Abstract for: Systems thinking in health service design: Co-designing an inclusive early intervention & integrated eating disorder service model for Western Health

Despite increasing emphasis on person‑centered healthcare, eating disorder research and service development often overlook lived experience perspectives. This limits understanding of real barriers and enablers to timely, equitable care. Expanding established methods to include lived experience voices is essential for generating evidence that reflects real‑world needs and supports the creation of accessible, responsive and inclusive eating disorder services. Group model building workshops will be held with four panels: (1) people with lived or living experience and carers, (2) mental health clinicians, (3) non‑mental health clinicians, and (4) community stakeholders. Each panel will complete two workshops to develop CLDs, then all panels will join for a final workshop using a boundary object to generate action ideas for future eating disorder service delivery. Approval for the study is currently under review with The Royal Melbourne Hospitals Ethics Committee: Local HREC Project Number: 2026.087 | ERM Number: RMH127504. GMB workshops are planned for mid‑2026 to engage participant panels and progress development of systems insights for eating disorder service improvement. Current literature on eating disorder service models is limited, showing wide variation and little detail on key components. Evidence suggests integrated service models can improve outcomes for people with complex needs, including eating disorders, yet most research comes from outside Australia. This study is the first to apply GMB to eating disorders and uniquely examine service models and systems, an area with minimal prior research.