A JERSEY mother has shared the “traumatic” experience her family went through after her ten-year-old daughter was sent off-Island for eating disorder treatment – in a bid to raise awareness of the changes she believes are needed to prevent other families from going through the same.
It comes after calls were made to invest in specialist eating disorder services in Jersey to help keep families together and reduce the emotional and financial toll of travelling off-Island, after the JEP this week revealed more than £5 million has been spent sending Islanders to the UK over the past three-and-a-half years.
Her daughter, diagnosed at the age of nine, was eventually transferred to a specialist unit in London.
In her own words, she recounts the difficulties they faced in getting help, the impact of separation, and the urgent need for early intervention and dedicated support in Jersey.
Names have been changed to protect their identities.
My daughter was just nine when she began to struggle with eating. A lot was going on –family separation, post-covid anxiety, grandparents unwell. We struggled to get support. We couldn’t see GPs in person, and over the phone, he kind of diagnosed it, but we were pushed away. We went to A&E, but I don’t think I could believe a nine-year-old could be this poorly.
Eventually, she was admitted. We did see CAMHS early on, but were sent away. I had to fight to be seen again. But once we were seen by the eating disorder nurse, the support was incredible. We saw her on a Friday – by the following week, Emily had collapsed and was in Robin Ward.
The Robin Ward healthcare assistants were like angels, but it was still really difficult. She was in for five months before going to the UK. Robin Ward handled the physical side well – heart, organs, nasogastric tube feeding – but when it became about mental health, they didn’t have the expertise.
CAMHS had one eating disorder nurse, and she was incredible. I don’t know what life would have been like without her. But she couldn’t be there all the time.
When Emily wouldn’t even put water to her lips, it was horrific. There was just no coherent support system. Sometimes she would be shouting and distressed, and there were other children on the ward recovering from minor surgery. It wasn’t appropriate.
The trauma on our other child, who stayed at home, was huge. Our lives stood still.
Meanwhile, Emily wasn’t eating. The refeeding plan wasn’t happening. She had exercise addiction – just wouldn’t let her feet touch the floor. It was all chaotic. She even had her birthday on Robin Ward.
Eventually, the decision was made that she’d have to go off-Island. I was distraught. My now-10-year-old, who hadn’t even been on a school residential, would have now have to leave.
It was actually Emily who said: “I want to go because I want to get better.” Her strength gave me strength. But it was incredibly emotional. I wish we’d had a counsellor for us too. The eating disorder nurse had to carry me emotionally. She did far more than she had to.
Trying to arrange the transfer was traumatic.
Trying to find a UK placement for a 10-year-old with a nasogastric tube was very, very difficult.
I didn’t understand why we couldn’t bring experts to Jersey.
When we finally flew over, the eating disorder nurse came with us. I still have panic attacks when I get on a plane thinking about it.
Charity Family First were incredible. But I only found out about them through someone at work.
CAMHS would only pay for a couple of flights. I didn’t have the money. Family First paid for the rest. But we were just told to go to England, with no idea about finances or what to expect.
The placement was in London. I don’t know London at all.
Travelling across the city with a child with a nasogastric tube, finding taxis… it was all so overwhelming.
I remember arriving at the institution. At the admissions meeting, we weren’t even allowed ties in our shorts because they were worried about the self-harm risks.
My daughter was the youngest resident by far. Suddenly, she was surrounded by teenagers with mental health problems – some were sectioned, some weren’t.
She saw things no little girl should. She was sometimes locked in her room for safety. She was away for around five months, and our family was torn apart.
Families of the other children staying there could visit during the week. We couldn’t.
Her dad and I did day-trips – him on Saturday, me on Sunday. But travelling from Jersey meant flight delays, cancellations, travelling all the way across London, just to spend to our three hours with her, if we were lucky. Then we left, week after week. Seeing the gates close behind us broke me every time.
Sometimes residents were allowed out. While the other kids went home, for us, getting “six hours out” meant six hours out in London. We stayed in Premier Inns. They were in their own homes, doing normal things. That wasn’t possible for us.
Emily was 10. Her sibling wasn’t much older. The trauma was immense.
If we’d had such a facility in Jersey, it would have still been hard, but less so. Financially, emotionally, it would have made a huge difference.
Family First spent so much on us – money that could have gone into treatment rather than travel.
The UK unit itself was great – and it was the right thing in the end because we just didn’t have the expertise here – but it was so, so hard.
I still get panic attacks flying. Emily still struggles with attachment.
I can still see the gates closing every time I left Emily. I still remember her waving from the window. The texts she sent me when other girls were being sectioned.
She still sometimes says, “You sent me away. You didn’t want me.” That breaks me.
My other child still says, “You left us.” It destroyed her too. Thankfully, she’s doing better now, but we’re still dealing with that anxiety and trauma as a family.
I can’t help but think, thousands of pounds were spent on Emily’s care in the UK. Why not invest that in Jersey?
If I could change things, I wish I hadn’t had to fight to get to the eating disorder nurse. It felt like, because Emily was young, people didn’t take what she was going through seriously, but we know early intervention is key.
We need earlier intervention in Jersey. And we need more specialist staff like that ED nurse – just more of her.
We had no dietitian follow-up. No social worker. No wraparound support. We need that.
We need a mental health unit for young people in Jersey. There were kids recovering from having their appendix out next to my daughter, who was screaming and throwing food. That’s not fair on anyone.
I know Emily going to the UK was the right thing to do – because we didn’t have that expertise here at the time – but we need to have more support here.
I 100% back a specialist eating disorder service in Jersey.
There are so many early cases. If we catch them early, we can prevent nasogastric tubes and sectioning. We could create a space for recovery, for people like me to share stories of hope.
A specialist counselling service for eating disorder cases, that would be invaluable.
It broke us, really, as a family. And, financially, there’s no way we could’ve afforded all this without Family First. That charity really shouldn’t have had to spend that money on us.
If Emily could have stayed on-Island, the trauma wouldn’t have been so bad.
I absolutely, wholeheartedly believe in having a service here.
The story so far:
- The JEP this week revealed that the government has spent more than £5 million since 2022 sending patients with eating disorders to the UK due to a lack of specialist services in Jersey.
- As of June 2025, 51 people (22 under-18s and 29 adults) are supported through Jersey’s Eating Disorder Pathway.
- There is no inpatient unit for young people with eating disorders on the Island. Children under 16 are still admitted to Robin Ward.
- Calls for change have come this week from families, charities, and Deputy Louise Doublet, who said: “”Given that the prevalence of eating disorders seems to be on the rise, and the amount being spent to send Islanders to UK treatment centres is so high, surely it makes sense to spend that money in a proactive way and improve on-Island services.”
What the Government has said…
- Eating disorders are a recognised priority, with prevention starting in schools through PSHE lessons and support via CAMHS and primary care.
- In more complex cases, referrals are made to specialist tertiary centres in the UK to ensure access to comprehensive treatment.
- The eating disorder care pathway is currently being reviewed by Health and Care Jersey and CAMHS.
- Mental Health Director Andy Weir said: “There will always be some occasions when a patient requires admission to a specialist eating disorders unit – we cannot provide that level of highly specialist treatment in Jersey, and therefore an off-Island placement will be used. However, many people with an Eating Disorder do not require specialist inpatient care, and we are able to provide support and treatment in the community. The review of the current care pathway is ongoing, to ensure that we have all of the necessary resources in place to meet future needs.”
