect the Day Hospital to support a smoother transition back into community services, helping young people continue their recovery closer to home.”
Jenny Scott, Associate Director for Commissioning, said:
“The development of Sapphire Ward marks an important step forward for young people and their families across Cheshire and Merseyside. For too long, young people with more complex eating disorders have been referred out of area for specialist support, meaning they are far from family and friends. They will now be able to receive this specialist care at Ancora House and this model of integrated eating disorder services is completely aligned with the ambitions set out in the NHS 10 Year Plan.
“In determining the need for this service, Level Up LPC partners have secured support from Merseyside Internal Audit Agency (MIAA) and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Combined with learning from the complex needs escalation support framework and its focus on investment in service improvement to drive effective service delivery, this development will provide a comprehensive support offer and we are immensely grateful to all partners who have contributed to this important development.”
Referrals to Sapphire Inpatients and the Sapphire Eating Disorder Day Service are made via the CHEDS team from community eating disorder services within Cheshire and Merseyside for young people with a diagnosis of an eating disorder.
If you are concerned about a young person who may have an eating disorder, please speak to your GP, local community eating disorder team or contact Beat’s national helpline on 0808 801 0677.