Core Groups Updates

Emily Clarke, Chair
Email: emily.clarke@uhs.nhs.uk
Website: www.bapen.org.uk/groups/bapen-core-groups/bapen-medical

BAPEN Medical are busy finalising plans for the BAPEN MASTERCLASS in Wales on Monday 10th November, which is free to attend for any BAPEN member who is registered to attend the main Conference – we hope to see you there! Along with this, we will be hosting a symposium as part of the main Conference programme.

The MASTERCLASS encompasses sessions on blended diets, metabolic complications of intestinal failure, the use of growth factors, and neurodiversity and its impact on nutrition. Our symposium in the main Conference will explore ageing and nutrition, both in the general population and for those with intestinal failure.

In addition, once again, we are running our Basic Nutrition Training Day in October. Jointly organised with the BSG Small Bowel and Nutrition Committee, this day provides an introduction to clinical nutrition and is aimed at gastroenterology higher specialty trainees early in their training, though anyone else who is interested is also welcome to attend. This year’s course is fully booked but we hope to be able to provide it again next year. Watch this space!

Uchu Meade, BPNG Communications Officer
Email: bpngcomms@gmail.com
Website: www.bpng.co.uk
X: @bpnginfo
Linkedin: British Pharmaceutical Nutrition Group (BPNG)

The British Pharmaceutical Nutrition Group (BPNG) continues to advance education, collaboration and innovation in parenteral nutrition (PN). In May 2025, members gathered at the Advanced Practice in PN study day in Birmingham, where interactive workshops enabled pharmacists to refine clinical assessment skills, enhancing confidence in decision-making and patient-centred care. Building on this, our Fundamentals in PN was successfully held on 15 October 2025.

The 2025 webinar series also remain a key pillar of learning. July’s session, The Green Prescription – Where Patient Care Meets Planetary Health, chaired by Priya Mistry, highlighted sustainable PN practices. Presentations ranged from greener aseptic techniques, to reducing gas waste and addressing sustainability in intestinal failure. This autumn, the series will turn to safe prescribing and PN use in patients with allergies or complex dietary needs.

BPNG is further engaging members at national forums. At Pharmacy Congress North (21 November 2025), the team will present Drug Administration in the PN Patient: Thinking outside the bag, equipping delegates to optimise medication management when enteral routes are compromised. Additionally, a joint UKCPA–BPNG webinar on 4 November will explore nutritional complications in gastroenterology, offering practical multidisciplinary strategies for patient support.

The group is also leading on national projects, including a position paper on light protection in PN, inviting members’ contributions. Recognition of innovation continues with the BPNG Award for the BAPEN 2025 abstract, awarded to Zoe Woods for her study of PN practices post-pelvic exenteration surgery.

Finally, the BPNG Symposium at the BAPEN Conference (12 November) will spotlight medication delivery in intestinal failure, covering pharmacokinetics, drug absorption and anticoagulation.

Linda Cantwell, PENG Chair
Email: peng@bda.uk.com
Website: www.peng.org.uk
LinkedIn: Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Group (PENG)
Instagram: @BDA_PENG

Here are some of the latest highlights from PENG. We look forward to seeing you at BAPEN Conference, Wales, this November. Please come and visit us where we will be supporting the national initiative to lobby manufacturers to develop suitable licensed jejunal feeding tubes and devices by collecting signatures. You can find out more and sign up at: https://forms.office.com/e/FKPMXh6KiZ.

Education events

PENG study day: As this newsletter reaches you, we will have recently held our annual study day in Manchester on Thursday 2nd October. This year our study day was entitled, ‘Connecting Care: Enteral Nutrition Through the Patient Journey’. The day involved a dynamic programme on topics such as the gut microbiome and C.Diff, rehabilitation, trophic feeding, enteral nutrition in liver disease, and blended diet, all from a range of excellent speakers.

Student-led webinar – 21 October: Our annual student focused webinar will be on the eve of 21 October. It will showcase a range of student projects that BAPEN dietetic students have been involved in over the past year, including cultural diets and sustainability in nutrition support.

PENG Clinical Update Course 2026: The PENG master level accredited Clinical Update Course will be held Monday 15 June to Thursday 18 June 2026, at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Bookings are opening this October, and more details can be found here: www.peng.org.uk/clinical-update/.

BAPEN Conference, ICC Wales – 11-12 November: We are hosting two symposia at BAPEN Conference at the ICC in Wales this year, including: ‘An Update on Protein Requirements and Sarcopenia’, and ‘Avoidance Restrictive Food Intake Disorder – an MDT approach’. PENG are delighted to have awarded three £500 educational grants to members who submitted top scoring abstracts to BAPEN Conference. These include two winners who were first time submitters to BAPEN Conference.

Project updates

Blended Diet Practice Toolkit Review: Work continues on the review of the Blended Diet Practice Toolkit. The project team have completed a professional engagement survey, currently have a patient focused survey out, are conducting a scoping review of the literature and held a project update webinar in August. The next phase involves the collection of case studies and a roundtable discussion.

Parenteral Nutrition Competencies for Dietitians: Draft competencies have been written and will be discussed as part of roundtable workshops with dietitians working within PN across different competencies levels this October at the BDA offices.

Pocket Guide to Clinical Nutrition 6th Edition – coming end of 2026: You can continue to access the 5th edition of the Pocket Guide as an electronic version (FREE for PENG members, available through the BDA shop) and very shortly as an App version through the Apple store and Google Play; this will make the digital version more accessible offline. The updated 6th Edition of the Pocket Guide is under review and will contain an update on estimating energy requirements, a comprehensive systematic review of estimating protein requirements and a new section on high output stoma. It is anticipated that this will be available towards the end of 2026.