Wednesday,7 February 2024


Adjournment

Eating disorders


Georgie CROZIER

Eating disorders

There are parents who are desperately seeking help. Vanessa’s daughter is 14 years old, she has been admitted to hospital around 15 times in the last two years for a severe eating disorder and she also has very complex mental health issues. Vanessa of course is deeply concerned that the current model of care at Monash Children’s Hospital is not addressing both the physical and the mental health aspects of the illness, which is leading to poorer outcomes, more hospital admissions and ongoing distress for patients and families. It is alarming that 40 per cent of young patients are readmitted after discharge. Vanessa and other parents in this situation are asking for promised changes to the system, such as longer stays in hospital to allow an acute episode to stabilise and medications to take effect as well as outpatient services in the community for those families with children that are affected by eating disorders to be supported in their homes so that they do not have these repeat presentations at our emergency departments.

While the government continues to delay the release of its eating disorders strategy, which was due last year, children with serious health issues are being denied access to appropriate treatment and discharged prematurely without support, leaving patients and families struggling to cope. As I said at the start of my adjournment, even though it does largely relate to what is happening at Monash Health, it is around eating disorders and mental health, so I would seek that the Minister for Mental Health work with her colleague the Minister for Health to really get this issue sorted, provide the support and care for children with severe eating disorders and so give support to not only those children but also the family members that are involved.