General practice has a key role in recognising and screening for eating disorders as well as in contributing to an integrated care team supporting a person living with an eating disorder.
SWSPHN as well as organisations such as InsideOut Institute, Butterfly Foundation and the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) provide a range of tools, resources and training to assist primary healthcare providers in appropriately screening, treating and managing eating disorders.
An estimated one million Australians live with an eating disorder at any given time (Deloitte Access Economics, 2012), but fewer than 25 per cent of people with an eating disorder seek or receive care (Hart L. M., Granillo, M. T. & Jorm, A. F., et. al. 2011).
COVID-19 information updates
As the national experience of and response to COVID-19 continues to unfold, NEDC continue to share useful information about COVID-19 for the eating disorder community, including health professionals, on their website.
For local information in supporting people’s mental health during COVID-19, SWSPHN has developed an online resource for health professionals and community members.
Eating disorders HealthPathways for South Western Sydney
SWSPHN has developed a health pathway for the treatment of eating disorders in adults, adolescents and children, specifically to assist GPs working in South Western Sydney.
Recovery Point – information for patients and their families/carers on eating disorders
Recovery Point is an online resource and app to support people experiencing a mental health issue and their families, friends and carers to access information and a directory of services specific to South Western Sydney. This includes information and tools for young people and adults experiencing an eating disorder as well as the people supporting them.
New Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items for eating disorders
On 1 November 2019, 64 new Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item numbers were introduced to support a model of evidence-based care for eligible patients living with an eating disorder. For more information on eligibility criteria, services available and completing management plans visit the NEDC website
GP paid consultation – identification, screening and care planning of people with an eating disorder
InsideOut is undertaking a new project to work closely with general practitioners for the purpose of creating new and better opportunities in the identification, screening and care planning of people with eating disorders.
InsideOut is partnering with Meld Studios, an independent design studio, to undertake a design-based approach to creating better treatments called co-creation. Co-creation involves working closely with those providing care as well as those receiving care to understand what they truly need.
This co-creation project involves working with general practitioners in a primary care setting, as well people with lived experience of eating disorders, to understand their health experiences for screening, assessing, planning and providing or receiving treatment.
InsideOut would welcome an opportunity to talk with you about your role working in primary care. The conversation is to hear more about your experiences and would take place over a video call (using Zoom, or FaceTime) for 60 minutes with a person from Meld Studios. These sessions will run from 25 May over the course of a month.
This would be a paid consultation. Please contact Digital Project Lead Sean Rom (sean.rom@sydney.edu.au) to express interest.
Free online CPD for GPs and primary care practitioners
The Essentials: Training Clinicians in Eating Disorders
InsideOut is providing GPs and primary care practitioners (including those working in private practice) with access to their Essentials Eating Disorders online training, typically valued at $280 per person. This is 17.5 hours of free CPD and is the only online learning nationally to meet the National Eating Disorders Collaborative Core Competency Framework for eating disorder clinician training. Undertaking this training will help suitably qualified practitioners to meet the requirements for providing services under the new MBS Eating Disorder Item numbers. InsideOut has 5,000 spots available, which have been distributed across all states and territories, so places are limited. There are five modules which will equip GPs with an understanding of the central issues in the field and the skills required in each step of the diagnosis, assessment and treatment of clients, for both children and adults, across all major eating disorder diagnoses.
To access the training go to InsideOut website and check out with the code NSWESSENTIALSPRIVATE
NEDC eLearning
In addition, NEDC has a suite of five video modules available for free to health and help professionals which covers the following topics:
- Introduction to Eating Disorders
- Screening and Assessment – 0.5 hours CPD
- Medical Management – 0.5 hours CPD
- Nutritional Management – 0.5 hours CPD
- Recovery-focused Psychological Treatment – 0.5 hours CPD
Professional Resource for GPs in Eating Disorders
As a GP you are likely to be one of the first health professionals a person with an eating disorder will come into contact with. A GP’s role in the treatment of eating disorders can encompass prevention, identification, medical management in a primary care setting and referral. This guide from NEDC provides GPs with information on screening and assessment, referral and ongoing treatment and management of eating disorders. Don’t forget, there is also the Eating Disorders HealthPathway specific to South Western Sydney to assist in these areas.