Eating disorder inquiry call

A nonprofit organisation that supports hundreds of New Zealanders with eating disorders wants an inquiry into the way treatment is funded as access to care gets increasingly out of reach. In the 12 months to June, half the 230 people referred to eating disorder services were waiting longer than eight weeks to be seen. That figure was 24% five years ago. This is despite the number of referrals in the past year being lower than in 2017/18 – when 258 people were referred. But referral numbers represented ‘‘the tiny minority’’ of people with eating disorders, Nicki Wilson, spokesperson for the Eating Disorders Association (EDANZ) said. ‘‘People are not even shown in waiting lists, because they’re not being admitted into [hospital]-funded services . . .’’