28th May 2010
Nutrition is the theme - BDA endorses BAPEN toolkit

BDA Honorary Chairman Helen Davidson has chosen Food, Feeding and Malnutrition as her ‘chairman’s theme’ so it is with delight that she welcomes The British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) nutrition toolkit:

“The BDA is delighted to endorse and be part of the development of this important and useful document produced by the Quality Group of BAPEN. Dietitians encounter the problem of undernutrition every day and recognise that on many occasions the suffering caused could have been avoided. Tackling this needs the entire care providing workforce to be mobilised, and those planning and commissioning care are in a position to take a strategic view on how this could be achieved,” she said.

The BAPEN Toolkit for Commissioners and Providers in England: Malnutrition Matters: Meeting Quality Standards in Nutritional Care has been produced to help Commissioners, health trusts and care providers implement best nutritional care.

Co-authored by Ailsa Brotherton (dietitian and BDA member), Nicola Simmonds and Mike Stroud on behalf of the BAPEN Quality Group, the document presents seven tools to help assess local need, current provision, define pathways, education and training provision and develop service specifications, operational frameworks, quality indicators, monitoring and review processes.
The BDA was closely involved in the production of the toolkit as a number of dietitians reviewed and commented on the document.

Helen went on to say: “This document provides much needed expert guidance for commissioners from well referenced and reputable sources. The diversity of endorsements from patient groups, professional bodies and Government agencies is indicative of the fact that there is a broad consensus about this issue and it is not ‘single issue politics’.

“The BDA sincerely hope that this document will be widely used and will help us to prioritise nutritional care and deliver what must be our mantra in these financially difficult times - improvements in patient experience and clinical outcomes for a reduced cost.”

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