A poster presentation co-authored by a Lancaster medical student has been awarded first place at the Faculty of Academic Psychiatry Conference 2024.

The presentation was titled ‘Evaluating the Nutrition and Body Mass Index Clinical Link Pathway (NBMI CLiP) in Mental Health and Learning Disability Services: A Mixed-Methods Study’.

The presentation was by a team including Lancaster medical student Saan Dyare, Dr Narut Pakunwanich from the University of Cambridge, Professor Emma Louise Giles, Heidi Stevens, Dr Grant McGeechan, Dr Lauren Walker and Vicki Whittaker from Teesside University with Jo Smith from Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.

Fourth year medical student Saan said: “To see the clinical pathway evaluation being so well received by an international audience and the professional discourse it will provide, offers an excellent opportunity for forwarding patient care. It has been a pleasure to be part of such a broad multi-disciplinary team and to work under the supervision of Dr Pakunwanich and Professor Giles”.

Professor Emma Giles said: “What a fantastic achievement by the presenting authors. This highlights the value of research which looks at the integration of physical and mental health.”

The aim of the study was to evaluate the NBMI CLiP and its implementation among in-patient wards with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) and Learning Disabilities in Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.

In England, adults with SMI are almost twice as likely to be living with obesity than the general population. An estimated 37% of people with learning disabilities are classified as having obesity compared to 30% of the general population.

Survey participants largely found the NBMI CLiP easy to use and understand and they were confident in using it. Open-text responses, analysed using content analysis, indicated a need for further training of staff on the NBMI CLiP. Staff also saw dietitian involvement in the training or delivery of the NBMI CLiP as desirable.

The research was funded by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria, and awarded to Professor Giles and Jo Smith. The project was Sponsored by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust and undertaken by academics at Teesside University. It was also supported by funding from NIHR School for Public Health Research, which facilitated Dr Pakunwanich joining the team as an intern researcher. Dr Pakunwanich was instrumental in undertaking the preliminary work shaping this survey.