Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 27 November 2018 (HL11475), what assessment they have made of (1) the proportion of Foundation doctors who receive teaching and training specifically in eating disorders, (2) the average amount of time spent on such teaching and training, and (3) the extent to which Foundation doctors are assessed on their knowledge and clinical skills in relation to eating disorders.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Foundation Programme (FP) curriculum is developed by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC). The curriculum sets out twenty foundation professional capabilities that foundation doctors in training must develop and demonstrate.
FP year two doctors provide supporting evidence to demonstrate the capability to recognise, assess and manage patients with long term conditions including patients who may have eating disorders. This can include working with other healthcare professionals to address nutritional needs and communicate these during care planning; recognising eating disorders, seek senior input and refer to local specialist service; and formulating a plan for investigation and management of weight loss or weight gain.
Progression to the next stage of training at the end of FP year one and FP year two is dependent on the doctor demonstrating that they have met or exceeded the minimum levels of performance required for sign off for each of the 20 foundation professional capabilities.
Health Education England is working closely with NHS England to further understand the current requirements and provision of eating disorder services in order to identify interventions to increase education and training in eating disorders, working with AoMRC as appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the recommendations of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, what steps they are taking to ensure that information about the (1) number, and (2) duration of training posts in eating disorders for Foundation grade doctors is collected and scrutinised at the national level by Health Education England; and whether this will include how such junior doctors are taught and assessed against a relevant part of their nutrition curriculum.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
In response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report, NHS England has convened a working group with NHS Improvement, Health Education England (HEE), the Department and other partners to co-ordinate actions being taken in response to the recommendations, taking them into account in planning for improvements to adult eating disorder services.
Foundation training covers core generic skills which will include nutrition and all its facets, one of which is eating disorders. Currently, around 47% of foundation programmes in England offer four-month posts in psychiatry, and management of eating disorders and associated conditions is included in the curriculum and learning objectives for such posts.
The Foundation Programme ensures that newly qualified doctors demonstrate their ability to learn in the workplace, develop their clinical and professional skills in the workplace in readiness for core, specialty or general practice training.
Increasing psychiatry posts and training opportunities in foundation is part of HEE’s current review of the Foundation Programme. There are quality management systems in place to monitor HEE’s performance against those objectives.
Asked by: Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the consumption of microplastics on human health.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
No such assessment has been made.