Almost €4m available for eating disorder support remains unspent

A poster exhibition at CIT Crawford College of Art and Design, Grand Parade, Cork, in February as part of Eating Disorder Awareness week. Almost €4m remains unspent for the provision of services for eating disorders, according to the HSE. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Nearly €4m of a €5.7m fund established to staff eating disorder services remains unspent, the HSE has said.

In total, just three of the 16 proposed community teams for those suffering from eating disorders have been established.

Two adolescent teams serve Cork-Kerry Community Healthcare and Dublin South, Kildare and West Wicklow Community Healthcare, and an adult team serves Community Healthcare East. 

Multidisciplinary teams

The HSE said that these multidisciplinary teams "provide specialist eating disorder assessment and treatment in the community".

It said that funding will be available this year for a further adolescent team to serve Mayo, Galway, and Roscommon and adult teams in Cork-Kerry and Dublin North. However, it said that "availability of skilled staff is a significant issue" across mental health services.

Last week, a young woman told the Irish Examiner that she has begged to be admitted to hospital for treatment "before her bulimia kills her". She has been unable to get a public bed and cannot afford private care.

Fine Gael TD for Dublin Rathdown, Neale Richmond, said that while the National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders is "a good plan", it must be met with action. 

He said that there are just three adult beds set aside for people with eating disorders and all are at St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin.

"This can't go on; the money, the will, and the need is there, but the action is not," said Mr Richmond. "This money must be drawn down. 

"We all accept the difficulties the pandemic has caused, but this has exacerbated an existing problem. The issue flies under the radar somewhat but it doesn't for people who have an eating disorder.

The plan is good, funding is good, but it's no good if it's not acted on. 

"People need provision in the public sector."

Mr Richmond added that 188,000 Irish people had suffered from the illnesses, but just 10% to 15% had sought treatment.

A HSE statement said that the funding remains available to spend this year.

"Since 2016, €5.7m has been made available for eating disorder posts through programme for government funding. Of that, €1.77m has been invested to date in eating disorder specialist posts. 

"The balance of €3.94m for specialist eating disorder posts remains fully available to invest in specialist ED posts in 2021.

"The availability of skilled staff is a significant issue in mental health services where demand outstrips supply in both the national and international contexts."