This is a training course for healthcare professionals involved in enteral nutrition and the use of the blended diet ONLY.
Price £75
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If you want to attend but can not pay online and require an invoice or PO - please email your request to info@wilbosblends.co.uk
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This programme is open to anyone regardless of RCN membership status.
Designed to develop clinical skills in the use of blended diet, this course may be of interest to those in roles across healthcare who support patients using enteral nutrition.
The programme has been developed to support:
Understanding of the blended diet and it use in enteral feeding.
Latest evidence and research around the blended diet.
Patient perspectives on the blended diet in clinical settings.
Practical use of blended diet with patients.
Clinical practice with patients using a blended diet.
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This course will build on existing knowledge and skills in the management of enteral tube feeding and the specific use of the blended diet. The course aims to enable confidence in the use of blended diet with enterally fed patients using a blended diet.
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Demonstrate a working knowledge of the use of blended diet across enteral tube feeding routes, methods of insertion and different tube types.
Develop an understanding of the preparation, administration and monitoring of patients using a full or partial blended diet.
Identify complications and methods of remediation.
Speaker Biographies
Dr Sarah Durnan
Has worked with tube-fed children and young people and their families for twelve years as a dietitian at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. In clinical practice she saw firsthand the benefits blended diet can have on physical symptoms such as reflux, retching and vomiting. In 2014, Sarah undertook a three month travelling scholarship to the USA to learn how dietitians there support their patients, she was lucky to be invited to stay with several families who use blended diet giving her unique insight into the day to day practicalities.
Her doctoral research explored individual parents’ experiences of choosing a blended diet for their tube fed child. Her work found that parents perceive there to be social and emotional as well as physical benefits to blended diet and gave rich understanding of the challenges faced by families such as engaging health care teams. Subsequently, Dr Durnan was invited to co-lead the review of the British Dietetic Association’s (BDA) Position Statement (2019) and Practice Toolkit (2021) on the use of blended diet with enteral feeding tubes.
Dr Durnan is an expert on the topic and has been invited to present her work at international conferences such as European Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ESPEN) and European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN). Dr Durnan continues to research blended diet as Honorary Assistant Professor at the Centre for Children and Young People's Health Research (CYP-HR) at the University of Nottingham.
Kate Angell
Qualified as a registered children’s nurse in 2006 from the University of Teesside; now living and working in Newcastle upon Tyne, which has become her home. Katie’s nursing career has seen her focus on the care of complex babies, children, and young adults, having started her career in Neonatal nursing, before moving on to a nurse -led children’s hospice providing respite and end of life care to babies, children, and young people with complex and life limiting conditions. In her current role, Katie has been a sister in the Children’s Community Nursing Team in Newcastle upon Tyne for just short of 7 years.
Katie developed an interest in Blended Diet and has been an advocate for this method of enteral feeding for over 10years. This interest developed when working at St Oswald’s Hospice within the children and young adults’ unit, having seen the benefits of ‘real food’ first hand and also through being able to include the child in lived experiences with food which is such an important aspect of daily life. Katie has been able to progress this interest for Blended Diet within her current role whilst undertaking her Master’s in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement by supporting the use of and administration of Blended Diet in the community setting. Using Improvement Science as part of a Quality Improvement project, Katie has co-created a pathway and training pack for the use of and administration of Blended Diet by nursing staff within the Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and to allied local authority education and respite staff who support children and young people across the city.
Katie is passionate about working with children and their families who have complex and life limiting conditions, having lived with this first hand as a sibling to a sister with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Katie is able to appreciate the needs of the child and the family and has been able to reflect on her personal interactions and experiences with that of her professional expertise of healthcare services to strive to be an advocate and an active care provider to those that she works with in her role.
Rhiannon Birkett
Registered as a pharmacist in 2006 after graduating with an MPharm from the University of Bradford and successful completed her pre-registration training at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. Rhiannon initially started her clinical pharmacy career as a Resident Pharmacist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and went on to undertake a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice from the University of Bath. In 2012, Rhiannon had developed a passion for oncology/ haematology and had become Specialist Oncology/ Haematology Pharmacist at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge and became an Independent Non-Medical Prescriber specialising in Paediatric Oncology/ Haematology. Some children undergoing chemotherapy/ radiotherapy required feeding tubes to be inserted, but due to mucositis and weight loss and Rhiannon developed a hands on approach to supporting families with administering medicines via feeding tubes.
In 2015, Rhiannon gave birth to her first child William (affectionately known as Wilbo). Wilbo was born prematurely and struggled with feeding from day 0. William also has significant complex neurological health needs. At 4 months old, Wilbo had a NG tube inserted, due to failure to thrive and by 1 year old, William had a PEG inserted. All of Rhiannon’s theoretical clinical knowledge of administering medicines via a feed tube, suddenly had a new and personal dimension. Having lived experience, has definitely changed Rhiannon approach to dealing with tube feeding and associated pharmaceutical issues and Rhiannon continues to learn from her own experiences and the families that she supports. Rhiannon is incredibly passionate about supporting families and healthcare professionals with evidence based and anecdotal advice/ support to facilitate safe and effective administration of medicines. All tubes aren’t equal and all patients are wonderfully unique and Rhiannon is committed to always trying to take a patient centred approach.
As a healthcare professional, the idea of starting Wilbo on an enteral formula seemed “normal”. It was what was done. But after years of reflux, GI discomfort, constipation and vomiting (and all the additional medicines to treat/ combat this), there was a lightning bolt! Tubes don’t necessarily mean formula. Wilbo began having a blended diet and we’ve never looked back. In 2020, Rhiannon’s husband Gareth started becoming incredibly passionate about starting Wilbo’s Blends, to allow more people to have access to wholesome, nutritional blended meals on the go. Wilbo’s was born and we continuous strive to support anyone wanting to try a blended diet. The media and government continuously advocate for us to eat balanced, unprocessed foods, yet as soon as a tube is inserted, this gold standard to improved health seems to go out of the window and that is why we are here to share our passion and knowledge of everything blended diet and tube feeding related to support patients, carers and healthcare professionals.
Gareth Birkett
Gareth brings a parent perspective from his own lived experience with his son WIlliam as well as having the experience of working with thousands of people tube feeding or caring for those that are tube feeding from is work at WIlbo’s Blends. Gareth spends an increasing amount of time working with clinicians, academics and industry professional to use his unique perspective on tube feeding to improve the access, awareness and knowledge around blended diet and tube feeding.
With more than 20 years experience in technology and data with global organisations he has a firm belief that businesses have a responsibility to the communities within and around them, now and in the future.
The lived experience of being a Dad to a medically complex child like William has given Gareth a perspective that can only been developed through experience. Turning that experience into application is at the core to helping other people in a similar situation.