Shocking indictment of Successive Governments failure to support Eating Disorder Sufferers - Compounded by Minister Butler playing politics.
James O' Toole
Workplace Education Coordinator at DDLETB Balbriggan & Swords Adult Education Services
Bodywhys told the Irish Examiner on Thursday the 25/05/2023 that its statement still stood, and it was not withdrawing it.
As a parent who has experienced first hand the dysfunction that permeates deep within the recesses of the HSE an organisation in my opinion that can best be described as a monolithic bureaucratic multilayered mishmash of incompetence when it comes to looking after the care health and well being of young children, teenagers and adults suffering with an eating order in Ireland.
Mental health 25. Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a) Address the mental health needs of children, including through the
implementation of the national mental health policy, amend the
Mental Health Act and implement the Mental Health (Amendment) Act;
(b) Improve the capacity and quality of mental health-care services for children
and adolescents, including inpatient treatment, facilities with out-of-hours
services and facilities for treating eating disorders; Report of Public
Consultation on Ireland’s Combined Fifth and Sixth Report to the
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Page 63 of 70
(c) Establish a mental health advocacy and information service that is
specifically for children, accessible and child friendly.
It beggars belief that in 2023 the Irish Government continues to fail in its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child as per the Report of Public Consultation on Ireland’s Combined Fifth and Sixth Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child November 2021 - Page 62 (A,B,C)
Children are being treated like inanimate objects by the HSE children are left at the mercy of a postal code lottery, in simple terms depending on where you live will be the deciding whether or not children will get rapid access to fully staffed multidisciplinary teams with the required awareness expertise and understanding of eating disorders.
CAMHS services up and down the country are severely understaffed and have been for many years despite there being a massive increase in recent years in the number of children teenagers and adults seeking help and support.
Accepting the great work that is done by doctors nurses and general staff in Pediatric hospitals it is my opinion that these hospitals are wholly unsuitable environments for treating children with an eating disorder they simply do not have the multidisciplinary teams or general nursing staff who have the awareness and understanding of the complexities that eating disorders present thereby critical time is lost and children end up in a revolving door situation returning many times without them getting the proper care and treatment that they so badly need.
As a parent I have attended numerous eating disorder conferences over the last seven years organised by Bodywhys, I have met and spoken to several national directors within the HSE. As a family we had to fight to get an independent system review of our family members case which was concluded in 2020.
Many failings by the HSE, Treatment Abroad Scheme, CAMHS, Temple Street Hospital were highlighted and many recommendations for improvements were identified but regrettably nothing seems to have changed since 2014.
Bodywhys recognizing the dire situation have called a spade a spade and unfortunately Minister Butler has very regrettably responded with soundbites "Recruitment continues at pace within the CAMHS Services" this is an absolute insult to every person seeking help care and support. This sound bite is well worn out at this stage. The reality of the situation is simply this, children up and down the country right now are being left isolated and not cared for. The writing is on the wall if things do not drastically improve a child might well pay the ultimate price.
Below is a selection of linked in posts over nearly seven years that I have posted. Minister Butler needs to grasp the nettle and stand up for children and refrain form soundbites and optics used by so many of her predecessors this is the last thing that children deserve.
Recommended by LinkedIn