Overview
Health Education England is pleased to announce with Beat, elfh and partners that new eating disorder training for nurses is now available. This online learning will support the nursing workforce in identifying and supporting people with an eating disorder. The three sessions take approximately 30-60 minutes to complete each and can be completed at the learner's own pace.
Eating disorders are common and Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on people's mental health and NHS staff have responded rapidly to support those who need care, including treating record numbers of children and adults with eating disorders.
To further increase the support for people with eating disorders, mental health services, including eating disorder services, will see an additional £2.3 billion every year as part of the NHS Long Term Plan ambitions and an expansion of community-based mental health care to provide support for 370,000 adults.
Alongside the expansion, HEE and NHS England and NHS Improvement are working in partnership to develop and deliver a comprehensive training programme. This programme will improve the support received by those with eating disorders, including training in NICE-recommended psychological therapies, whole team training and training for non-specialist staff to improve identification and support throughout the system.
Thank you to our partners at Beat for contributing and developing this learning programme with us and their ongoing mission to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders.
For further information, visit the eating disorders elearning programme webpage or contact mentalhealth@hee.nhs.uk.