A nation-wide survey of the organisation and efficiency of public health care services for Norwegian patients with eating disorders was conducted among the heads of medical and psychiatric units (N = 261). Only the number of patients treated predicted special clinical routines or measures to increase the clinical competence, and not geographical location of institutions or the national health authorities' distribution of treatment recommendations. To improve the quality of the health care services, the informants stressed the importance of increased clinical competence, more resources enabling more patients to be treated, as well as improved cooperation between the medical and psychiatric treatment units.