Eating disorders don't discriminate, and neither should care. 

EDs such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder are all serious mental health conditions that need early intervention. 

Currently access to care can be blocked or limited based on long wait lists, geographic location, lack of beds, whether or not someone is eating orally, and weight. Every ED sufferer should be entitled the the same level of care, regardless of where they live or what weight they are. 

If the current level of eating disorder care continues, more people will suffer a longer recovery, and a chance of a full recovery will be reduced.

This problem has continue for too long, and the time to act is now before more individuals and families suffer. 

We are asking for:

1. More direct routes to access care, and earlier interventions such as:

• A reduction of time spent on CAMHS waitlists.
• More immediate supports for carers, such as meal coaching.
• More clarity about the treatment process and what supports families are entitled to.
• Access to individual and/or family based therapy every step of the treatment process, despite weight.

2. A connected, and sufficient level of service:

• Specialised facilities specifically for eating disorder sufferers, including medical and mental health services. 
• At bare minimum, more inpatient facilities or a reduction of catchment restrictions. 
• All inpatient facilities to provide NG feeding if required, to avoid multiple hospital admissions and access to care.
• ED specialists and mental health services available in all public hospitals. 
• Sufficient community and outpatient supports.
• Treatment not dependent on weight.

3. More beds, ring-fenced funding, and specialised staff:

• More staff trained specifically to help ED sufferers.
• Full staff recruitment for existing teams.
• Funding to increase the number of staff and beds, and funding that cannot be reallocated.
• Ring-fenced and consistent funding for NCPED to expand specialist ED teams.
• Funding to update the expired 2018 Eating Disorders Services Model of Care.

4. Better transitional supports between hospitals and homes, and CAMHS and AMHS, including:

• Meal support if needed.
• Access to mental health supports. 

5. More accountability and accurate statistics:

• Every individual sufferer needs a transparent care plan. 
• There needs to be a process in place for families to seek recourse if the level of care is not adequate. 
• Accurate statistics need to be gathered to get a better overall picture of how many people are suffering with eating disorders, and what resources are actually needed.
• Needs assessment for beds capacity needs to be carried out.

It is estimated that 188,895 people in Ireland will experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives, and that approximately 1,757 new cases will occur in Ireland each year in the 10-49 age group. The time to reform services is now.