Help for food disorders

EATING disorder patients will no longer have to travel across the Tasman for treatment thanks to a new service to be provided by East Tamaki's Challenge Trust.

The non-profit organisation has been awarded a contract to provide an inpatient facility to meet the growing need for specialist eating disorder treatment in New Zealand.

Day programmes are available in Auckland but patients needing hospitalisation are generally sent to Sydney.

Dunedin has the country's only other inpatient unit but lack of space means patients from other centres are often forced to go to Australia at a huge financial cost to the family.

Outpatient services in Auckland focus on psychological treatment.

While funding will come from upper North Island district health boards, it doesn't cover costs like the purchase of a building for the facility, so Challenge Trust will be working to get additional funding.

A day service catering for 20 to 25 people will offer a range of programmes like psychological treatment and art therapy.

A nine-bed inpatient unit will also be provided.

"The clinical model is one the trust can use to work with people with other conditions such as asperger's and autism," says Challenge Trust chief executive Clive Plucknett.

He says the service will come as a relief to desperate parents. The most affected group is girls aged 15 to 18.

He says helpless parents are overwhelmed by the enormity of eating disorders.

"We're very keen on looking at what has been done internationally, we really want this to be a centre of excellence.

"If you look around the world at the results people are getting it's hugely varied. We want the recipe for the very best results," Mr Plucknett says.

He says the trust is sourcing the best overseas expertise to train staff and work at the centre. It will include a team of psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors, nurses, dieticians, occupational therapists, support workers, physiotherapists, art therapists, psychotherapists and counsellors.

"`We only go into new services if we think we can add value or do it better.

"Some of the international research is mind-blowing in terms of results people are getting."

Challenge Trust is looking for a facility in the central Auckland area, and would appreciate any financial assistance. It is working towards an October deadline. Contact the trust on 265-0255.

- © Fairfax NZ News