Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I look forward to that response from the Minister of State concerning the adult beds. What I am hearing from the initial contribution of the Minister of State is that there is no intention to make good that commitment from 2018 regarding the 20 adult beds. The reality is that it is a very complex psychiatric condition. When we look at the data from the Health Research Board, it can be seen that eating disorders require the longest inpatient stays of all psychiatric illnesses. The reality in this country is that we have outsourced care for some of the most severe eating disorder conditions to the private sector and charities. Some 76% of inpatient admissions for eating disorders are to private facilities and private charity providers. Quite a number of people have to go to England. Now, that is shameful in this day and age. We also know the number of those concerned, especially for the under-18s, has increased by about 43% in a short period between 2019 and 2023 in respect of those requiring inpatient stays. I welcome the 20 CAMHS beds, but there need to be an awful lot more. We do not have sufficient provision for people with eating disorders in this country now.

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