Government is failing those with serious eating disorders and shows it doesn’t understand the condition
- Numbers requiring hospitalisation has risen by 43% in five years
- Minister’s claim of ‘no need’ more specialist beds beggars.
- Overwhelming reliance on costly private care (76% of admissions) has to end. State must provide specialist beds.
Labour’s Health Spokesperson Marie Sherlock TD has slammed the Government for its complete failure to deliver specialist inpatient beds for adults & children with eating disorders, seven years after launching a plan to improve services.
Deputy Sherlock said:
“Despite commitments to deliver twenty beds as far back as 2018, Government inaction is forcing many suffering from eating disorders into costly private care or general psychiatric units where they do not receive specialised care.
“We know from Health Research Board data that 76% of inpatient admissions for eating disorders are to private facilities and private charity providers. Troublingly, eating disorders now account for the highest proportion of all under 18 admissions.
“It is yet another example of the State abdicating its responsibility and forcing patients into the private sector. This is not how a functioning public health system should work. The state must develop specialised eating disorder services.
“On top of the Goverment’a abject failure to deliver a single extra bed, Minister Butler reflects a very poor understanding of eating disorders by shockingly claiming last year that there is ‘no need’ for these beds. That assessment is not only out of touch with reality, but frankly callous.
“The Government’s failure to deliver these beds is a disgrace.
“Early intervention is absolutely crucial for treating eating disorders, and Labour wholeheartedly welcomes the development of community hubs. But we cannot ignore the stark reality: when a patient requires hospitalisation, eating disorders demand the longest inpatient stays of all psychiatric illnesses. According to 2023 data, the average stay is 59.4 days.
“Furthermore, the demand for inpatient care is increasing at an alarming rate. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of eating disorder patients requiring hospitalisation rose by 43%, with the rise being particularly stark among under-18s. Almost a quarter of all psychiatric admissions for young people are due to eating disorders.
“The need for specialist beds is urgent—yet the Government continues to turn a blind eye. The question is simple: where do these patients go? Right now, if they cannot afford private care, they are being placed in general psychiatric units with no specialist support. This is unacceptable. The Government must act now and deliver the specialist inpatient services and beds that have been promised for years.”