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ISSUED: 00.01am Thursday 4th October 2007
BAPEN welcomes launch of 10 point 'Mission Statement' for hospitals to improve nutritional care
Council of Europe UK Alliance '10 Key Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care in Hospitals' provides a checklist for hospitals & hospital staff to implement effectively nutrition care & treatment
"Not only are risks of infection increased but risk of dying in hospital increases if you are not properly nourished," says Professor Marinos Elia today (Thursday 4th October 2007) at the launch of the Council of Europe UK Alliance checklist
"It is essential therefore that hospitals place nutritional care on their priority agenda and organise their processes, training and staff resources to effectively manage nutrition care and treatment across the board."
BAPEN, a key contributor to the development of the checklist, welcomes in particular the emphasis placed in the Checklist on:
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Senior hospital management involvement
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Multi-disciplinary approach to and responsibility for malnutrition
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Screening for malnutrition for all on admission to hospital
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Importance of sustainable and regular training for all staff in nutritional care including screening
BAPEN is leading a number of initiatives to support Trusts in the implementation of the '10 Point Plan'. BAPEN's Nutrition Screening Week (25/27 Sept) is generating robust data so that hospitals have a clear idea of the scope of the problem of malnutrition; BAPEN's Shared Learning initiative is encouraging all to submit their experiences of implementing NICE Guidance on nutritional support; BAPEN is imminently to launch an interactive web-based module to help Hospital Trusts deliver all-patient, all-department nutrition support.
"This 10 Point checklist aligns with BAPEN's own recommendations and research, particularly on screening," confirms Professor Elia. "If nutrition issues, and in particular malnutrition, are picked up then staff can implement an appropriate care plan and affect directly the patient outcome.
BAPEN is pleased to have been involved in the development of the '10 Key Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care in Hospitals' and welcomes its launch today."
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