Co-located Peel Community Mental Health Service and Kara Maar Community Eating Disorder Service ready to open

The Kara Maar Specialist Community Eating Disorder Service south of Perth is ready to open its doors, but WA still doesn’t have a dedicated residential eating disorder clinic.

In 2019, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt pledged $4 million for WA to build a dedicated residential eating disorder treatment centre to stop the revolving door of hospital admissions.

While other States forged ahead with their residential clinics, WA dragged its feet and was issued a mid-2025 deadline by the Federal Government to open the centre at Peel Health Campus in Mandurah.

However, instead of pushing ahead with the demanded residential clinic, on Saturday, Health Minister Meredith Hammat and Health Infrastructure Minister John Carey toured the freshly fitted-out Kara Maar.

While Kara Maar doesn’t have inpatient beds, the service will provide assessment, treatment and physical health monitoring for people aged 16 and over who are experiencing or showing signs of an eating disorder.

The service offers multidisciplinary outpatient care, nutritional and meal support, and works collaboratively with patients, families and carers to support safe, sustained recovery.

On Saturday, Ms Hammat reaffirmed the government’s commitment to a residential clinic.

“So last year’s budget included $5 million in planning money for a residential eating disorders clinic, and I’m advised that that work is underway,” she said.

“The Mental Health Commission is leading that work, consulting with stakeholders, and so we’ll continue to do the work to plan a facility that allows for there to be residential treatment.”

Peel Community Mental Health Clinic has moved from its Peel Health Campus location in Mandurah to be co-located at the Montserrat Drive premises with Kara Maar.

There is one set of doors at the front of the building for Kara Maar and another set at the rear for the Peel Community Mental Health Clinic.

With anywhere from 20 to 25 mental health referrals made in WA every day, the Peel Community Mental Health Clinic will ease some pressure on hospital services.

Moving the mental health service from Peel Health Campus to the Kara Maar building has made room to add more beds at the hospital.

Peel program manager Jan Battley said they receive anywhere from 20 to 25 mental health referrals every day.

“What a facility like this does or allows us to work in the community and allows us to keep people out of the emergency department, it allows us to keep people out of inpatient units,” Ms Battley added.

“We can seat about 55 staff, from doctors to nurses to social workers, OTs, and lived experience staff.”

However, Ms Battley said the service was not yet fully staffed.

“In the Peel area, it’s really hard to attract staff, we have had this for quite some time. So we have some positions we haven’t been able to fill,” Ms Battley said.

WA Health Infrastructure Minister John Carey added that the government remains committed to expanding the capacity of health services across WA.

“We want to make sure that people are able to get the help they need in a coordinated and supportive space, which is what this clinic will provide for people living in and around Mandurah and Peel,” Mr Carey said.

“Importantly, this project forms part of our government’s broader commitment to delivering the health infrastructure our community needs – both now and into the future.”