Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training his Department provides to General Practitioners on the treatment of eating disorders.

Standards of medical education are overseen by the General Medical Council, which is an independent statutory body. For children and young people, NHS England’s Commissioning Guide for the Access and Waiting Time Standard for Children and Young People with an Eating Disorder recognises that “primary care is capable of providing good outpatient support for children and young people with a manageable eating disorder. Where this happens, general practitioners and associated practitioners need to be appropriately trained and supported in both child mental health care as well as eating disorder treatment by the local community eating-disorder service for children and young people”. This document is available at:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/eating-disorders/