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Irish Times
21-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Twenty new beds to tackle 33% rise in eating disorder referrals
A total of 20 new specialist eating disorder beds will be opened around the country, under new plans being devised by the Health Service Executive to cope with growing demand for services. More than 500 people in Ireland were diagnosed with an eating disorder last year – more than 100 cases more than in 2023. There were also 894 referrals for treatment, up 33 per cent on the previous year. Currently, the State has just three public inpatient eating disorder beds for adults who are acutely unwell, all of which are in St Vincent's hospital in Dublin. To be treated in these beds, patients are required to fall within the catchment area of the hospital. People with eating disorders outside of this catchment order who go into public hospitals for treatment are typically referred to a general psychiatric unit, where they often are unable to access specialised care. READ MORE The HSE has begun a review of the model of care for eating disorders on a phased basis. Its first report on future eating disorder bed provision has been finalised and was recently submitted to the Minister for Health. The Irish Times understands that the plan sets out a need for between eight and 10 specialist beds in Dublin, as well as between 10 and 12 specialist beds outside of the capital, with a national spread. All of these beds will have a national catchment area. Under the proposals, these beds will be specialised for eating disorder treatment. However as demand for such services ebbs and flows, they will also be used for other psychiatric illnesses, The Irish Times understands. These beds will mostly be new provision in new units, with their establishment to take place over a number of years. However, there is potential for interim plans to increase provision until the planned number is up and running. This is not the first time such a move was proposed. Under the previous model of care, an additional 20 eating disorder beds were to be opened between 2018 and 2023, however no funding was allocated and the beds were never opened. Harriet Parsons, chief executive of BodyWhys, the national eating disorder association, says in recent years work has been on developing the community services, but inpatient beds are also required – particularly outside of Dublin. 'We need to make sure that geographical spread is there so that it doesn't matter where you are in the country, you will have access to the same kind of services,' she said. 'People who require inpatient care, they are acutely unwell. They don't come out of hospital better; they come out of hospital well enough to start the real process of getting better in the community.' She added: 'You don't want to have a huge difference between that inpatient stay and going out [into the community]. It is much more likely they will struggle to improve. That is the story that is repeated over and over again.' Meanwhile, a recent report from the Health Research Board found eating disorders were the main reason why children were admitted to psychiatric hospitals and units last year for the second year in a row. Just over a quarter (26 per cent) of children admitted had a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder, up from 24 per cent the previous year. There has been a gradual increase in the percentage of child admissions being linked to eating disorders, rising from 18 per cent in 2020 to 26 per cent last year. The researchers conducted a 'census night' on December 31st, 2024, which found there were 52 patients in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services , of whom 38 per cent had an eating disorder.
BreakingNews.ie
26-06-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Consultants question Department of Health productivity stats
Consultants have questioned the validity of new Department of Health metrics which calculated that the doctors are not as productive as they were 10 years ago. It comes as the Minister for Health said she wants to hold hospitals and individual specialties to account over turning increased investment into productivity. Advertisement New analysis of HSE data shows that consultants could have held 1.5 million more appointments last year if they were operating on the same productivity as 2016. A senior official at the Department said it wants to understand the 'productivity conundrum' where a 'great increase' in the total number of whole-time equivalent (WTE) consultants had occurred against a fall in outpatient appointments per practitioner. The data shows that a 70 per cent increase in WTE consultants between then and 2024 was met with just a 20 per cent increase in outpatient appointments – meaning a lower average per individual practitioner. If the consultants had been operating at 2016 levels of productivity, the Department contends they could have held 40 per cent more appointments than they actually did. Advertisement The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) cautioned that data 'must be presented in the proper context'. It said it welcomed a focus on transparency and performance but said the number of doctor consultations is not regarded as a valid measure of productivity. The IHCA said this is because consultations differ in complexity, duration and impact, and the metric 'fails to reflect the significant volume of care provided to hospital inpatients' as well as time spent on diagnostics, research, clinical governance and administration. It said: 'Any productivity analysis must seek to reflect the value and outcomes associated with care, not merely the volume.' Advertisement It said there had been a marked increase in complex, time-intensive direct care delivery by consultants. It said the issue was fundamentally a capacity crisis and framing it as a productivity issue around one group of staff runs the risk of setting false expectations and undermining collaborative efforts. The IHCA said: 'We are absolutely committed to doing more — but we cannot do it alone.' A new data dashboard from the Department of Health's also allows for comparisons on waiting lists and other performance indicators. Advertisement While the tool allows specialties and hospitals to benchmark their performance against their peers, the department said the dashboard is a 'learning tool' and 'not a stick to beat anyone with'. A senior official stressed that the initial focus of the dashboard was about transparency and 'putting a spotlight' on the ability to convert resources into services for patients. However, there are performance management expectations in health service reforms – with the department figure saying that anyone making major public investment in healthcare would want to be assured that the site has demonstrated an ability to convert investment into improved services. There were 1,812 WTE consultants in 2016, rising to 3,061 in 2024. Advertisement However, the number of appointments per consultant has fallen from 1,686 in 2016 to 1,209 in 2020 – where it appears to have roughly plateaued into the present day. Using the correlating 3.1 million outpatient appointments in 2016, the department said this meant the same efficiency could have resulted in 5.2 million outpatient appointments last year. However, this is 1.5 million above the actual figure of appointments which stood at just 3.7 million in 2024. Department officials said the dynamics behind that discrepancy have yet to be explained, adding that Ireland would have a 'vastly more effective service' and 'massive reductions in waiting times' if 2016 productivity levels had been maintained. Acknowledging that consultants may find the blunt comparison unfair given the impact of Covid-19 on the intervening years, officials still said the health service seems to be 'a bit stuck' on the roughly 1,200-appointments-per-consultant figure. A department official said it 'definitely warrants a major effort' to push back towards previous productivity levels – even if 2016 rates are no longer realistic. 'The productivity and savings taskforce is really determined that we get to grips with productivity in these kind of very benign and positive times in terms of investment and expansion, because it will be vital if we ever have to deal with more, more challenging fiscal circumstances.' One of the other key metrics measured by the dashboard is 'composite activity output', which attempts to distil years-long increases in productivity across different types of care into a single figure to allow for comparisons against workforce and expenditure increases. Officials said it showed that some hospitals are 'notably better' at converting their input into activity, adding that they wish to determine the reasons for that. The department said the dashboard provided an entirely new view on data which had not been previously used sufficiently well to inform service planning and development. Minister Carroll MacNeill said the dashboard was an effort to present 'the best transparency we possibly can' on hospital activity. She said there had not been enough focus on how hospitals are locally managing increased investment in the most efficient way for better patient outcomes. Ms Carroll McNeill said: 'For too long hospitals have had the opportunity to regard themselves as independent republics. 'They are very much part of a State system that is funded by the State, and it's a reasonable and appropriate process to shine this light in relation to their activity.' She said it could not be the case that increased investment in health did not result in increased efficiency. Ms Carroll McNeill added: 'That means more outpatient appointments, that means better use of surgical capacity, that means better use of diagnostic capacity. 'And I think the productivity dashboard here is a way of making sure that we are holding hospitals and individual specialisms to account to manage themselves better.' Other potential uses for the dashboard include assisting GPs in deciding where to refer patients, having consulted the waiting lists trends in their region. Officials also believe that moves to a fuller seven-day working week will improve productivity.
ABC News
26-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Motarilavoa Hilda Lini, 'a trailblazer' for Vanuatu women in politics, has died
Motarilavoa Hilda Lini, a pioneering Ni-Vanuatu politician, has died. Lini passed away at the Port Vila General Hospital on Sunday, according to local media. Lini was the first woman to be elected to parliament in 1987 as a member of the National United Party. She went on to become the country's first female minister in 1991 after being appointed as the Minister for Health and Rural Water Supplies. She held several ministerial portfolios until the late 1990s, serving three terms in parliament. She is the sister of the late Father Walter Lini, who is regarded as the country's founding father. She was a chief of the Turaga nation of Pentecost Island in Vanuatu. "On behalf of the government, we wish to extend our deepest condolences to the Lini family for the passing of late Motarilavoa Hilda Lini — one of the first to break through our male-dominated parliament during those hey days," the Vanuatu Ministry for the Prime Minister said in a statement on Monday. "She later championed many causes, including a Nuclear Free Pacific. Rest in Peace soldier, for you have fought a great fight." In a condolence message posted on Facebook, Vanuatu's Speaker Stephen Dorrick Felix Ma Au Malfes said Lini was "a trailblazer who paved the way for women in leadership and politics in Vanuatu". "Her courage, dedication and vision inspired many and have left an indelible mark on the history of our nation. "As Vanuatu continues to grow and celebrate its independence, her story and contributions will forever be remembered and honoured. She has left behind a legacy filled with wisdom, strength, and cherished memories that we will carry with us always. Vanuatu human rights women's rights advocate Anne Pakoa said Lini was a "Pacific hero". "She was a woman of integrity, a prestigious, wise and yet very humble woman leader," Pakoa wrote in a Facebook post. Port Vila MP Marie Louise Milne, the third woman to represent the capital in parliament after the late Lini and the late Maria Crowby, said "Lini was more than a leader". "She was a pioneer… serving our country with strength, dignity, and an unshakeable commitment to justice and peace. She carried her chiefly title with pride, wisdom, and purpose, always serving with the voice of a true daughter of the land," Milne said. "I remember her powerful presence at the Independence Day flag-raising ceremonies, calling me 'Marie Louise' in her firm, commanding tone — a voice that resonated with leadership and care. "Though I am not in Port Vila to pay my last respects in person, I carry her memory with me in my heart, in my work, and in my prayers. My thoughts are with the Lini family and all who mourn this national loss." She said Lini's legacy lives on in every woman who rises to serve, in every Ni-Vanuatu who believes in justice and unity. "She will forever remain a symbol of strength for Vanuatu and for all Melanesian women." Motarilavoa Hilda Lini will be buried in North Pentecost on Tuesday. RNZ
