Latest news with #NorthWestToday
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'I'm terrified of food - but I can't get specialist eating disorder treatment'
A woman whose wait for a diagnosis of a lesser known eating disorder left her feeling like a "problem that cannot be solved" has called for reform of how the condition is treated by Northern Ireland's health service. Sinead Quinn, from Londonderry, said binge eating compulsions had made her "a prisoner in her own home, afraid of food and afraid of herself". Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is not currently treated by eating disorder services in Northern Ireland - patients are instead referred to general mental health services. The Department of Health said regional adult eating disorder services were commissioned to treat anorexia, bulimia and atypical presentations of these conditions. BED is the second most common eating disorder in the UK, after atypical eating disorders, according to UK health assessment body NICE. The Department of Health said it did not collate data on how many people in Northern Ireland are living with BED. It also said there was no current review of the way the condition is treated. Experts say specialist care within the health service is urgently needed to help people get a formal diagnosis and recover from BED. Ms Quinn said her relationship with food had always been complicated. "Food either brings me great comfort or I am terrified of it and that's because I have carried weight for most of my childhood and my adult life," she told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme. "A lot of my days have been filled with either thinking about food, dieting or binging. It's exhausting." The 43-year-old said she experiences overwhelming compulsions to eat, which can lead her to consume up to 5,000 calories in less than 30 minutes. "My binge patterns can change but for me it's about going to a shop to buy certain food items and not the same shop regularly, as you don't want people judging you," she said. "I have a routine around it and, then, knowing the food is there - there is a feeling of release in that. "The minute I finish eating, the shame and self-hatred sets in and that is a really horrible place to be." Binge eating disorder involves regularly eating a lot of food over a short period of time until you are uncomfortably full. It is a serious mental health condition where people eat without feeling like they are in control. Symptoms include: eating when not hungry eating very fast during a binge eating alone or secretly feeling depressed, guilty, ashamed, or disgusted after binge eating Binges are sometimes planned but can be spontaneous. They are usually done alone, and may include "special" binge foods and create feelings of shame or guilt afterwards. Source: NHS After losing 7st (44kg) last year through what she described as "restrictive dieting", Ms Quinn found herself returning to binge eating and, in turn, regaining some weight. She decided it was time to ask for help. With "fantastic support" from her GP, who recognised Ms Quinn met the diagnostic criteria for BED, she was then referred to the Western Trust's eating disorder service. The referral was refused on the basis the service is not commissioned to care for BED - in line with all Northern Ireland's health trusts. Ms Quinn has since been referred to mental health services, but she is concerned that care will possibly not be administered by an eating disorder specialist. She described her feeling of being a "problem that cannot be solved", adding that it was a "very lonely place to be". "Eating disorder services in Northern Ireland should treat all eating disorders." According to the National Centre for Eating Disorders, one in two people in the UK who seek help for weight loss eat compulsively. Nicola Armstrong, who is the eating disorder charity Beat's national lead for Northern Ireland, said weight gain was a symptom of BED and that could lead to "shame and stigma". "This illness can be portrayed as someone being overindulgent or greedy and that is simply not the case," she said. "Often people find that their case can be treated as a weight management issue rather than an eating disorder. "What is needed in Northern Ireland is equitable access to evidence-based treatment for BED." Prof Laura McGowan, from the Centre for Public Health at Queen's University, hopes the recently announced roll-out of a regional obesity management service for Northern Ireland would include screening of eating disorders like BED. "BED is simply not widely recognised and the services for it not widely commissioned," she said. "For BED patients, especially those living with obesity, there is such an unmet need." NICE guidelines advise that children, young people and adults who have BED should be firstly offered guided self-help. Sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy are then offered if self-help treatment is found to not be enough. Ursula Philpot, a dietician and clinical lead for eating disorders with NHS England, described BED as the "forgotten eating disorder". She was instrumental in the roll-out of an online self-help BED pilot programme provided by the Republic of Ireland's health service. "BED is not well recognised either by people themselves who have it or by the medical professionals. "They can see someone as having a lack of willpower, rather than having an illness. "The work we have done in the Republic, we have found to be very effective - the expertise of the specialist workforce we have in the UK can be delivered to patients in Ireland online." For Sinead Quinn, she's "at a point in my life, I know this cycle of binging and restrictive dieting needs to stop". "I don't want to spend my days locked in the house in fear of food. "It's no way for anyone to live." If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, information about help and support is available via BBC Action Line. Anorexia made me hide in toilets at meal times - but it's OK to talk about it Rise in young teens seeking eating disorder help
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'I'm terrified of food - but I can't get specialist eating disorder treatment'
A woman whose wait for a diagnosis of a lesser known eating disorder left her feeling like a "problem that cannot be solved" has called for reform of how the condition is treated by Northern Ireland's health service. Sinead Quinn, from Londonderry, said binge eating compulsions had made her "a prisoner in her own home, afraid of food and afraid of herself". Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is not currently treated by eating disorder services in Northern Ireland - patients are instead referred to general mental health services. The Department of Health said regional adult eating disorder services were commissioned to treat anorexia, bulimia and atypical presentations of these conditions. BED is the second most common eating disorder in the UK, after atypical eating disorders, according to UK health assessment body NICE. The Department of Health said it did not collate data on how many people in Northern Ireland are living with BED. It also said there was no current review of the way the condition is treated. Experts say specialist care within the health service is urgently needed to help people get a formal diagnosis and recover from BED. Ms Quinn said her relationship with food had always been complicated. "Food either brings me great comfort or I am terrified of it and that's because I have carried weight for most of my childhood and my adult life," she told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme. "A lot of my days have been filled with either thinking about food, dieting or binging. It's exhausting." The 43-year-old said she experiences overwhelming compulsions to eat, which can lead her to consume up to 5,000 calories in less than 30 minutes. "My binge patterns can change but for me it's about going to a shop to buy certain food items and not the same shop regularly, as you don't want people judging you," she said. "I have a routine around it and, then, knowing the food is there - there is a feeling of release in that. "The minute I finish eating, the shame and self-hatred sets in and that is a really horrible place to be." Binge eating disorder involves regularly eating a lot of food over a short period of time until you are uncomfortably full. It is a serious mental health condition where people eat without feeling like they are in control. Symptoms include: eating when not hungry eating very fast during a binge eating alone or secretly feeling depressed, guilty, ashamed, or disgusted after binge eating Binges are sometimes planned but can be spontaneous. They are usually done alone, and may include "special" binge foods and create feelings of shame or guilt afterwards. Source: NHS After losing 7st (44kg) last year through what she described as "restrictive dieting", Ms Quinn found herself returning to binge eating and, in turn, regaining some weight. She decided it was time to ask for help. With "fantastic support" from her GP, who recognised Ms Quinn met the diagnostic criteria for BED, she was then referred to the Western Trust's eating disorder service. The referral was refused on the basis the service is not commissioned to care for BED - in line with all Northern Ireland's health trusts. Ms Quinn has since been referred to mental health services, but she is concerned that care will possibly not be administered by an eating disorder specialist. She described her feeling of being a "problem that cannot be solved", adding that it was a "very lonely place to be". "Eating disorder services in Northern Ireland should treat all eating disorders." According to the National Centre for Eating Disorders, one in two people in the UK who seek help for weight loss eat compulsively. Nicola Armstrong, who is the eating disorder charity Beat's national lead for Northern Ireland, said weight gain was a symptom of BED and that could lead to "shame and stigma". "This illness can be portrayed as someone being overindulgent or greedy and that is simply not the case," she said. "Often people find that their case can be treated as a weight management issue rather than an eating disorder. "What is needed in Northern Ireland is equitable access to evidence-based treatment for BED." Prof Laura McGowan, from the Centre for Public Health at Queen's University, hopes the recently announced roll-out of a regional obesity management service for Northern Ireland would include screening of eating disorders like BED. "BED is simply not widely recognised and the services for it not widely commissioned," she said. "For BED patients, especially those living with obesity, there is such an unmet need." NICE guidelines advise that children, young people and adults who have BED should be firstly offered guided self-help. Sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy are then offered if self-help treatment is found to not be enough. Ursula Philpot, a dietician and clinical lead for eating disorders with NHS England, described BED as the "forgotten eating disorder". She was instrumental in the roll-out of an online self-help BED pilot programme provided by the Republic of Ireland's health service. "BED is not well recognised either by people themselves who have it or by the medical professionals. "They can see someone as having a lack of willpower, rather than having an illness. "The work we have done in the Republic, we have found to be very effective - the expertise of the specialist workforce we have in the UK can be delivered to patients in Ireland online." For Sinead Quinn, she's "at a point in my life, I know this cycle of binging and restrictive dieting needs to stop". "I don't want to spend my days locked in the house in fear of food. "It's no way for anyone to live." If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, information about help and support is available via BBC Action Line. Anorexia made me hide in toilets at meal times - but it's OK to talk about it Rise in young teens seeking eating disorder help
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dentists say funding plan will not transform services
The radical transformation needed for the survival of health service dentistry will not be delivered under proposals from the health minister, the British Dental Association (BDA) has said. On Wednesday Mike Nesbitt provided details of a £7m investment in general dental services for 2025-26. The chairwoman of the Northern Ireland Dental Practice Committee said dentists were "hoping for more" following the proposed dental funding. Ciara Gallagher said she understood the budgetary constraints Nesbitt was working under but was disappointed for patients and colleagues. Nesbitt also announced the expansion of the Happy Smiles programme. "Alongside these specific interventions, I am clear that the general dental services, as with other services, require sustained effort to ensure sustainability over the longer term," he said. "My department is committed to advancing work on the long-term future of dental services, to ensure patients can continue to access care when they need it, whilst taking measures to ensure the service is sustainable." Nesbitt said he had approved the commissioning of a review into the cost of general dental services, which should be completed by the end of 2026. He said this would "provide a robust evidence base to inform how the service will develop over the coming years". Ms Gallagher said the funding was "largely a continuation" of measures that were already in place and it would make "even more difficulties for patients to access care". "That's why we cannot recommend these proposals as they stand to the profession," she said. "We urgently need radical transformation of dental services here, but this isn't it. "Despite the efforts of the minister, our question to the executive is how can dentistry be transformed with such a constrained health budget?" Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, dentist Rachele Crozier said the hope was the "minister would do something that would help sustain and encourage people to remain in the NHS, and continue to provide NHS care". She said dentists needed more clarity on the funding. "There is not very much detail yet. Dentists don't really know how that funding will look, when it will come to us, how it is going to come to us," she said. The system in its current state, she added, is "teetering on the brink of collapse and ultimately it is patients who will suffer." The BDA has called for immediate short-term "bridging" support for dental practices as a lifeline to cover costs. This follows a meeting with the health minister who outlined his department's proposals for 2025-26 to BDA representatives, following a debate on access to dentistry in Stormont on 27 May. The BDA said that the "consensus is that the current dental contract isn't fit for purpose and in some instances fails to cover costs". In April, BBC News NI learned that dentists in Northern Ireland had removed more than 53,000 NHS patients from their practice lists over the past two years. During 2023 and 2024, 114 dentists handed back their NHS contracts to the Department of Health (DoH), with many of these now doing private work only. Out of the 360 dental practices in Northern Ireland, only two are now fully NHS. More than 53,000 NHS patients removed from dentist lists Dentists to 'shrink NHS element' to 'keep the lights on'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Traders welcome street reopening after eight months
Traders in Londonderry have welcomed the reopening of one of city's busiest streets after it was closed for eight months. Foyle Street closed in August 2024 to allow for a £4.2m major upgrade to the water and sewerage infrastructure. It is due to reopen to traffic later on Friday, five weeks ahead of schedule. Record store owner Lee Mason said he was delighted to see the street returning to normal after a tough time for businesses. For five months late last year, and with the work ongoing, he said his business was hidden behind huge hoardings. "The barriers from August to December were awful, we had no visibility, the shop wasn't visible," he told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme. "As I have said many times, we were down 50% at weekends, and probably about 40% Monday to Thursday. "I am just glad it is done and dusted." He has now called for traders to be compensated over the disruption. "The work was essential work and we all understand that, but at the same time we need to be compensated if the work has affected our business, and it has without doubt affected our business," he said. When work got underway in August last year traders said they were concerned about the long-term impact of the closure. There was a temporary reprieve over Christmas before the street was closed off to allow NI Water to continue with the upgrade work. Olive McEleney works in her family-run hair salon on Foyle Street. She told BBC Radio Foyle that, like most traders, she totally understands the need for the work the past eight months had been tough. "Needs must, the work had to be done, but business has suffered these last eight months," she said. "We are small businesses, small family businesses, not multi-million pound companies. We were trying to keep the staff we have, keep the flow of business." She agrees that some form of financial support, possibly a rates relief scheme, would help support the Foyle Street traders. "The loss of business, especially in the run up to Christmas, the businesses were badly impacted and the rates definitely should have been considered," she said. Manager of Derry's City Centre Initiative Jim Roddy said local traders were to be commended "for their patience and understanding since work started last summer". He also said they should be compensated, if they have lost money. "Absolutely, and what needs to happen there, the loss needs to be evidenced and then that put to Northern Ireland Water and then let Northern Ireland Water consider if compensation should be paid." But he said the work was essential for the future of the city. "Anbody who knows what's going on with Northern Ireland Water at the moment and any future developments, capacity is a major, major issue for all planning applications," he said. "We were literally at full capacity within our walled city, so developments within our walled city would not have been able to happen without this work. "This now allows those developments to do ahead." In a statement, NI Water said Foyle Street would reopen to most traffic on Friday but buses would not return until the end of June. The upgrade of the 100-year-old water and wastewater infrastructure has included the installation of 400 metres (1,312 ft) of dedicated stormwater sewer as well as 170 metres (557ft) of new watermain. Work on the upgrade's final phase, which includes the reinstallation of footpaths and during which the street will be fully accessible during business hours, will be completed by the end of next month, NI Water added. Traders worry over long-term Foyle Street closure
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Play park arson attack 'sickening', says mother
An arson attack on a play park has been condemned as "sickening" by a mother who campaigned for it to include play equipment for disabled children. Claire McGill, a mother-of-three, said she was "shocked and sickened" after arsonists set fire to equipment at the play park in Strathfoyle, County Londonderry, on Wednesday evening. Her daughter, Sianon, who is a wheelchair-user with special needs, is among the children who use the park. The police confirmed that the fire on Wednesday night is being treated as arson. The play park is a popular spot for young families in the area, following years of campaigning by residents' groups for the facility. Residents, including Claire McGill, had successfully campaigned for disabled-friendly play equipment to be installed in 2022, after it was not included in the original plans. "It's just heartbreaking as a mum, because my kids, like many others, use the park regularly," she said. "I have a daughter with special needs, and all my kids use the park — it's a place we all go. "It's the kids across the whole area who are going to suffer from this sort of thing." Ms McGill said the arson attack was especially disappointing as it had been carried out in the run-up to summer. "This is meant to be a safe place for them to have fun. It's sad that this has happened and it's a shame for all the kids of Strathfoyle." The Northern Ireland Fire Service (NIFRS) said they were called to reports of a slide on fire at the park in the Beechwood Park area of Strathfoyle. They also confirmed it had been started deliberately. The park closed on Thursday, Derry City and Strabane District Council said, adding that substantial damage had been caused to some sections of the play area. The city's mayor Lilian Seenoi Barr said she was "appalled by this senseless act of vandalism". "The council is committed to restoring the park as quickly as possible and will keep the public informed of progress," Seenoi Barr added. The SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan condemned it as an attack on the local community. He also thanked firefighters whose swift response helped to limit the extent of the damage, and urged anyone with information to contact the police. "It's been so busy the last couple of weeks with the weather being so good," Durkan told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme. "This park in Strathfoyle was hard fought for and it has been much-loved for many years." He said it "defies belief" that anyone would consider it acceptable or tolerable to set part of it on fire.
