Hurrah, spring has finally sprung across most parts of the UK! With the clocks going forward to British Summer Time and the added bonus of a few days of sunshine we will be seeing lighter evenings – and no one can deny the improvement that the sun has on our moods. So welcome to this spring edition of the BJN and the National Nurses Nutrition Group (NNNG) Nutrition Supplement.
I had a similar boost in mood when I attended the annual BJN Awards 2025 ceremony a couple of weeks ago. The evening was one of celebration and recognition of the essential contribution that nurses make every single day to improve the lives of patients and the wider healthcare family. The event was an incredibly positive experience and everyone was so kind to one another: complimenting one another on our outfits, and sharing jokes about the nature of nursing, the challenges and the similar experiences we all face.
I was immensely proud to share that evening with so many inspiring people and to continue to be part of a profession that cracks on with things to get the job done, despite the events occurring in the wider world. It was particularly heartening to see, for the first time, the inclusion of a BJN award for Learning Disability Nurse of the Year. It is surprising how often patients with learning disabilities are referred to colleagues working in nutrition nursing. From my own perspective, I thoroughly enjoy working with this client group because they always give me a different perspective on their care and expectations.
The Gold Winner of the BJN Nutrition Nurse of the Year Award was Sharlene Haywood, in recognition of the nasogastric tube safety project she implemented across an acute hospital site. Her method was that of role modelling good care and providing immediate feedback to colleagues when improvements were made, while at the same time flying the flag for patient safety.
Sharlene has accepted our invitation to present her award-winning project on the main day of the NNNG annual conference in Birmingham in June 2025. Nasogastric tube safety and professional networking will be top of the bill, and the evening before we will be hosting an event where we can relax and network with colleagues. The full-day event will cover many elements of clinical nutrition, including management of gastroparesis and bedside replacement of jejunostomy tubes, as well as showcasing industry innovations.
I know that in my editorials I frequently mention how much variety there is to clinical nutrition and nutrition nursing, but the evening of the BJN Awards confirmed how true this is – and my experience epitomises this. In 19 years of working in the specialty, I have had patients on my caseload who have had conditions from across the clinical specialties: chronic oedema, stoma care, vascular access, oncology, gastroenterology, infection prevention, continence and urology, diabetes and learning disabilities. I have also supported patients with their nutrition support needs within the prison establishment and those in long-term mental health units. This all demonstrates that, although at first glance this supplement may seem to be aimed specifically at nutrition nurse specialists, in reality it is useful to all nurses and health professionals working across the healthcare system.
This edition of the supplement covers diabetes, ANTT [Aseptic Non-Touch Technique], as well as service development for gastrostomy insertions for patients with motor neurone disease. Whether you work in the hospital environment or community, even if you are not a specialist in nutrition, if you have a patient who requires nutrition support, the articles in this edition of the Nutrition Supplement will help you understand the existing processes to support people on their nutrition support journey. The number of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is increasing, so as nurses we are likely to see more patients trying to manage this condition than before.
I hope you have managed to take a breather in your busy day to read and enjoy the articles in this supplement.
I look forward to welcoming you at the NNNG conference on 18-19 June. For details of the conference programme and to register, visit https://nnngconference.com/2025/en/page/home
See you there!