Mayo TD highlights lack of beds for adults with eating disorders in the west

THE Sinn Féin spokesperson for Public Expenditure, Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh, has called for greater investment into eating disorder in the west.

“Individuals and families are struggling to get appropriate care,” she said, highlighting how there are just three public inpatient beds for adults with eating disorders for the whole state. And they are all located in Dublin.

Said Deputy Conway-Walsh: “There is a huge unmet need for these services.

“Between 2018 and 2022, 718 adults presented to the HSE with a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder. Only 46 of these people received public specialist inpatient treatment in a dedicated eating disorder service.

“Ministers excuses for failures in eating disorder services are unacceptable.

“The National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders is ambitious in the level of service delivery it hopes to achieve. The government, however, have often underfunded its rollout.

“This has impacted the regions the most that continue to have no beds.

“2023 saw no new funding allocated to the National Clinical Programme. This means that it was not able to expand.”

She continued: “Sinn Féin have consistently prioritised funding in our alternative budget to complete this programme at the rate that is needed.

“The HSE recruitment embargo has caused further difficulty in delivering these teams as the staff are simply not there. This needs to be lifted.

“Sinn Féin have been working with eating disorder groups, advocates and people suffering from eating disorders. I have raised their issues on the floor of the Dáil. The minister can no longer ignore their voices.”