Debate contribution: Regional Eating Disorder Service

Debate contribution by Mr Philip McGuigan on 3 March 2026.

MLA

Mr Philip McGuigan

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

3 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Regional Eating Disorder Service

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5435001

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. I thank the Members who tabled the motion, and for the work that Peter and others do in the APG. Eating Disorders Awareness Week has just concluded, and it has brought to light powerful lived experiences, testimonies and accounts. Some accounts have been shared during the debate, and while we can often talk about the abstract of illness, the lived experiences and testimonies put a focus on the seriousness of the illness and its impact on those who suffer with it. In advance of the debate, I flicked through some accounts of the illness. I read the story of Anna-Louise, a talented young videographer, which was in last Friday's 'Belfast Telegraph'. I also read the contribution by Oran, a talented Gaelic footballer from Steelstown who played for Derry, in last week's 'Irish News'. They are both talented young people who opened up about their personal battles. Thankfully, both young people have recovered from their eating disorders, because, as others have clearly and correctly pointed out, not everybody who suffers from an eating disorder is lucky enough to recover. As Danny said, this illness can affect anyone. Whilst it may be the case that young females are particularly affected, it is not an illness that occurs among just young females; it can happen to anybody, regardless of their circumstances. The personal testimonies that we heard in the debate along with those that we have read in newspapers and heard on the airwaves this week, combined with the scale of the need for services and the concerning rise in eating disorders among adolescents, as identified in the motion, and the evidence presented by the charity Beat — I think that all Members have been using a briefing that we got from Beat, because it clearly condenses what we are talking about — serve to underline the urgent need to progress the enhancement of the regional eating disorder service. Beat has highlighted the fact that eating disorders are profoundly isolating conditions that often lead individuals to withdraw from social situations, making it difficult for them to articulate what they are experiencing and equally difficult for others to recognise the severity of their illness. That is why, as others have said, awareness weeks and debates such as this are important. It is about people in positions such as ours shining a light on the issue and taking the argument out into the public. I commend Beat for providing a voice and a vital source of support, through its advocacy and policy work, and acknowledge all who have spoken publicly about their personal experiences in an effort to raise awareness, inform the development of future services and highlight the need for education. I am struck by what Colin said about the issue not being part of schoolchildren's education. There are so many pitfalls out there for our young people, and it is important that such things are conveyed in the school setting. The Department sets out a clear and ambitious plan to strengthen eating disorder provision in its mental health strategy. Action 29(d) commits to timely specialist treatment for all patients, appropriately skilled staffing, the development of talking therapy hubs, intensive day treatment facilities in line with NICE guidance and improved clinical support for inpatient units and high-risk cases. What I will say about progress on the strategy could apply to any of our strategies. We have so many good strategies in the Department of Health. Unfortunately, through constraints on budgetary resources, they are not all implemented. That is certainly the case with the mental health strategy, on which progress has been slow. By the end of 2024-25, only £12·3 million had been allocated, and only 14 actions — just 16% of the strategy — had been funded as required for that period. Underinvestment combined with persistent workforce shortages has resulted in delayed diagnosis, limited treatment pathways and, in some cases, people having to travel significant distances to access specialist care that should be available closer to home. Today's motion calls on the Minister of Health:

"to set a clear time frame for reviewing and responding to the business case for enhancing the regional eating disorder service."

We should all get behind and support that aim. The service must be one that ensures that patients receive the right care at the right time, in the right place and as close to home as possible. It must include meaningful support for families and carers, whose role is vital.

751 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:02 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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