Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Health to detail any plans he has for improving health service provision for people with eating disorders.
Minister of Health: Action 29D of the Mental Health Strategy (2021 –2031) focuses specifically on improving services for those affected by eating disorders by enhancing and strengthening community care provision and treatment. A business case has been developed and an Eating Disorder Managed Care Network has been established to oversee the planning and commissioning of eating disorder services across the lifespan.
The Eating Disorder Managed Care Network’s Strategic Framework and threeyear implementation plan provides a comprehensive and wellcoordinated foundation for delivering the improvements to eating disorder services envisioned within the Northern Ireland Mental Health Strategy 2021–2031. The Framework establishes clear regional governance through dedicated workstreams and leadership structures, ensuring consistent oversight and alignment across all Trusts. It strengthens the capability and confidence of the wider system by introducing structured, tiered training pathways and a coherent communication approach, both of which are essential to addressing variation in awareness, early identification and management of eating disorders.
The plan’s focus on aligning and standardising care pathways across the region represents a significant step toward delivering equitable, NICEconcordant treatment, while the development of regional supervision, reflective practice and Quality Eating Disorder accreditation supports workforce sustainability and highquality care.
The Framework also enhances the system’s capacity for datadriven decisionmaking through the implementation of standardised outcome measures and improved use of baseline performance data, providing the evidence base required for future commissioning and service planning. The strong emphasis on coproduction ensures that lived experience informs the design, delivery and evaluation of services in a meaningful and continuous way.
Whilst the plan cannot independently deliver the full service expansion, such as enhanced community and day treatment, without further funding and staffing investment, it effectively positions the region to implement these strategic enhancements efficiently and consistently once resources become available.
ENDS
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