State
Vanessa Allen is a Senior Dietitian with extensive experience in treating people with eating disorders. Vanessa worked within a specialist NSW Health eating disorder program for 9 years and then in the role of Eating Disorder Coordinator for 8 years, supporting district-wide collaboration to meet the needs of people with eating disorder and their families. In 2024, Vanessa joined the InsideOut Institute for Eating Disorders to support the implementation of the NSW Service Plan for People with Eating Disorders across NSW.
Across NSW, health services are increasingly involving people with a lived experience of an eating disorder and/or of caring for a loved one with an eating disorder in Service planning and improvement. This aims to ensure the skills, voices, experiences and contributions of those with a lived experience are effectively implemented, including Resources have been developed to support LHD Coordinators in meaningfully engaging these individuals.
In Progress
The NSW Service Plan emphasises having the Right People with the Right Skills in the Right Place. This highlights the need for a skilled, multidisciplinary workforce to support people with eating disorders across all levels of care. To achieve this, InsideOut efforts focus on building workforce Capacity and Capability across all NSW Health Services, providing NSW Health staff with training opportunities. This helps to ensure that individuals and their families receive high-quality, evidence-informed care close to home.
In Progress
Dietitians play a crucial role in the care of a person with an eating disorder across the health system both in community and hospital settings. InsideOut Institute recognises the key role of Dietitians. However, the majority of the Dietitian workforce is within generalist roles rather than specialized positions. The upskilling project provides various NSW Health Dietitians with training opportunities through webinars, eLearning, Group Supervision, and a learning library. This equips Dietitians with the skills needed in the care and management of a person with an eating disorder, across the various roles and services within NSW Health.
In Progress
The 2014 ‘Guidelines for the Inpatient Management of Adult Eating Disorders in General Medical and Psychiatric Settings in NSW’ provides valuable guidance for clinicians in services across the state in the care of a person with an eating disorder in a medical setting. InsideOut Institute in partnership with NSW Health and medical and psychiatric leads across the state have embarked on a full review and redesign of this guideline. The revised guidelines will reflect current evidence and best practice, provide consistent admission criteria, and ensure people with eating disorders can access the appropriate level of inpatient care across NSW.
In Progress
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