HSE spent €4.6m on sending patients with eating disorders abroad for treatment

Since 2018, the HSE has spent over €12.5m sending patients with eating disorders abroad.

The HSE spent more than €4.6m sending seven patients with eating disorders abroad for treatment in 2023, as the support service Bodywhys calls for consistent funding.

The €4.6m spent on the Treatment Abroad Scheme (Tas) compares to a total spend of €8.1m on eating disorder services in Ireland in the same year. Since the launch of the National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders (NCP-ED) in 2018, the HSE has spent over €12.5m sending patients with eating disorders abroad.

The decision to send someone abroad for treatment is made when all of the clinical treatments available in Ireland have been exhausted with no long-lasting improvement seen.

"It is not that efforts haven't been made here, it is just that they have reached the end of the line in terms of what is available here," said training and development manager at Bodywhys, Harriet Parsons.

For patients with eating disorders, it is usually for an extended period in an inpatient facility which can be very difficult for the person.

"The transition back is a mammoth undertaking," said Ms Parsons. "That transition home is going to be even more difficult than it is from stepping down from a hospital in your own county." 

Consistent funding is required in order to see any kind of progress and delays happen when there is inconsistency in investment, said Ms Parsons.

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Under the NCP-ED, plans were made to deliver 16 specialist teams across the country. Heading into 2025, there are currently 11 teams in place. Six new teams were delivered between 2023 and 2024 so "you can see when funding happens it does bring movement", said Ms Parsons.

Along with funding, the new government is being called on to address the lack of adult beds available in Ireland.

"I've worked in Bodywhys since 2005. There were three beds in 2005, there are still three beds now," she said.