Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of teaching on eating disorders in medical schools; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure doctors have the training, knowledge and skills required to identify and support people with an eating disorder.

No specific assessment has been made. However, the Department has engaged with partners through the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Delivery Group, led by NHS England and NHS Improvement, to improve adult eating disorder services.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with Health Education England to develop and increase the specialist eating disorder workforce and improve the skills of staff in other health settings. This includes working with the General Medical Council to ensure eating disorders are included among outcome measures for newly qualified clinicians and with the Medical Schools Council to increase the coverage of eating disorders in undergraduate study. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also working with the Royal College of Psychiatrists to support the implementation of new guidance on medical emergencies in eating disorders to support healthcare professionals in a range of settings.