Government media release about NEDC's eLearning

Online GP training to support Australians with eating disorders

The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care, and the Hon. David Coleman MP, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, followed NEDC’s virtual launch of our newest resource, Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for GPs, with a joint media release on 18 June 2021.

Titled ‘Online GP training to support Australians with eating disorders’, the media release stated: “GPs will be provided with free online training to help them better identify and treat Australians with eating disorders as part of a $211,000 program delivered in partnership with the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC). The Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for GPs will provide additional resources so that GPs are better equipped to identify and provide coordinated care to Australians experiencing an eating disorder.”

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the Government was deeply committed to helping Australians affected by eating disorders and body image issues. “The training provides GPs with the key information they need to identify the signs of an eating disorder, so they provide the best care and support to patients,” Minister Hunt said. “We know that eating disorders are extremely complex illnesses. However, the good news is that full recovery is possible with timely and appropriate care. This new training will better equip GPs to deliver that care, connecting people with the best treatment and ongoing support.”

Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, David Coleman, said GPs are crucial in the early detection of, and intervention for, eating disorders. “GPs are often the first touch point in the health care system for someone with an eating disorder which means it is vitally important we provide them with the tools and knowledge they need to provide appropriate care and support,” Assistant Minister Coleman said. “Being able to identify the signs of an eating disorder early and knowing the right language to use can be the difference in a patient opening up and receiving ongoing care – and that’s exactly what this training has been designed to do.”

Further measures to ensure continuity of care and access to high quality treatment and support for people affected by eating disorders and their families and carers included the recent opening of Wandi Nerida – Australia’s first residential eating disorder treatment facility on the Sunshine Coast – with an additional six centres to be built across Australia. The 2021-22 Budget announced $26.9 million over four years to increase the availability and quality of care options for people affected by eating disorders.