The Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething will today announce an additional £7 million of investment for children and young people’s mental health in Wales.
Reacting to the announcement, Beat’s Director of External Affairs Tom Quinn said, “This is a crucial time for eating disorder services in Wales and we welcome this indication that the Welsh Government is prioritising mental health for children and young people. With a review currently underway into Welsh eating disorder services, today’s announcement marks an opportunity to invest in frontline care for young eating disorder sufferers.
“It is encouraging to see that the Welsh Government has committed to improving mental health and wellbeing in schools. With the right training, schools and colleges are well placed to spot the signs of an eating disorder, provide appropriate support and ensure children are referred for treatment quickly at a time when they have the best chance of recovery.
“However, improving schools’ ability to spot the signs of eating disorders will only be helpful if there are services that have sufficient funds and resources to treat patients coming to them, fast. The sooner someone gets treatment for an eating disorder, the better their chances of recovery, and we urge the Welsh Government to introduce waiting times targets for eating disorder care and to ensure services have the funds to meet those targets.”