TURIN ONCA CONFERENCE 2024 From awareness to control

The European Nutrition for Health Alliance works with key stakeholders to improve nutritional care across Europe.

About ENHA

The European Nutrition for Health Alliance (ENHA) is a foundation, established to promote and implement nutritional risk screening and improve nutritional care for all European citizens. ENHA aims to translate nutritional care science into policy.

ENHA Board of Directors 2023

  • Olle Ljungqvist

  • Annemieke van Ginkel-Res

  • Rocco Barazzoni

  • Tunde Koltai

  • Claude Pichard

  • Marcel Smeets

Objectives

ENHA members and partners are key European professional societies, associations and patients groups in public health and health care. They work together to:

  • Promote and implement nutrition risk screening and optimal nutritional care across Europe
  • Create public awareness of malnutrition/undernutrition
  • Share good practices and create innovation
  • Improve education and training in nutritional care.

Activities

European Parliament engagement

Since 2007, ENHA works with the European Parliament to include nutritional risk screening and good nutritional care in EU programmes. ENHA and members actively participate(d) in

  • ‘Together for Health’ 2008
  • European Partnership Action Against Cancer 2010
  • European Innovation Partnership ‘Active and Healthy Ageing’ 2012
  • MaNuEl: Malnutrition in the Elderly 2014
  • PROMISS: Prevention of malnutrition in Senior Subjects in the EU 2016
  • Collaborating with EU officials on Europe’s Beating Cancer plan including hosting the event EU4Nutrition LIVE (2020)
  • EU Health Policy Platform ‘Integrated Nutrition Cancer Care’ 2021-2022
  • Horizon Europe Research Project “HealthyW8” 2022-2027

 

 

The new Optimal Nutritional Care for All campaign logo

The Optimal Nutritional Care for All campaign

Though the European Union is more and more dedicated to improve healthcare, member states are primarily responsible for their healthcare systems and financing. Therefore, ENHA designed the Optimal Nutritional Care for All campaign that was launched in 2014.

In this campaign, ENHA supports 20 European countries to establish/strengthen national multi-stakeholder platforms to implement nutritional screening and improve nutritional care. In a number of countries, the national platforms work with the Ministry of Health. The 20 country delegations meet at least twice a year to update the state of play, exchange good practices, and work on innovation projects.

A growing number of ‘ONCA countries’ have joined the ONCA Malnutrition Awareness Weeks, supported by ONCA. In 2023, 15 ONCA countries are expected to host their national Malnutrition Awareness Week. Although each week has its own timing, objective, scope and programme, they share the aim of driving optimal nutritional care implementation and the connection with the ONCA campaign.

European patient groups

In 2012 ENHA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with European Patient Forum (EPF) and the European Genetic Alliance (EGAN). EPF and EGAN are fully engaged in the Optimal Nutritional Care for All activities. National patient group representatives participate in the country delegations.

ENHA partners

Funding

ENHA partners pay an annual fee to fund core activities. Annual fee levels are determined according to the status e.g. non-profit making, and the resources of the partner. The Alliance also accepts unrestricted, project-specific funding from corporate and non-profit organisations.

Governance

Stichting European Nutrition for Health Alliance (ENHA) is a non-profit foundation incorporated and registered in The Netherlands. Its income and property are solely for promoting the aims and objectives of the organisation.

 

ENHA activities are managed by the board of directors, which must contain at least three members and is responsible for making decisions (via a vote) including budget oversight, appointing the Executive Director, and approving policy statements.

Board Directors are not appointed for a fixed term of office and may continue as long as they respect the obligations of the role, for example regularly attending meetings. Board Directors are not remunerated for their time, but may request the reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to Board Director activities.

Partners of ENHA are non-profit organisations in the field of health and nutrition and commercial organisations in the field of nutrition, which support and implement ENHA policies, but do not participate in decision making.

Duties
Board directors
Partners
Attend ENHA meetings YES YES
Vote on decisions YES NO
Appoint the Executive Director YES NO
Approve budget and expenditure YES NO
Adopt ENHA policy statements YES NO
Undertake activities to support ENHA priorities YES YES
Pay annual membership fee NO YES

 

The individual interests of the directors are:
Name
Paid employment
Other
 

 

Olle Ljungqvist Örebro University (Sweden) International Association of Surgical Metabolism and Nutrition (President)
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Society for Perioperative Care (Chair)
Annemieke van Ginkel-Res Dietheek The Netherlands
Tunde Koltai
Claude Pichard Geneva University Hospital (Switzerland)
Marcel Smeets Smeets, Stuger & De Vries (Netherlands) De Zorgambassade (Netherlands)
Rocco Barazzoni Trieste University, Italy