The mother of an Irish woman who's been receiving treatment in the UK for an eating disorder for the past five years said she's 'angry' nothing is changing.
Susan was speaking following an earlier protest outside the Department of Health in Dublin city, calling for reforms in eating disorder services in Ireland.
She said trying to transition to over-18 treatment in Ireland was 'horrific.'
Susan told Lunchtime Live they could not find a bed for her daughter.
"I'm just a normal mum, just like a lot of the other mums that are dealing with this situation," she said.
"I feel like I was catapulted into an eating disorder world where there's lack of services.
"You just have a learn a new language - you're all of a sudden learning about Ward of Court, court orders, NG feeding.
"[There is] just a complete lack of services, really, and that's what led to our daughter having to go to the UK.
"She's been in a UK hospital now for five years, and really in those five years nothing has changed".
'You have to go to the UK'
Susan said there are currently no eating disorder beds for adults in Ireland.
"There's three beds for St Vincent's, but that's for that catchment area only," she said.
"So when you have somebody that needs the treatment that's required for eating disorders - which is NG feeding and therapeutic and psychiatry help - that's just not here in Ireland.
"Therefore then you have to go to the UK."
Susan said even when planned changes are made, there will still be no eating disorder beds available.
"We had a meeting with the Minister recently and the board of the NCEP [National Care Experience Programme]," she said.
"In the model of care that they're working on at the moment, even when that's completed and everything's worked on, there still will be no eating disorder beds for adults in Ireland - except for St Vincent's Hospital."
'Horrific'
Susan said there are beds, but not specialist ones.
"There's a bed but it's either in a general ward if you're medically unwell, but you don't have any eating disorder support," she said.
"Or you're in a psychiatric ward where they can't monitor you medically, only mentally.
"That happened with us; our daughter was in CAMHS under-18, and then transitioning from under-18 to over-18 was horrific.
"There's just nothing in the adult mental health services outpatient to help people with eating disorders".
'So traumatic'
Susan said if people are hospitalised they are usually sent to A&E.
"Most of the time the person is being told that they're not ill enough, the BMI isn't low enough, their vitals aren't bad enough," she said.
"If you are admitted at A&E, then the choice is either are you medically unwell that you go to the general ward, or are you psychiatrically unwell that you go to the psychiatric ward?"
Susan said her daughter went into the local psychiatric hospital, which she described as "so traumatic."
"If you're lucky enough to have private health insurance, the private hospitals don't do NG feeding.
"Tube feeding is what the treatment is for eating disorders.
"Here in Ireland to be NG fed you need to be made a Ward of Court, because you have to be shown to lack capacity.
"Our daughter nearly died while we were waiting for a Ward of Court to come through."
'It was never picked up'
Susan said her daughter was taken to see a GP when she was aged between 16 and 17.
"We had her at the GP with different issues but it was never picked up," she said.
"Then eventually we had a referral to CAMHS outpatient, but they didn't have the services required.
"So she went to CAMHS inpatient and she was NG fed there.
"[She] turned 18 and was discharged because they've nowhere to send you when you turn 18.
"Now she's in the UK, and that's our journey," she added.
Listen back here:
Anyone affected by issues raised in this article can contact Bodywhys on 01-2107-906 or e-mail info@bodywhys.ie
