Eating disorder unit aims to treat 120 a year

THE NUMBER of places in a major eating disorder unit have been doubled in a bid to cope with the growing number of people seeking treatment.

St Patrick’s Hospital’s 16-bed unit is now the largest of its kind in Ireland and aims to treat more than 120 patients per year.

A significant increase in the number of people being referred to the Dublin hospital for treatment over the past five years meant that some were having to wait several months to secure a place on its programme.