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Issued: 28 February 2010
BAPEN responds to the publication of the final Report of the Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board (NAPDB) and the Government’s response (issued 25 Feb 2010)
Dr Mike Stroud Chair of BAPEN says:
“BAPEN is pleased that the final Report of the NAPDB has now been published which reiterates the need to continue to improve awareness and understanding of the impact of malnutrition and emphasises the importance of putting robust processes in place to address malnutrition which remains under-recognised and under-treated. The activities of many organisations, including BAPEN, recorded in the Report demonstrate that much has been achieved and the Report spells out the positive impact that nutritional care and treatment has on delivering quality, safe services and on the patient/carer/family experience of health and care services.
However, the Report concludes that much remains to be done to ensure that combating malnutrition is embedded into professional practice across all hospital and care settings, and in the community where the vast majority of malnutrition originates and lies. We are therefore disappointed that although the Government’s response to the NAPDB emphasizes how addressing malnutrition fits into their current strategies and initiatives, the Government has set aside the Report’s call to retain a Malnutrition Governance Board which could provide expert assistance to the DH under Ministerial leadership.
BAPEN notes that the Government states that leadership for maintaining the momentum on embedding measures to combat malnutrition now rests ‘at a local level, closer to frontline delivery’, and at a national level with the Care Quality Commission through the new registration requirements on nutrition. However, we would like to see real clarity as to how the Government intends to track progress and hold local providers to account on their delivery of effective nutritional care and treatment.”
Media enquiries: Rhonda Smith Minerva PRC 01264-710428 07887-714957 info@minervaprc.com