President's Message
Dr Nick Thompson, BAPEN President
Against the backdrop of a busy period, dominated by general election news cycles, I hope you’ve had the opportunity to relax and enjoy the warmer weather. As usual, I’m excited to bring you an update on the great work we’ve been doing at BAPEN.
Strategy Delivery Report
Last month, BAPEN published the first of its Annual Strategy Delivery reports, following on from the five-year strategy announced towards the end of 2022. This Strategy Delivery report provided BAPEN members with an important update on progress against the strategy throughout 2023, as the first year under this new focus.
I’d eagerly encourage you to read about the fantastic work being done across the charity, from delivering new resources, to hosting and endorsing a range of educational events. Achieving these goals has required a great amount of effort from all those involved with BAPEN and has required collaboration across our Core Groups, Committees and Members. We’re proud of the achievements we’ve made and are eager to continue this progress in the years to come.
General Election
I write this as we approach polling day and, whatever the outcome, BAPEN is eager to engage with the incoming government, encouraging them to focus on addressing disease-related malnutrition as a serious public health challenge. We’re acutely aware of the UK’s ageing population and its potential implications on levels of disease-related malnutrition, impacting both patients individually and the broader health system itself. In an era of funding constraints, we know that cost-effective interventions are required, including malnutrition screening and nutritional intervention, so advocating these priorities is vitally important.
BAPEN is eager to work with incoming policymakers and political decision makers to drive efforts in addressing the prevalence of disease-related malnutrition, for the wellbeing of the NHS and the patients at its serves.
Awareness Milestones
Last month saw the British Dietetic Association (BDA) host Dietitians Week 2024. This year’s theme, ‘from classroom, to clinic and beyond’, celebrated dietitians across the breadth of their careers, offering a fantastic opportunity for those up and down the UK to spotlight work in their communities. On behalf of BAPEN, I want to share a huge well done to everyone who participated and an extended thank your continuous hard work.
In just over a week, PINNT will be hosting the welcome return of Home Artificial Nutrition (HAN) Week, kicking off on 5th August. This year, the focus is on the patients who receive home artificial nutrition and the crucial network of people who support them at home. As we know, HAN is an essential part of daily life for thousands of people across the UK, allowing them to continue their lives outside of the clinical setting. The PINNT website is a terrific way to keep updated on the campaign and I encourage you to start thinking about how you, and your colleagues, can support HAN Week.
Small Grants Awards
Do you have a Quality Improvement project or a research idea that you would like to pursue but need some funding? BAPEN is delighted to announce that we will be awarding grants this year up to a total of £40,000. I would very much encourage you to apply using the online application form – see the website for details. You can apply for a grant of £25,000, £5,000 or £1,000 depending on the need of your project. Applications will need to be submitted by the 28th August and successful applicants will be announced at our Annual Conference in Gateshead. Good luck!
Annual Conference
A reminder that BAPEN’s upcoming Annual Conference is being held on the 5th–6th November in the Glasshouse in Gateshead – it is a fantastic venue overlooking the Tyne with views of Newcastle (of course here I am biased!). There’s very much plenty of time to register your attendance where you will hear from a range of experts across clinical nutrition, and have the chance to network with colleagues and those at the forefront of developments in the field. There is also the opportunity to submit a “late-breaking” abstract, so make sure to share your work with us ahead of the deadline on 16th August. Please see the website for details.
Once again, I hope you’re having a fantastic summer and look forward to providing further updates soon.
Best wishes,
Nick
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