Our Work
HNAPA is committed to improving the lives of people receiving Home Artificial Nutrition, including HPN, TPN and enteral nutrition, and the families and carers who support them. Our work focuses on patient advocacy, national consultation, education, pathway development, evidence gathering and collaboration with clinicians, academics and healthcare stakeholders. Our aim is to support the development of nationally consistent, person-centred systems that enable patients to live safely and as independently as possible at home. The projects below form part of IHNAPA's 2026–2030 development programme.
2026 - 2030 Plan
Intestinal Failure & Home Nutrition
2026 - 2030
Project VIDA
About VIDA
-
What VIDA Stands For:
VIDA = Vital Intestinal Data for Advocacy.
Our mission is to collaborate and work alongside the HSE and help create a centralised national register for all TPN, HPN, and IF patients across Ireland. -
Why It Matters:
-
There is no national framework for HPN/TPN patients in Ireland.
-
Lack of consistent data → leads to service gaps, delayed care, and missed policy priorities.
-
VIDA fills this gap by mapping patient needs, informing national strategy, and supporting better outcomes.
-
Core Objectives
-
Build a national register for all intestinal failure, TPN, and HPN patients.
-
Provide real-time, anonymised insights for the HSE, clinicians, and researchers.
-
Identify service gaps, waiting times, and cross-hospital variation.
-
Support policy development aligned with Sláintecare and ESPEN guidelines.
Key Features
-
Nationwide Coverage → capturing data across every CHO and acute hospital.
-
Secure, GDPR-Compliant Platform → safeguarding patient privacy.
-
Clinical Integration → working directly with consultants, dietitians, PHNs, and research teams.
-
Evidence for Advocacy → using data to influence national health policy.
03
Project NOVA
Nutrition Outcomes, Value & Advocacy
Focus: Ireland’s First National Home Nutrition Digital App & Data Platform
“Connecting Patients, Clinicians & Carers Through Ireland’s First National Home Nutrition App”
A patient-support and digital-care concept under development, with any future clinical functionality, interoperability or information exchange subject to appropriate HSE clinical, technical, regulatory and data-governance approval.
About NOVA
NOVA = Nutrition Outcomes, Value & Advocacy.
It will be Ireland’s first integrated national app for patients receiving TPN, HPN, or living with IF.
-
Vision:
To connect patients, hospitals, and policy-makers through a single digital ecosystem, supporting better decisions and better lives.
Core Objectives
-
Develop a nationally connected app for patients, carers, and clinicians.
-
Enable remote monitoring of key outcomes (line infections, admissions, weight trends, quality of life).
-
Provide patients with personal dashboards and education resources.
-
Give the HSE, policymakers, and researchers aggregated insights to improve services.
Key Features
-
Patient Portal → Manage line care, medications, and PN prescriptions.
-
Carer Support Hub → Easy access to resources, forums, and peer networks.
-
Real-Time Data Sharing → Secure integration with hospital teams.
-
Research-Ready Data → Supports clinical trials, policy planning, and academic collaboration.
Why NOVA Matters
-
Currently, there’s no unified digital system for HPN/TPN care in Ireland.
-
Patients rely on fragmented communication → delayed interventions.
-
NOVA creates a single digital touchpoint, improving safety, quality, and patient experience.
How VIDA & NOVA Work Together
-
VIDA builds the big picture → By creating the first national register, VIDA captures the full landscape of TPN/HPN/IF care in Ireland.
-
NOVA connects the dots → The app turns data into real-time, patient-driven action, ensuring better monitoring, quicker interventions, and stronger communication between patients and clinicians.
-
Together, they create a complete ecosystem:
VIDA provides the evidence → NOVA delivers the care.
Why Patients Need This
-
Better Care, Faster: Early identification of complications through NOVA leads to quicker interventions and fewer hospital admissions.
-
Your Voice Matters: VIDA ensures your experiences are counted and used to influence national policy and funding.
-
One Connected System: NOVA integrates with hospitals, consultants, and carers — removing the frustration of fragmented communication.
-
Improved Quality of Life: By combining real-world evidence with patient-centred technology, we build a system that works for patients, not around them.
Why This Is Best for Patients
First national framework for TPN, HPN, and intestinal failure in Ireland.
Secure, GDPR-compliant systems designed with patients at the centre.
Evidence-based advocacy to ensure services match patient needs.
Empowers patients and carers while giving clinicians the data they need to deliver gold standard care.
Together, Project VIDA and Project NOVA represent a revolution in home nutrition care ensuring that every patient’s journey is heard, understood, and improved.