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ISSUED: Monday 29th October
EMBARGOED until 10.00am Tuesday 30th October 2007
BAPEN's response to Improving Nutritional Care: A joint Action Plan from the Department of Health and Nutrition Summit stakeholders.
BAPEN is the multi-disciplinary charity committed to raising awareness of malnutrition and improving policy and practice in nutritional care in all community, care and hospital settings
ACTION PLAN PLACES NUTRITIONAL CARE AT CENTRE OF POLICY AND PRACTICE TO IMPROVE PATIENT & RESIDENT EXPERIENCE AND INDIVIDUAL OUTCOMES – VITAL FOR ALL AGE GROUPS SAYS BAPEN
"Nutritional Care has reached a 'tipping-point'," says Professor Marinos Elia, Chair of BAPEN. "Nutritional Care in all its forms – from help with eating, special diets or complex artificial tube feeding - is no longer a 'nice to have'. Nutritional Care is a 'MUST have' to be embedded in all health and social care policy and practice in all community, housing, care and hospital settings - for all age groups.
The Improving Nutritional Care Action Plan represents a landmark step in ensuring this sea-change happens.
BAPEN looks forward to playing its part, together with the multi-disciplinary partners signed up to the Action Plan, to ensure the momentum is maintained and benefits delivered to all patients in hospital and residents in care, no matter their age or circumstance."
"BAPEN congratulates the Department of Health, and the offices of Ivan Lewis MP Care Services Minister in particular, on providing a framework within which many stakeholders involved in nutritional care have worked together to evolve the joint Nutritional Care Action Plan,” states Professor Marinos Elia, Chair of BAPEN, Institute of Human Nutrition, Southampton.
"Quite rightly, the Improving Nutritional Care Action Plan focuses on the older population, the biggest percentage of hospital in-patients and residents in care," continues Professor Elia. "However, all patients in hospital, and residents in care or special housing who are dependent on health and care professionals - no matter their age or circumstance - must also receive the appropriate nutritional care they require."
"Our aim must be to improve two things: the nutritional care experience of every single patient in hospital and resident in care or specialist housing, and the delivery of appropriate nutritional care to improve individual outcomes.
The Nutrition Action Plan does not come with explicit changes to regulation or inspection attached but it does provide a consensus framework, and a Governance oversight mechanism, to ensure that this Plan does not stay on the shelf but is utilised and implemented.
Together with, for example, BAPEN's drive to implement nutritional screening for all on admission to hospital and care, the Action Plan will help ensure that nutritional care stays at the top of everyone’s agenda. This is exactly where it belongs."
Vera Todorovic, Chair of BAPEN's Communications Committee, and Consultant Dietitian in Clinical Nutrition, Doncaster & Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comments: "This is the first time in my experience that we have had a steer at Government level on nutritional care across the board - and this is to be warmly welcomed.
The Nutrition Action Plan builds on the good work of the Better Hospital Food initiative, the NICE Guidance on Nutrition Support for Adults, explicit information from Hospital and Care Caterers, and on BAPEN's own work from its first report 'Food as treatment' to the 'Cost of disease-related Malnutrition' report which brought into clear focus the impact of malnutrition on the costs of health and care services.
Most importantly the Nutrition Action Plan helps pull all this expertise together, providing a clear mandate for those of us who work at the 'coal-face' in hospitals and care settings to impress on all our colleagues - from Trust Board to Ward, from Matron/Manager to Care Assistant - that appropriate nutritional care is a top priority for all health and care professionals.
A core part of the Dignity in Care agenda focuses on the care provided for patients and residents who are dependent 24/7. The Nutrition Action Plan puts nutritional care at the centre of this vital agenda."
Professor Elia concludes: "BAPEN's Nutrition Screening Week, our pilot project in sheltered housing, together with our on-going work on screening for malnutrition and new web-based information resource for Hospital Trusts [to be launched tomorrow 31st October 2007] are already delivering against important BAPEN commitments contained in the Action Plan.
BAPEN looks forward to working with Gordon Lishman, Chair of the Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board, to ensure implementation against this landmark initiative."
ENDS/
Professor Marinos Elia and Vera Todorovic available for interview.
For further information please contact:
Rhonda Smith +44 (0) 1264 710428
rhonda@minervaprc.com +44 (0) 7887 714957
Notes to Editors
What is BAPEN?
The British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition is a multi-professional association and registered charity. Established in 1992, BAPEN is committed to improving nutritional care and treatment in hospital, care and the community. BAPEN developed and published the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool ‘MUST’ for use in hospital, care and the community settings.
What are BAPEN's objectives?
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Increase awareness of and enhance understanding and management of malnutrition
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Establish a clinical governance framework to underpin the nutritional management of all patients, residents and individuals
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Enhance knowledge and skills in clinical nutrition and nutritional care and treatment for doctors, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists and patients through education & training
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Communicate the benefits of clinical and cost-effective optimal nutritional care to all healthcare professionals, policy makers, patients and the public
Who are Members?
BAPEN meets the needs and interests of doctors, specialist clinicians, pharmacists, dietitians, nurses, care managers and professionals, academics, patients, researchers, public health & policy advisers, service and support providers and commercial organisations with an interest in nutrition and nutritional support.
What activities & projects are run by BAPEN?
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Annual Conference & Regional meetings
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BANS - British Artificial Nutrition Survey
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'MUST' Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool & its implementation
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MAG – Malnutrition Advisory Group
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NICE and intercollegiate liaison
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Training courses & materials
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Newsletter, Reports, Website