Multiprofessional teams

I was reminded at the recent meeting of the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, how good multiprofessional working can be. Although I am conscious that it is my own area of interest, I believe that the Nutrition Support Team (as invented at St Marks Hospital in the late 1970’s) was the first truly multiprofessional healthcare team, designed to give patients the care they need, when that care needs input from skilled clinicians from different professions. The four key members of a Nutrition Support Team are Doctor, Nurse, Dietitian and Pharmacist. In the teams that function very well, all these colleagues trust each other, rely on each other, and are each capable of team leadership, according to the situation that presents itself. This is even more true after 40 years, when we are caring for exceptionally complex patients, many of whom are receiving nutritional treatment at home.