Press Statement: New Clinical Programme to provide early support and clear pathway of care for people with eating disorders

Press Statement 25 January 2018: New Clinical Programme to provide early support and clear pathway of care for people with eating disorders

The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland welcomes the launch by the HSE yesterday of the National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorder Services developed in collaboration between the College, HSE and Bodywhys.

Eating disorders affect up to 5% of the population but people can, and do, recover from eating disorders more quickly with early, specialised treatment.

This new model of care, just implemented, will benefit people with eating disorders through faster access to assessment and early intervention, more access to Clinicians with specialist training in eating disorders care across the system, dedicated physician/paediatrician time and access to dieticians, and support for families and carers through the partnership with Bodywhys.

Welcoming the launch of the programme Dr John Hillery, President of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland said;

“We welcome implementation of this model of care with it a clear pathway of early intervention, support, and treatment plan for those with eating disorders.”

Emphasising the use of internationally recognised best practice in supporting people with mental health problems as key to the role of the College in the clinical programmes in mental health, Dr Hillery continued;

“The aim of this programme is to deliver a safe, accessible, and high quality eating disorder service that focuses on clinical and personal recovery for those suffering the distress of living with an eating disorder and to reduce the mortality and morbidity of this extremely vulnerable group. The launch is timely for this rising problem and will provide access to specialist knowledge and wider support-reaching for individuals, as well as support for their families and carers.

I would like to thank the College members on the College Clinical Advisory Group, Dr Caroline Maher, Chair of the Programme subgroup, and Dr Sarah McDevitt, Clinical Lead for the programme, for their time and commitment to the development of this model of care.”

The Clinical Programmes bring clinical leadership to the heart of the clinical decision-making process with the ultimate aim of improving quality, access, and value of healthcare in the country using evidence-based approaches to system reform.

ENDS

The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland was formed in 2009. It is the professional body for psychiatrists in the Republic of Ireland. The Mission of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland is to promote excellence in the practice of psychiatry. The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland is the sole body recognised by the Medical Council and the HSE for the training of doctors to become specialists in psychiatry and for the continuing assurance of the career long competence of specialists in psychiatry. The College supports the delivery of mental health services in line with the recovery model and supports the delivery of the national policy on mental health services A Vision for Change.

*A Vision for Change (2006) is a strategy document which sets out the direction for Mental Health Services in Ireland. It is a framework for promoting mental health at all levels of society and for delivering specialist care to everyone who needs it. It recognises both the strengths and inadequacies of existing services and outlines a strategy for building on the innovations heralded by Planning for the Future. It details a series of actions for developing a comprehensive person-centred model of mental health service provision.