North West Gastro Dietitian's Group

The Northwest Gastro Dietitians Group (NW GDG) established in October 2021, is an active voluntary group comprised of gastroenterology specialist dietitians working in NHS Trusts across NW England. The group was established following the publication of the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) gastroenterology report in September 2021. This report highlighted the need for regional networks to enhance collaboration, and share best practice within gastroenterology professions, with the aim to improve patient care. GIRFT is “a national programme designed to improve medical care within the NHS by reducing unwarranted variations”. 
The event hosted a range of esteemed speakers who delivered educational sessions relevant to dietetic practice and service management. This excellent study day was kindly sponsored by Stanningley Pharma and Abbott Nutrition Ltd.
​My write up of the day has been published in CN Magazine: 
https://nutrition2me.com/publications/complete-nutrition/

Topics included: 

1. Pre-habilitation in Liver Disease
   
2. Business Cases in Dietetics 
   
3. How to transition patients from paediatrics to adult Care 
   
4. Allergy in Adults
   

Key takeaways
1. Liver disease: Research suggests that 40-70% of patients with liver cirrhosis patient can present with sarcopenia, which is characterised by the loss of muscle mass, strength (Sinclair M et al 2016) and is associated with poor treatment outcomes (Son, 2021)​. This loss of muscle mass is associated with poor dietary intake and protein energy - malnutrition. Therefore, key nutritional strategies can be implemented to overcome this complication in chronic liver disease. Indeed, as practitioners we should encourage patients to have high calorie, higher protein-containing snacks to improve their protein intake and reduce the incidence of sarcopenia.
2. Business cases in Dietetics -key tips!
1. Build up your case​ by collecting data such number of dietetic referrals, utilisation rates, service evaluations, patient satisfaction surveys, etc.
2. Rationale: focus on patient benefit​ and therapy outcomes
3. Don’t give up (you will be rejected a lot), keep going​!
4. Wait for the right opportunity​
5. Sometimes this means do different roles, and make different connection​s
6. Be enthusiastic!​
7. Make friends- life is too short and the NHS is a surprisingly small place
3. From paediatric to adult care
Communicating well can be key to a smooth transition and this session provided some thoughtful tips to consider!  Top tips!

1. Try not to speak in ‘young person’s lingo.
2. Speak to them directly (with eye contact) rather than to a parent/carer who may be present.
3. Speak clearly and concisely in layman’s terms rather than using complicated terminology.
4. Give them chance to respond to your questions, and do not fill in the silences
5. Encourage them to take ownership of their condition and treatment plan.

4. Allergy in adults
As practitioners we should ensure that a dietetic assessment includes a review of the symptom history alongside detailed dietary history. This should include questions on typical dietary intake (foods and fluids); assessment of anthropometric measures including any previous weight loss and adequacy of their diet. In terms of clinical history, this allows for identification of any possible mechanism of food allergy (i.e. IgE or non-IgE-mediated) and ensures that the correct foods/allergens are tested using the correct testing method.