{
  "abstract": "Background Eating and drinking are central to everyday life for the nutrition provided and the powerful social, emotional and cultural meanings (Eldridge. The psychosocial influences of food choices made by cancer patients. In: Shaw (ed.) Nutrition and cancer. Chichester Blackwell Publishing; 2011). NICE guidelines state that healthcare professionals should know when to seek advice from or refer to a specialist palliative care service and recommend that patients should have a holistic assessment including their nutritional status (Improving supportive and palliative care for adults with cancer. [CSG 4]; 2004). This is monitored by the Care Quality Commission (CQC. Assessment framework. 2025 Jan [internet]). Dietitians within palliative care identify and address nutritional factors that impair a patient’s physical and psychological wellbeing, with the primary nutritional objective of maintaining or improving the quality-of-life for that individual (Eldridge. Palliative and end of life care In: Gandy (ed) Manual of dietetic practice. 6th ed. Wiley-Blackwell; 2019). The hospice did not have a specialist dietitian; dietetic support was sought from local community services. This gap in service provision was identified and a hospice dietetic service was launched, delivered by a directly employed dietitian.Aim To develop and embed a dietetic service for the hospice patient population supporting the nutritional needs of inpatients and those at home.Method A specialist Palliative Care Dietitian was recruited. The service launch included:Defined referral criteria.Relaunch of the nutritional screening tool.Communication rollout for all clinical staff.A range of data was monitored.Results The service has been running for two years. 330 patients have been referred across inpatient and outpatient settings. A range of support has been provided including enteral tube feeding; psychosocial support; management of poor appetite and weight loss; and therapeutic dietary advice.The dietitian audited the use of the nutritional screening tool; implemented a hospice Nutrition Group; developed nutrition resources; updated the inpatient unit menu; and delivered a range of formal and informal teaching.Conclusion The dietetic service has been well received by clinical staff and provided direct support for patients in a timely and responsive way. Further work will be undertaken to demonstrate the effectiveness of the service.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Royal Trinity Hospice, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Paul Sullivan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Royal Trinity Hospice, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Caroline Quilty"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P-104 Developing and embedding a hospice dietetic service",
  "uid": "6144cd8b-1538-5558-a402-1b2e3072bc5e"
}