Debate contribution: Regional Eating Disorder Service

Debate contribution by Mr Mike Nesbitt on 3 March 2026.

MLA

Mr Mike Nesbitt

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

3 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Regional Eating Disorder Service

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5435011

Read the official Assembly record

Text

— by an eating disorder. Last week, I was pleased to take part in an event, upstairs in the Building, to mark Eating Disorders Awareness Week, not least because the theme was "Community". In the remaining year and two days between now and purdah, I want as much of my work as possible to be community-based, as we roll out the neighbourhood model of care, which, I hope, will transform the delivery of health and social care. As the Chair of the Committee said, a specific action in the mental health strategy, 29(d), is dedicated to strengthening our response to eating disorders, which is an area that continues to require focused attention, innovation and investment. I will come to investment before I finish my remarks. Eating disorders are among the most serious mental health conditions. Research shows that individuals with an eating disorder have a mortality rate seven times higher than that of the general population. Worldwide, about 7·8% of people will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime.

Here in Northern Ireland, data is available for only individuals who receive a diagnosis, so we can conclude from that that the true prevalence is likely to be higher. That stark reality underlines the importance of ensuring that our services are robust, accessible and evidence-based. In line with action 29(d), the regional eating disorder managed care network was established last year to drive improvement. The network brings together statutory, community and voluntary partners to deliver equitable, high-quality care right across the region. By standardising care pathways, strengthening workforce capability and improving outcome monitoring, the network supports care that is efficient, accountable and aligned with best practice. Some Members have made reference to the GB charity Beat, which deals with eating disorders. A few weeks ago, its chief executive, Vanessa Longley, was upstairs at another event in room 115 and surprised me by saying that we are leading the way across the UK. We are, to an extent, trailblazers in the work that we are doing. However, having said that, I acknowledge that there is more work to be done. On 23 February, as part of the awareness week, I launched here in Parliament Buildings the strategic framework and three-year implementation plan for the network. The plan sets out a clear collaborative approach to enhancing community eating disorder services, with strong representation from community and voluntary organisations on the implementation group and its work streams, with many actions being delivered with low or no cost. There are four strategic areas that are being addressed by the managed care network. The first is communication and training on reducing stigma and raising awareness. The second is access to services and workforce. That seeks to align care pathways regionally, embedding evidence-based models and supporting our workforce through the development of specialist skills. The third is research, data and outcomes, building academic partnerships and using meaningful data to drive improvement and monitor treatment outcomes. Finally, co-design and co-production, ensuring that lived experience shapes every stage of service design and delivery. A key priority for the network's access to services and workforce is the review of the You in Mind care pathway for the treatment of eating disorders from 2016. It includes a renewed focus on community-based care, which is vital in ensuring earlier intervention, reduced reliance on inpatient treatment and better long-term outcomes. Community-based care is widely recognised as one of the most effective ways to support individuals who are living with eating disorders, offering treatment that is timely, person-centred and aligned with everyday life. Eating disorders rarely occur in isolation; they take root in social contexts, family systems and community environments. For that reason, treatment approaches that extend beyond hospital settings can often lead to improved engagement, earlier intervention and better long-term recovery outcomes.

Yes.

Absolutely. Those are the two objectives of shifting left into a neighbourhood model of care. There will be better outcomes for patients, and it will also be much easier on the budget because, by the time that we treat people who have lingered on a waiting list for three, four, five, six or seven years, we have to treat them in an acute hospital, where all the really expensive procedures take place. Community care enables services to respond earlier and more flexibly. For many individuals, concerns emerge long before the need for hospital treatment. By strengthening community pathways such as GP awareness, early intervention teams, mental health hubs and voluntary sector supports, we can identify difficulties at the earliest possible stage. That will help to prevent deterioration, avoid crisis-driven referrals and reduce the pressure on acute inpatient settings, as the Member said. Early intervention is consistently shown to improve recovery rates, shorten treatment duration and reduce the likelihood of relapse.

I stress that eating disorders cause real distress for service users and their families and friends, and every admission is one too many. It is true that CAMHS admissions rose sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have since returned to roughly pre-pandemic levels. Nonetheless, I remain committed to strengthening early intervention and community support so that timely, effective care is available for every child, young person and adult who needs it. The mental health strategy states clearly that additional investment is required to develop services in line with NICE guidance, including the establishment of intensive day-treatment options. Unfortunately, the deliverability review has highlighted the extent to which funding constraints have limited progress across the strategy, including in eating disorder services. I acknowledge the motion's call for a:

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

I say this to Members: the business case has, in fact, been partially funded already. A part-time regional clinical lead, a social care lead and a project manager for the regional eating disorder managed care network were all appointed in late 2024, and they have established that managed care network. However, completing the business case depends on funding. The business case costings in full are £3,483,439. If I discount the recurrent moneys of just over £1 million that have already gone into the part implementation, the additional funding required for the full business case stands at £2,396,439. I know that, in the great scheme of things, Members may think that that is not a huge amount of money out of a budget of over £8 billion, but Members will also be aware that at least once a week — I am in here most sitting weeks, if not every sitting week — I am asked to prioritise and invest in something. The money does not exist. The shortfall that we are currently projecting for next year will be in the order of £800-plus million. It was £600-plus million this year. We failed to balance that, and we needed nearly £200 million from the reserves in the form of a Treasury loan to get us close to balancing the books. I have to be honest with Members: it will be a challenge. When we finalise the budget, the first thing that I will do is pay for the 3·3% uplift for Agenda for Change staff. We do not know yet what the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration will offer, but I will seek to implement that in full. The real living wage also has to be implemented right across Health and Social Care. All I can say to the Member is that, after that, this issue will be very much on the agenda when considering how to spend what is left in the budget.

1,261 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.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification