The NHS spends around £14 million 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 three-arm randomised control trial will work with 90 care homes across Devon, Cornwall, Birmingham and Wessex, and is funded by £2.78m (up to £3.5m including excess treatment costs) from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme (HTA).
The project commences in January 2025 and will be co-delivered by the Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit (PenCTU), the Universities of Coventry, Exeter and Southampton, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and Harbour Healthcare.
Mary Hickson, Professor of Dietetics at the University of Plymouth, who is co-lead for the project, said: “We know the evidence base is limited around ONS so it’ll be good to get some much-needed clarity on if and how they should be used in care homes. Usual care varies so much among care homes too, so having the three arms of the trial – usual care, ONS and fortified diet – will highlight some interesting comparisons.”
Co-lead Jane Murphy, Professor of Nutrition at Bournemouth University, added: “We’re really pleased this much-needed work is funded at a large scale by the NIHR. The stakeholders within care homes that we’ve worked with so far are keen to see the study results, so we’re looking forward to getting this vital work started.”
The team will collect information from residents at the start of the trial, and at six and after 12 months, including quality of life, food intake, appetite, muscle strength, weight, activities of daily living and costs including use of prescribed oral nutritional supplements and use of NHS services.
Those who often do not have the opportunity to take part in research, for example those from ethnic minority groups and people who depend on others to make their decisions, will also be included.
Find out more at www.plymouth.ac.uk/refresh
