RESIDENTIAL EATING DISORDER TREATMENT FACILITY
640. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the $4 million the
Department of Health received from the commonwealth for the development of a residential
eating disorder treatment facility following the 2019 federal election.
(1) Is this facility ever going to
be built; and, if so, where and when?
(2) If not, where have the funds
gone, and why is this facility not being progressed, as in other states?
Ms A. SANDERSON replied:
(1)–(2) The
$4 million commitment to the Department of Health was made by the federal
member for Canning, Andrew Hastie, with no consultation, discussion or any
reference to what the state's eating disorder model of service is. I do
not know whether the member for Canning has much experience with the
development of health facilities, but $4 million is not a great contribution
from the federal government in that. It was, frankly, an underwhelming
contribution. South Metropolitan Health Service has been working with the
commonwealth government on how we can best use those funds to support the
eating disorder service. This state government has funded an increase of around
$31 million to provide an outpatient service, which
is best practice in eating disorder services, in the South Metropolitan, North
Metropolitan and East Metropolitan
Health Services. This government has a strong commitment to expanding eating
disorder services in Western Australia and we know that the models of
care in WA need some work and everyone recognises that. It is up to those
clinicians to do that. That is not something that politicians should interfere
in. That is clinical work and a clinical framework. We know that supporting
people with eating disorders is best done as an outpatient service, not an
inpatient service. When people get critically ill, of course they should be
admitted to hospital and supported, but continuing treatment in the community
is the best outcome for them.
We are in discussion with the current
commonwealth government about how we can use that money to support services in
the Peel region that support our community down there and how we can best
provide support for eating disorder patients there.