A RECRUITMENT drive is likely in the mental health service to tackle the problem of eating disorders. The new adult mental health service consultant psychiatrist Dr Alison Kelly specialises in the topic.
She started earlier this month and plans to get the service running properly, fill vacancies and organise her team.
‘Once that is established and running uneventfully, my brief is to develop the eating disorder side of things and obviously we will need extra staff to help us with that so that will be another recruitment drive,’ she said.
Dr Kelly could not give figures as to the incidence of the problem in the island, but suspected it was similar to that of the UK.
‘The important thing is assuming the need is there, and I have no reason to think it is not, we are going to get referrals, so it is about having a team together to deal with that.’
She said some jobs would be specialised.
‘In order to treat eating disorders, you need to have people trained in a number of psychological approaches.’
Dr Kelly, 44, moved to the island from the private Priory Hospitals in South Manchester and Preston. She has National Health Service experience and her new role also encompasses general psychiatry.
Her team includes an associate specialist and a community team of social workers and community psychiatric nurses.
She said, of her section’s funding: ‘We are always looking for more but obviously there is a fixed pot of money that has to be divvied up between the departments. Any that is available we will use.’
Article posted on 26th September, 2006 - 12.00am
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