Eating disorder beds
Deputy Conway-Walsh pressed for more adult eating disorder beds and raised a severe local case. Minister Butler said investment had increased, eating disorder teams had expanded from one to 12, and three dedicated beds were available in Dublin, but the Deputy continued to seek a direct answer on the urgent case.
This is a really important issue relating to eating disorders. Can it really be the case that there are only three public specialist adult eating disorder beds in the country? Can it then be the case that those three beds are in Dublin? Has the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, said there is no need for an additional 20 inpatient beds? Between 2018 and 2022, 718 adults presented to the HSE with a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder. I ask for a solution. Too many of these people are living in my constituency. There is a 20-year-old girl who weighs 37 kg. Nobody in the HSE will help her. This happens to so many. They are sent home and told to wait until their weight gets lower and lower and their organs are damaged, and then they go back in through the emergency departments again. I beg the Government to please help these people with eating disorders, who need help.
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I want to say categorically that the investment into eating disorders over the past four years has been unbelievable.
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Will the Minister of State please answer the question?
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Will the Deputy let me answer the question?
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I will quite clearly answer the question if she does not interrupt me. I have to put it into context. When I took up this role four years ago, there was one eating disorder team in place. There are now 12 eating disorder teams. We need to get to 16. Eleven are completely in place and another is funded for this year. On the Deputy's specific questions about adults and eating disorder beds, 90% of all people with eating disorders are treated in the community. There are currently three dedicated beds in St. Vincent's in Dublin. All approved centres can help people with an eating disorder. I never said we do not need 20 beds. I said that because of the prevalence of eating disorders, when the model of care was put in place six years ago, we did not expect this amount, and we are currently reviewing eating disorder beds. I want to see a geographical spread for them, not just located in Dublin.