About the eating disorders training for health and care staff programme
A suite of training has been and continues to be developed in response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) investigation into avoidable deaths from eating disorders, as outlined in recommendations from the report titled Ignoring the Alarms: How NHS Eating Disorder Services Are Failing Patients (PHSO, 2017).
It is designed to ensure that health and care staff are trained to understand, identify and respond appropriately when faced with a patient with a possible eating disorder. It is the result of collaboration between eating disorder charity Beat and Health Education England with key partners.
The suite of training has been developed and tailored for specific staff groups supporting patients and service users with eating disorders. Current training available is for medical students, foundation doctors and nursing workforce.
You can use the links below to help you understand the learning objectives and session timings relevant to your role.
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Medical students and foundation doctors programme
The eating disorders training for medical students and foundation doctors is designed to enable them to:
- Identify the major eating disorders and spot the early warning signs
- Understand the role of starvation in eating disorders and the effects on the brain
- Understand common challenges experienced by clinicians identifying people with eating disorders
- Identify the occurrence of eating disorders in patients who may present with other conditions
- Understand how to assess for an eating disorder
- Understand from sufferers of eating disorders about how they confronted their illness
- Recognise the official guidance and care pathways available
The two sessions will take around 20-30 minutes to complete and includes additional learning resources for those looking to further increase their knowledge. The sessions also provide good preparation for those who go on to participate in medical simulation training on eating disorders.
To access the elearning in the elfh Hub directly, visit the links below.
- Signs, Symptoms and Causes: https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Component/Details/751765
- Practical Requirements: https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Component/Details/751769
Please scroll to the bottom of this page for additional access routes to the elearning content.
More information about this programme and the additional resources needed to run the simulation training are available on the Beat website.
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Nursing workforce sessions
The eating disorders training for nursing workforce is designed to enable them to:
- identify the major eating disorders and spot the early warning signs
- recognise how common eating disorders may present
- identify some suitable care plan pathways
- explain the role of starvation in eating disorders and the effects on the brain
- describe the common challenges experienced by clinicians identifying people with eating disorders
- specify how to manage young people presenting with medical risk due to their eating disorder, in accordance with current guidance
- explore how to communicate sensitively with people with eating disorders
- identify the impact of early intervention on positive recovery
Each of the 3 sessions will take around 30 to 60 minutes to complete and includes additional learning resources for those looking to further increase their knowledge.
To access the elearning in the elfh Hub directly, please visit the links below.
- Screening and Assessments: https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Component/Details/752089
- The Impact of Starvation: https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Component/Details/752093
- Sensitive Communication: https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Component/Details/752097
Please scroll to the bottom of this page for additional access routes to the elearning content.
More information about this programme and the additional resources needed to run the simulation training are available on the Beat website.
Meet the team
Jess Griffiths
Clinical Lead, Beat
Dr Kiran Chitale
Consultant Psychiatrist and Training Lead, Royal College of Psychiatrists
Ellen Macpherson
Foundation Doctor
Rachel Poynor
Senior Project Manager, Beat
Brooke Sharp
Clinical Advice Coordinator, Beat
Katharina Dixon-Ward
Clinical Advice Coordinator, Beat
Kate Robbins
Trainee Clinical Psychologist, University of East Anglia
Martha Williams
Clinical Advice Coordinator, Beat
Cara Lisette
Senior Mental Health Nurse, NHSEllie Gordon
Mental Health Nurse, NHS
Ros Rea
Clinical Education Lead, Beat
Dave Beardmore
Project Manager, HEE elearning for healthcare
Angelina Montinaro
Lead Instructional Designer, HEE elearning for healthcare
Tracy Watkins
Lead Learning Designer, HEE e-Learning for Healthcare
Rachel Grant
Learning Designer, HEE elearning for healthcare
Rachel Gowland
Communications Stakeholder Manager, HEE e-Learning for Healthcare
How to access
In order to access the eating disorders training for health and care staff programme, you will need an elfh account. If you do not have one, then you can register by selecting the Register button below.
To view the eating disorders training for health and care staff programme, select the View button below. If you already have an account with elfh, you will also be able to login and enrol on the programme from the View button.
Not an NHS organisation?
If you are not an NHS health or care organisation and therefore do not qualify for free access elfh Hub, you may be able to access the service by creating an OpenAthens account.
To check whether or not you qualify for free access via OpenAthens, you can view the eligibility criteria and register on the ‘OpenAthens’ portal.
Registering large numbers of users
If you are a HR, IT or Practice Manager and would like to register and enrol large numbers of staff within your organisation for access onto the eating disorders training for health and care staff programme, please contact elfh directly.
Organisations wishing to use their own LMS
For HR departments wanting to know more about gaining access to courses using an existing Learning Management System please contact elfh directly to express interest.
More information
Please select the following link for more information on how to use the elfh Hub.