In order to meet the needs of people with eating disorders healthcare professionals need access to good quality training and supervision. Joy Jones and Mike Larner present the results of an audit of the training, competence and confidence of clinicians forming an eating disorders special interest group

The need for mental health professional education and training is highlighted in numerous government documents on mental health (DoH 1995, Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) 2002). These concerns were summed up in a section of the National Service Framework for mental health, which noted: ‘Not all mental health staff, even those trained relatively recently, have the skills and competencies to deliver modern mental health services’ (DoH 1999). As few health authorities identify eating disorders as part of their mental health strategy (Eating Disorders Association (EDA) 1995), service provision and therefore training and development opportunities have been scarce. In 2000 the Royal College of Psychiatrists was still calling on colleges, health purchasers and the government to improve the quality of training and care for eating disorders (Royal College of Psychiatrists 2000). The launch of the NICE guidelines for eating disorders in January 2004 affirms that imperative and demands a more equitable and planned response from service commissioners, providers and, by association, educators of healthcare professionals.