Focus on Undernutrition Focus on Undernutrition
RACHAEL MASTERS, Team Lead Dietitian, LAURA GARDNER, Specialist Dietitian, and CATHERINE MCSHANE, Specialist Dietitian
In March 2011, a national conference was held in Darlington to highlight not only the undernutrition burden, but to inform delegates of how this is being targeted in County Durham and Darlington by the Focus on Undernutrition (FoU) service. FoU Team Lead Dietitian Rachael Masters told delegates she launched the service 11 years ago in Darlington and in 2009 it went county-wide.
FoU is a flagship service both locally and nationally in tackling undernutrition from a regional perspective. It has evolved from a project in six elderly care homes to identify and treat undernutrition, to a team of seven implementing the service throughout health and social care across County Durham and Darlington through accredited training and supporting staff.
Following the FoU Conference, Dr Mike Stroud, Chairman of BAPEN,
said: “I’m delighted to hear about FoU initiatives and I’m gob smacked at what they have achieved. For many years my organisation have been saying that there’s lots of malnutrition out there and that malnourished
individuals do badly and that they cost a lot to the NHS. We’ve been trying to think of ways to actually make this happen, that these people who are at risk are spotted and that something is done about it, and in particular that staff and all people involved know about this because without them knowing its not going to happen. FoU have done an incredible job to achieve this and have managed to involve everybody out in the community, from care home staff to care home residents and the people managing healthcare in the region. I’m incredibly impressed with that achievement and think it’s incredibly important that it’s rolled out elsewhere.”
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BAPEN In Touch No.62 August 2011
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