Eating Disorders

Part of Health, Social Services and Public Safety – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:00 pm on 1 May 2012.

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Photo of Edwin Poots Edwin Poots DUP 2:00, 1 May 2012

The cost is significant when families have to go to other jurisdictions, not just the cost of the facility and the charge that is laid on the Northern Ireland health service but also the cost of flying other family members over and keeping them close to the location for visits and so forth.

Since 2005, £2 million has been invested in the development of community-based eating disorder services — £1 million in 2005-06, £500,000 in 2007 and £500,000 in 2008. Since 2010, in-patient eating disorder capacity has been provided in each trust area, each of which has one to two beds. Those are managed by specially trained medical psychiatric staff, supported on an in-reach basis by staff from the community-based eating disorder teams. That provides a seamless service, which is key to achieving the best long-term outcomes for patients. Aside from that, there has been interest from the private sector in developing facilities in Northern Ireland, and discussions have been ongoing with the HSC in that regard.