After a long 2 years, 2022 brings the excitement of face-to-face meetings once again. Earlier this year, I stood down as the chair of the National Paediatric Parenteral Nutrition Nurses Network. It was an emotional meeting (one that I am so glad I got to do in person). It was 8 years since the first meeting and, since then, the network has grown with all paediatric intestinal failure centres in the UK represented. This group has developed colleagues into friends and seen amazing collaboration to build and develop practice to benefit patients and their families and in turn providing that all-important professional support.
Over the past 2 years we have seen some famous names in paediatric nutrition nursing retire—this network gave us the opportunity to gain knowledge and that all-important lived experiences from them to take forward. It is with many thanks that we wish them all a happy retirement.
Nutrition nurses can be small fish in large oceans and therefore the local and national networking is crucial to embed good practice throughout the patient's pathway. We are stronger together.
Members of the National Nutrition Nurses Group (NNNG), in partnership with BAPEN, attended the 2022 Royal College of Nursing congress in Glasgow. The plans for future project work around education and promoting standards of care are amazing, with the vision of exciting times ahead and the promise of national organisations working together to promote excellent nutritional care education and support for health professionals.
The long wait for the return of the NNNG conference is nearly over! We look forward to welcoming many new members and all those returning to conference (11–15 July). This year's conference is a mix of virtual and in-person days. After 2 years there will be so much to catch up on (both professionally and personally). The in-person clinical workshop day (13 July) is set to be one filled with professional updates, discussion forums, networking and much reflection. If you can't join us for the face-to-face conference, there are evening webinars filled with thought-provoking nutrition topics. Hurry over to www.nnngconference.co.uk to register.
“Local and national networking is crucial to embed good practice throughout the patient's pathway”
It feels like summer is on its way, and this means the Patients on Intravenous and Naso-gastric Nutrition Treatment's (PINNT) Home Artificial Nutrition (HAN) week is approaching (1-7 August 2022). Visit https://pinnt.com/HAN-Week-2022-PRE-LAUNCH.aspx for more details on how to get involved. PINNT provides an amazing forum and resource for patients, families, health professionals (NHS and homecare) and everyone involved in the unique journey of home artificial nutrition. When we get it right as a team it is amazing and the impact is massive. When we don't quite get it right, pulling together and moving forward is the key for success. As a PINNT member wrote on the PINNT website:
‘We know it doesn't always go smoothly, but if we are honest the provision of home artificial nutrition is one that should be celebrated—it's a lifeline to thousands of people.’
We are delighted to be bringing you the fourth BJN Nutrition Supplement in association with the NNNG. The supplement is a wonderful opportunity for all our members—longstanding, new and prospective—to showcase your work and ideas (quality improvement programmes, research, audit, good practice examples, comment pieces and debates). Please contact the BJN to discuss submissions to future supplements.