Government must implement plan to tackle eating disorders now
Labour’s Senator Annie Hoey and member of the Oireachtas sub-committee on Mental Health has expressed deep concern following news that adult hospital admissions for eating disorders in Ireland reached their highest level in a decade.
Senator Hoey said:
“Government needs to take immediate action. These figures are alarming and paint a picture of a worsening crisis in eating disorder services in Ireland.
“We know that the people admitted to hospital are only a fraction of the individuals experiencing one of these conditions. For too long, mental health services and services for eating disorders in particular have been neglected, under-funded and under-resourced.
“While we know the Minister has plans to address the crisis in the mental health system, the plans are not worth the paper they are written on for those suffering. GPs and social workers continue to report that they can’t provide the integrated community-based support that they need.
“It beggars belief that there was no new funding allocated in Budget 2024 for eating disorders teams.
“Government urgently needs a plan to tackle this issue which includes significant investment in eating disorder services, including more beds, more staff and more outreach programmes.”