Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 183515 on Eating Disorders, what his assessment is of the finding of the research conducted by the vice chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Eating Disorders Faculty, published by the Post Graduate Medical Journal in April 2018, that 20 per cent of medical schools do not include any training on eating disorders.

The General Medical Council (GMC) set standards for medical education. The GMC are clear that all doctors should have a good understanding of a wide range of mental and physical health conditions, including those related to nutrition and eating disorders. The outcome requirements set by the GMC for all stages of United Kingdom medical education and training require medical students and doctors in training to be able to identify and act where adults and children are vulnerable. These outcomes have recently been revised and include more emphasis on mental health and nutrition.