BAPEN Conference BAPEN Malnutrition Matters Conference 2011
Nutrition in a Cold Climate Harrogate International Centre • 29th – 30th November 2011
BAPEN’s Honorary Secretary, AILSA BROTHERTON, ANNE HOLDOWAY and NICOLA BELL report on this year’s BAPEN conference. With additional reporting by Dr Nicola Simmonds and Alison Culkin.
BAPEN
Advancing Clinical Nutrition Registered Charity 1023927
The 2011 BAPEN Conference offered delegates an extensive range of clinical and scientific topics relevant to both acute and community settings. With nine symposia, several satellite symposia, oral communication sessions incorporating the top scoring abstracts submitted, breakfast briefings and a drinks poster reception, the conference enabled delegates to hear of cutting-edge and innovative practice with an abundance of practical take home messages to facilitate improvements in the delivery of nutritional care back in the workplace. BAPEN conferences are renowned for their ‘buzz’ and this year was no exception. Whilst it is not possible to describe all of the sessions in detail, this review provides insight into some of the conference highlights. Further information, including presentations, is available on the BAPEN website in the members section.
Opening Session
BAPEN’s outgoing chair, Dr Mike Stroud opened the 2011 Conference with the good and the bad news for nutritional care: “It’s a bright and blustery day”. On the one hand, the profile of malnutrition could not be higher, with the importance of excellent nutritional care largely widely recognised across the UK. On the other hand, financial cuts challenge every aspect of healthcare; nutrition is no exception and in some areas is being seen as an ‘easy target’. Dr Stroud extended a very warm welcome to Roswyn Hakesley-Brown, Chair of the Patients Association who, after reminding delegates of the prevalence and cost of malnutrition, delivered the first key take home message of the 2011 Conference: the value of our patients in improving nutritional care. The King’s Fund has identified that patients are one of the most underutilised resources in the NHS. Roswyn explained that patients want to
be much more involved in their care, taking a shared responsibility for better outcomes, as opposed to passive participation. Roswyn outlined the relevance to the audience by quoting key findings from the Patients Association report ‘Malnutrition in the Community and Hospital Setting’ (downloadable from the Patients Association website
–
www.patientsassociation.com/Portals/0/ Public/Files/ AdvicePublications/Malnutrition%20in%20the %20community%20and%20hosptial%20setttin g.pdf). The Calls to Action from this report are outlined in Figure 1 and there is no doubt that working collaboratively with the Patients Association will lead to greater improvements in patient’s nutritional care.
Roswyn concluded by urging delegates to ensure that patients are at the centre of decision making and to take action to engage patients in the design and delivery of nutritional services.
Dr Mike Stroud (outgoing Chair) and Dr Tim Bowling (incoming Chair) with Roswyn Hakesley-Brown, Chair of the Patients Association, who presented in the opening session of Conference, confirming the importance of placing patients at the centre of decision making.
BAPEN
Advancing Clinical Nutrition Registered Charity 1023927
BAPEN
Advancing Clinical Nutrition Registered Charity 1023927
Figure 1: The Patients Association Calls to Action to Improve Nutritional Care
• The Department of Health must provide information on basic nutrition and the importance of monitoring weight loss as an early warning sign of malnutrition to patients and healthcare professionals
• GP consortia need to ensure information on malnutrition is tailored to local services and covers the whole ‘malnutrition journey’ from diagnosis to nutritional treatments that can be prescribed by the GP and also following up and monitoring in the community
• GP consortia and Local Authorities must ring-fence funding for community-based dietetics services and treatment options if clinically required
• GPs and GP consortia need to be educated as to the cost benefits of treating malnutrition
• The Department of Health must make nutritional screening across all health and social care settings mandatory and healthcare professionals must be educated and trained to use a nutritional guide to the social risk factors associated with malnutrition and nutritional screening questions to ask on these factors
• The new Public Health Directors who will sit within the Local Authority must have a role in promoting prevention of malnutrition and must see this as one of their public health duties
• The role of the community pharmacist in promoting good nutrition and screening for malnutrition must be considered by the Public Health Director
• The Patients Association’s leaflet ‘Malnutrition – signs and symptoms, where to go for help and what to expect from treatment’ should be provided by GP surgeries and healthcare professionals to patients and carers who may be vulnerable or at risk of malnutrition
BAPEN In Touch No.63 January 2012 2
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