Training for professionals in Acute medical settings

Eating disorders have one of the highest mortality rates of all mental health disorders, posing a high risk for both mental and physical health. Many acute medical professionals feel they need more training to manage these challenges. It is important that professionals feel confident in accurately identifying the signs of risk, understanding the importance of early identification and when to make urgent referral of patients for specialist assessment.

There is a current national focus on ensuring that people with eating disorders get the care they need in a timely fashion, with clinical standards aiming to ensure that patients get the best possible care in acute medical settings through rapid and appropriate assessment and treatment, supported by a skilled, multidisciplinary team.

That's why, in collaboration with NHS England, we created this free online training.

Who’s it for?

If you’re involved with supporting, managing or treating people with eating disorders or possible eating disorders in an acute medical setting in the UK, this training is for you. We’d love to have you join if you:

• Work in an acute medical setting e.g., acute medicine specialists, acute medicine doctors, emergency department staff, gastroenterology staff, liaison psychiatry/hospital mental health teams, acute care nurses, acute medical unit staff, acute medicine clinical leads.
• Are part of an adult eating disorder inpatient team.
• Are part of a children and young people’s specialist eating disorder team or mental health inpatient service.

What will I learn?

During this session, you will learn about:

• The types of eating disorders and signs of risk
• The occurrence of eating disorders in patients who may present with other conditions
• How common eating disorders may present in acute medical settings
• Risk management guidance for patients with eating disorders
• Official guidance regarding eating disorder treatments, mental health act and capacity legislation
• The next steps after an eating disorder has been identified in an acute medical setting
• Suitable treatment plan pathways
• The role of the multidisciplinary team in managing eating disorders within acute medical settings
• Sensitive communication and possible challenges
• Case study examples
• The experiences of those with an eating disorder.

There are also additional learning resources for those looking to further increase their knowledge.

Join today

The training should take you about 60 minutes. If you don’t have time to go through it all, no problem – once you’ve accessed the training, you can work through it at your own pace.