President's Message
Dr Trevor Smith, BAPEN President
It’s been a very busy few months here at BAPEN, so I’m delighted to highlight some of this activity, and signpost to our upcoming Conference which is taking place at the end of the month.
UKMAW 2022
This time last month we celebrated our fifth UK Malnutrition Awareness Week (UKMAW) – an exciting milestone to have reached. This is a week I always look forward to, and this year didn’t disappoint. Together with the Malnutrition Task Force (MTF), we revisited our theme of ‘Ask, Look, Listen’ and brought to the fore the fact that we really are all in this together. Our core message that malnutrition is everybody’s business resonated with our audiences and I hope was heard widely and clearly. 
The campaign week was packed with awareness raising activities, and a new addition to the schedule this year was a virtual ‘Sharing of Practice’ learning day, hosted by the MTF. This brought a number of different voices together to share ideas, top tips and research – all with the aim of sharing best practice. I was delighted to speak at the event, alongside colleagues from a range of organisations including Age UK, the Malnutrition Pathway, NHS Food Review, and researchers. The Learning Day was a huge success, thriving off collaboration. The sessions are now available to watch on catch-up on the Malnutrition Task Force’s website here.
Another highlight was the #ChallengesTuesday, where it was inspiring to see so much involvement from health and care settings across the UK. I’m looking forward to collating the insights gathered from this to see if there are common challenges we’re all facing, and thinking about what we can do to support the overcoming of them.
It was great to see how much support UKMAW had this year, and I’d like to thank everybody who got involved. The lasting impact of the pandemic along with the cost-of-living crisis means that even more people are becoming vulnerable and will be at a greater risk of being malnourished. With this backdrop, I think we are all are even more aware of the need to look out for people. We were delighted to have support from a range of professional organisations, as well as patient groups where the overlap with disease related malnutrition is there. These included the Royal College of Physicians, Carers UK, Age UK, the BDA, MND Association, Mouth Cancer Foundation, Macmillan Cancer Support, and Dementia UK – to name a few! Whilst anyone can be at risk of malnutrition, certain demographics and groups are at higher risk, and this makes it crucial to really amplify our message.
As we move into winter, let’s ensure the legacy of UK Malnutrition Week continues. The resources shared during UKMAW are still available to view here for more information.
National Screening Survey
October also saw the opening of our National Screening Survey which is run by the Malnutrition Action Group (MAG). This is an important opportunity for us to ‘take the temperature’ of the malnutrition problem in the UK, gathering data from a range of health and social care settings and comparing results to previous years to review emerging trends and patterns.
The 2021 survey, which is available to read here, worryingly found that 39% of adults screened were at risk of malnutrition with prevalence highest in individuals with gastrointestinal conditions (48%), respiratory conditions (45%), cancer (45%) and neurological diseases (44%).
In hospitals, 40% of patients were at risk of malnutrition, and in community settings, there was a higher malnutrition prevalence in those in their own homes (51%) and residents in care homes (60%). Meanwhile, the use of nutritional care plans was lower in 2021 than in previous years.
It will be really interesting to see how the picture has changed in 2022, and I’d like to extend my thanks to all those who took the time to contribute their data. It really does facilitate us being able to make a difference.
BIFA Top Tips
I urge you to flick through to the BIFA section in this issue, where you will find the Committee’s latest Top Tips for managing Crohn’s Disease in Intestinal Failure. This covers everything from gall stones and biliary stasis to anastomotic leakage.
BAPEN Conference 2022
Now looking ahead, this year’s Annual Conference is fast approaching at the end of this month, and something that I am really looking forward to. Not only will we be coming back together to meet in person this year, but we’ll also be celebrating 30 years of BAPEN, and unveiling our new strategy for 2022 to 2027. This will give you all a clear sense of who BAPEN is, the direction of travel we want to move in, and how we plan to develop as an organisation. It’s shaping up to be a brilliant event!
Don’t forget to take a look at the multi-disciplinary schedule here. I look forward to celebrating a truly special year for BAPEN and catching up with many of you there.
Best wishes
Trevor
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