The NHS spends around £14million per month on oral nutritional supplements (ONS) for older care home residents. Now a new study, the largest of its kind, is measuring whether ONS are actually effective for them.
Co-led by the Universities of Plymouth and Bournemouth, the REFRESH study (nutRition intervEntions For malnouRished oldEr adultS in care Homes) will establish if and how ONS impact quality of life, compared with a fortified diet or usual care alone.
The trial will work with 90 care homes across Devon, Cornwall, Birmingham and Wessex and is funded by £2.78m from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The project starts in January 2025 and will be co-delivered by the University of Plymouth's Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit (PenCTU), the Universities of Coventry, Exeter and Southampton, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, and Harbour Healthcare.
What are ONS?
Oral nutritional supplements (ONS) are liquids, powders, or semi-solids designed to provide additional nutrients to people who are unable to meet their nutritional needs through food alone.
There is limited academic evidence underpinning if and how they can be used effectively among older people in care homes, which is the main reason the study is taking place.
What do the experts say?
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