BAPEN’s attendance at the June 2026 Optimising Nutritional Care for All (ONCA) Conference in Paris came at a key moment for nutritional care across Europe and beyond. With its theme “From Awareness to Access: Delivering Optimal Nutritional Care to Every Patient”, the conference directly aligned with BAPEN’s core vision: ensuring that malnutrition is consistently identified, addressed and embedded within high-quality, patient-centred care pathways.

BAPEN’s representation included Jane Fletcher (President Elect), Sarah Zeraschi (Treasurer) and Emma Parsons (Education) alongside UK speakers including Simon Lal (Consultant Gastroenterologist, Salford) and representation from the British Specialist Nutrition Association (BSNA).

The conference opened with Didier Lepelletier, the Director-General of Health in France highlighting the public health imperative of embedding nutrition as a cornerstone of national policy. Plenary sessions and workshops within the ONCA programme collectively emphasised integrated nutrition care pathways, interdisciplinary collaboration, and implementation of evidence‑based strategies across settings, with workshops focusing on practical delivery models such as turning policy into practice, malnutrition awareness weeks, nutrition in medical education, intestinal failure equality, ICD-11 in practice and patient advocacy.

ONCA’s European Nutritional Care Policy Summit facilitated collaboration between policymakers, clinicians, patient advocates and professional bodies from across more than 20 countries to shape the future direction of care. For BAPEN, engagement at this level is vital. Malnutrition continues to affect millions, yet remains underdiagnosed and undertreated, creating unacceptable inequalities in outcomes and access to care. Participation enables BAPEN to champion UK expertise, build partnerships that extend beyond national boundaries and ensure we are active partners within these critical international discussions, demonstrating BAPEN’s leadership role in improving nutritional care is both visible and influential on a global stage.

A key highlight of ONCA 2026 was its emphasis on integrating nutritional care into health systems and policy frameworks, including alignment with major European strategies such as cancer and cardiovascular health initiatives. This aligns strongly with BAPEN’s commitment to embedding nutrition across all aspects of healthcare delivery, not as an adjunct but as a fundamental component of prevention and treatment. Engaging in these discussions ensures that BAPEN is contributing to, and learning from, system-wide approaches that can accelerate progress and reduce variation in care.

One of the most critical areas where BAPEN’s engagement is essential is the ongoing development and implementation of ICD-11 coding for malnutrition. Accurate, consistent coding is fundamental to making malnutrition visible; capturing its prevalence, demonstrating its impact, and ensuring it is prioritised within healthcare systems. Without it, malnutrition remains hidden in data and, consequently, under-addressed in practice. ONCA provided an opportunity for BAPEN to engage with international leaders on this issue and advocate for robust implementation.

The conference emphasised a shift in focus; from raising awareness to delivering tangible action. While awareness campaigns have been successful in highlighting the scale of the problem, the emphasis must now be on equitable access to care, policy implementation and measurable improvements in outcomes. This aligns with BAPEN’s priorities: moving beyond recognition of malnutrition to ensuring that every patient benefits from timely screening and effective nutritional interventions.

As the conference concluded, the challenge, and opportunity, is to translate dialogue into action. The insights gained, the partnerships formed, and the priorities identified must drive meaningful change in practice and policy. In this context, BAPEN’s Annual Conference in November represents an important next step. It offers a national platform to continue these conversations, share learning, and mobilise the UK nutrition community around a common goal.

Malnutrition remains one of the most significant yet addressable challenges in healthcare. The time for awareness alone has passed; the focus must now be on action, implementation and accountability. BAPEN’s participation in ONCA 2026 is part of this wider movement; one that seeks to ensure that optimal nutritional care becomes a reality for every patient.

Join us at the BAPEN Annual Conference this November to continue the conversation, strengthen collaboration, and turn ambition into lasting impact.