No national public beds to care for those with eating disorders

NO national public beds are dedicated in hospitals to people with eating disorders.

Sufferers, it emerged, are increasingly forced to travel abroad for treatment.

St Vincent’s hospital confirmed three “national public beds” for over 18s with an eating disorder were now only for the hospital’s catchment area in Dublin.

Director of Bodywhys, the national support group for people with an eating disorders, said, effectively, there were now no public beds for the treatment of eating disorders for over 18s outside of Dublin.

This, she said, was totally inadequate and called for immediate action.

“The Government’s policy document ‘Vision for Change’ recommends that the public bed capacity be increased from the current stock of 3 to 24 nationally,” she said.

Suzanne Horgan, psychotherapist and director of the Eating Disorder Resource centre of Ireland said she aware of cases where parents were taking out huge loans, or re-mortgaging their homes to get treatment abroad for their children.

HSE figures show that 12 patients have been treated overseas for eating disorders and related illnesses since 2007, at a cost of more than €400,000, but Ms Horgan questioned the figures as she said she was aware of one case which cost €250,000.

She said hospitals were offering a “revolving door policy”, and that the system was not appropriate for dealing with these disorders.

Dr Siobhan Barry, clinical director at St John of God’s said policy nationally was “haphazard”.

She said the hospital had lost its funding for national beds, so they were now only available for people living within the hospital’s area.

“The unit has 12 beds and four are for treatment of eating disorders. There is quite a demand for those beds, they are never empty,” she said.