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A message from BAPEN’s chairman


DR MIKE STROUD HONORARY CHAIRMAN


Just back from this year’s conference in Harrogate, I am once again amazed at the commitment and enthusiasm of BAPEN’s membership and for that matter the non- member conference delegates. The whole event was extremely well attended despite the ever increasing difficulties of getting study leave and financial support, and I have little doubt that many of those who came did so in their own time using their own resources. Nevertheless, I very much hope that they still thought it was worthwhile as, if I go on informal feedback, most delegates did.


A whole variety of BAPEN work streams related to nutrition and quality were discussed at the conference, some of which I have previously mentioned in this column. However, something I have not discussed here before, and only mentioned briefly in Harrogate, is our plan for an All Part Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Nutrition and Hydration. BAPEN has always had some degree of political engagement, promoting the case for best nutritional care at the highest possible level. It has, however, always been on an ‘ad hoc’ basis when launching some of our reports in parliament, writing or meeting with individual members of Government/opposition Health Teams, or contributing to Department of Health initiatives such as the Nutrition Action Plan. Now, however, we plan to engage rather more consistently.


An APPG is a group set up to enable cross-party/cross-bench MPs and members of the House of Lords to focus on a particular area of concern. Historically, there have always been many such groups – some very active and serious whilst others more light-hearted and limited in activity. There has never been an APPG covering Nutritional Care, although a number of groups in the past have taken an interest in some elements in this area e.g. the APPGs on Ageing & Older People, Food & Health and Housing & Care for Older People.


Cost per issue: £2.00 to non members


British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition


A multi-professional association and registered charity established in 1992. Its membership is drawn from doctors, dietitians, nutritionists, nurses, patients, pharmacists, and from the health policy, industry, public health and research sectors.


Principal Functions • Enhance understanding and management of malnutrition.


• Establish a clinical governance framework to underpin the nutrition management of all patients.


• Enhance knowledge and skills inclinical nutrition through education and training.


• Communicate the benefits of clinical and cost- effective optimal nutritional care to all healthcare professionals, policy makers and the public.


• Fund a multi-professional research programme to enhance understanding of malnutrition and its treatment.


The Newsletter of the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.


Printed version: ISSN 1479-3806. On-line version: ISSN 1479-3814.


All contents and correspondence are published at the discretion of the editors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BAPEN. The editors reserve the right to amend or reject all material received. No reproduction of material published within the newsletter is permitted without written permission from the editors. BAPEN accepts no liability arising out of or in connection with the newsletter.


BAPEN is a Registered Charity No: 1023927. www.bapen.org.uk


An APPG is less formal than a Standing or Select Committee but in order to be on the Approved List, must have at least two Officers who are Parliamentarians and 20 members from across the Commons and Lords. These can be back-benchers or Ministers and should represent all major parties in Parliament. Indeed, most groups have joint Chairs from different parties. BAPEN already has many warm ‘friends’ in both the Commons and the Lords who have indicated that they would join and we hope they will have the first meeting and election of Officers before the end of the year. Administration will be provided by a Secretariat, which BAPEN will set up with partners.


The potential advantages of having an APPG on Nutritional Care and Hydration are numerous and include: ensuring a direct political focus on nutritional care; providing the topic with credibility, authority and prestige; and raising awareness of all relevant reports from BAPEN and its partner organisations. The topics that will be covered over the APPG’s lifetime – the same period as the current Government – will range across the spectrum of nutritional care from total parenteral nutrition in hospital at one end to better food in social housing and care settings at the other. However, as always, we trying to ensure that the following occur:


• Screening for all ages on registering with a GP and on entry to a hospital, care setting or social housing


• Implementation of appropriate care plans addressing any nutritional risks discovered on screening


• Training of all staff to identify potential nutritional risks and raise associated care standards • Proper management processes with multi-disciplinary professional involvement.


I am delighted to report that so far, our full partners include the BDA, the RCP and the BSG and that interest in taking part has been expressed by many other organisations such as Age UK and NACC. We have also secured enough funding from both our partners and Industry to support the APPG for the next three years, and I look forward to this group contributing significantly to our mission during that time.


1 BAPEN In Touch No.59 December 2010


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