In recent years, the number of Western Australians suffering from eating disorders has skyrocketed by more than 80 per cent, with more young people presenting at hospital than ever before.  

The outcomes from this illness are often tragic.

Conditions such as anorexia nervosa have the highest mortality rate of any mental health illness, with one in five patients dying as a result of the disease.

Many distressed families have spoken about the desperate need for a more holistic care model that concurrently addresses the psychological condition.

Prevention and early intervention are critical to reducing the severity of the condition, yet the current WA treatment model is largely clinically focused on acute, reactive hospital-based care.

Inpatient mental health units can be highly distressing and often aren’t the best place to treat eating disorders but there are currently few other options.

Unfortunately, the Cook Labor Government continues to reject alternate community-based centres.

Despite a commitment from the former Liberal Federal Government to help fund a residential treatment centre, WA Labor refuses to build it.

Other states have started building their federally-funded treatment centre or have completed it with positive outcomes to date.

Western Australian families are having to travel to the eastern states to access these alternate treatments for their desperately ill loved ones.

The WA Liberals believe providing timely and appropriate community health care for our next generation should be a key priority of any government.

Those with lived experience are best placed to understand what treatment models have the best long-term impact.

It’s time for a more targeted, holistic approach to tackling this disorder.

Only a WA Liberal Government will deliver it.

The WA Liberals believe in getting eating disorder treatment right for thousands of vulnerable Western Australians.

Creating a supportive, home-like environment in a residential centre allows for individualised treatment, tailored to mitigate the physical and mental health toll associated with eating disorders.

By centralising specialised care, a residential treatment centre can ensure accessibility and consistency, improving quality of life, and long-term recovery outcomes for those affected.

The importance of targeted health facilities for the long-term health of these individuals cannot be overstated.

In a state as prosperous as ours, Western Australians should not be dying of preventable diseases and should not have to travel to other states to receive appropriate and life-saving health care.

A WA Liberal Government will build the promised residential eating disorder treatment centre, allowing for continuous monitoring and intervention, and addressing the physical and mental health issues associated with eating disorders.

This will work alongside a centralised eating disorder hub at Fiona Stanley Hospital, to connect and coordinate outpatient care and services in existing facilities.

The one-stop hub will implement a co-ordinated, multi-disciplinary approach so that Western Australians have access to inpatient and outpatient care, including medical, holistic, psychological, and nutritional support, wherever they live.

This hub will also provide support to and work with non-government eating disorder organisation, and enable regional Western Australians to access telehealth services.

Unlike short-term hospital admissions, this facility will provide longer-term, structured care in a home-like environment, promoting stability and sustained recovery.

Patients will have structured transitions back into their communities with follow-up support, reducing relapse rates and hospital readmissions.

Western Australians living with an eating disorder deserve a government who will deliver continuity of care, ensuring they have the best healthcare system behind them.

Only the WA Liberal Party is committed to preventing the tragic outcomes of eating disorders for generations of Western Australians.