Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of taking steps to improve training on eating disorders for GPs.

NHS England is working with Health Education England (HEE) to increase access to quality training on eating disorders in primary care. HEE has developed training for primary care staff and others who encounter people with an eating disorder. General Practitioners are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including eating disorders, remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

In addition, we know that the General Medical Council (GMC) has taken steps to ensure newly qualified doctors must illustrate safe management of patients with eating disorders. The GMC has also been working with stakeholders to improve recognition and treatment of eating disorders including by commissioning the Academy of Royal Colleges to work with medical colleges on curricula content.