When Samantha Brownrigg's son was 16 he was admitted to hospital for an eating disorder, in a state so acute staff said it was the worst case they had seen that year.
He spent three months at Fiona Stanley Hospital surrounded by adult patients - an overwhelming experience for not only him but his family also.
"That was pretty hard just traveling back and forth every day," Ms Brownrigg said.
"My husband lost his job because it was all encompassing.
"It got to the point where my son actually did turn around and told us we didn't have to come every day."
Desperate to avoid another hospital admission, Ms Brownrigg's son was attending up to five appointments a week.
"We would go to Peel Child and Adult Mental Health Service (CAHMS), Peel Youth Medical Service (PYMS), the GP and a dietitian," she said.
"The Peel Health Hub would go above and beyond but there is no [service] specialised to deal with eating disorders in the region.
"It would have really helped having specialised services that understood his behaviours."
Other than the support he received from PYMS and CAHMS, Ms Brownrigg said the options for services were limited.
"I wrote emails and called so many different places but there was no one who specialised in eating disorders in Mandurah," she said.
"Services asked if I could travel but this is the whole problem, I couldn't get him to Perth."
It's a scene Peel Health Hub doctor Amanda Lim and care coordinator Naomi Bryant see all too often.
For people aged over 16, there are very few eating disorder specialist services in WA and none outside Perth.
With no specialised eating disorder services in the Peel region, GPs such as Dr Lim are filling the gap.
PYMS currently have 66 eating disorder clients.
"I'm a GP so I don't have specialised training in eating disorders but since the pandemic there has been an uptake in eating disorder presentations," Dr Lim said.
"I've had to do upskilling myself because I treat 10 eating disorder patients a fortnight and I only work three days in that time.
"We are filling the gap but we're under resourced."
Ms Bryant, whose role is to link people with appropriate services, said she had seen an increase in people enquiring about eating disorder support.
"We haven't been able to give people service here at times because of capacity and have had to guide people into what to do next," she said.
"More people with eating disorders are out there searching for help but they don't know where to go and what to look for."
Money for a residential eating disorder centre in the Peel has been promised by the federal government but there are no concrete plans yet as to where, when and how it will be constructed.
Meanwhile, local service providers are hoping to get a lion's share in the $32 million promised by the state government in 2021 to expand WA's eating disorders program.
GP Down South and Allambee are pushing for investment in an early intervention eating disorder service as part of the proposed Peel Health Hub expansion.
Early intervention, a step up, step down model of care and interlinked services would be key to the facility.
Dr Lim referred to it as a "one stop shop".
"Patients would be able to go to all their appointments in one place rather than in several different locations," she said.
"It will reduce the barriers to them accessing the care and support they need.
"We will be able to see patients regularly rather than presenting while they're in a crisis - early intervention is key and reduces medical deterioration."
The proposal for an early intervention eating disorder service comes as the state government report on infant, child and adolescent mental health classed eating disorders as an area that needed attention.
"There are some specific service issues that need attention, including...the recent and significant increase in children with complex issues, including eating disorders, and delays for children being 'stuck' in emergency department whilst awaiting access to a service," the report read.
The report also noted there was an urgent need to develop a single stepped statewide model of care for eating disorders.
"The quicker someone can access treatment and a multi-disciplinary team who can wrap around them the better their chances are of recovery," Ms Bryant said.
This article was originally published in the Mandurah Mail.
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