An innovative ‘food first’ approach to reduce or eliminate the need to use oral nutritional supplements (ONS) for adults across the Highlands has proved successful.
It follows an NHS Highlandwide decision to take a proactive, multi-disciplined approach throughout 2017. NHS Highland’s nutrition and dietetic advisor with responsibility for ONS prescribing Evelyn Newman said since the health board decided to transform ONS prescribing, there had been a 25 per cent reduction in the total ONS spend in NHS Highland.
‘That equates to a £300,000 saving in one year,’ she said. GPs, nurses, care home workers and cooks, speech therapists, nurses, dietitians and pharmacists worked together to help reduce or eliminate use of ONS.