Nutrition and dietetics service

What is the nutrition and dietetics service?

We are a very supportive and dynamic department of dietitians and nutrition specialist nurses who work closely together.

We provide a nutrition and dietetics service to our inpatients and to some outpatient clinics. We have specialist dietitians working across many different specialties including head and neck cancer, upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, hepatobiliary cancer, lung cancer, haematology, and surgery.

The team's vision is to be an expert leader in oncology nutrition and dietetics, putting patients at the centre of everything we do through innovation, education, and research. We aspire to be the best department to work in by valuing and respecting each other, working as one team, and supporting and developing the current and future workforce through experience, educational opportunities, and a positive learning environment.

What do specialist oncology dietitians do?

The specialist oncology dietitians at The Christie can support you to meet your nutritional needs if you have a diagnosis of cancer. Remaining nutritionally well can help you cope with your treatment and improve your quality of life.

Dietitians can advise on how to optimise your eating and drinking when dealing with symptoms from your cancer or the treatment you are having. They can also advise on oral nutritional supplements or provide nutrition through alternative routes (such as using a feeding tube or intravenous nutrition) if you are struggling to meet your nutritional needs.

How do I access this service?

If you are an inpatient, you will be nutritionally screened to identify any problems with eating and drinking and if you have had any unintentional weight loss when you are admitted to The Christie. The nursing staff will refer you to our service if appropriate.

In outpatient clinics, we work within the head and neck/upper GI/hepatobiliary oncology clinics. Ask your specialist nurse or doctor for further information on this.

Other ways to see a dietitian would be through your local GP services.

What is a nutrition nurse?

Nutrition nurses are clinical nurse specialists with knowledge, expertise, and experience in artificial nutrition support. The nutrition nurse provides care and support for patients who are unable to eat or drink normally and require special feeding tubes or a specialised method of feeding patients directly into their blood stream.

Nutrition nurses carry out the following tasks:

Assess patients for a variety of special feeding tubes
Explain to patients how various tubes are inserted
Teach and support patients to look after their own tubes if they will be required for use at home
Liaise with community teams to facilitate discharges from hospital for patients with artificial feeding
Teach ward staff how to look after patients with artificial feeding
Resolve problems with tubes

The type, amount and composition of artificial feed needed by patients is assessed and managed by the dietitians.

What to expect when coming into hospital

Coming into hospital can be a difficult and stressful time and it can be a challenging time to meet your nutritional needs. There is lots of support available in hospital and we encourage you to ask if it is required. If you are on a special diet or have food allergies, intolerances or special dietary needs please make your nurse aware as soon as you arrive on the ward.

At your bedside you should find a menu. This contains information on the all the meals available and the 24-hour snack menu.
There are alternative menus available for those who require a special diet. These include low fibre, finger foods and texture modified options for those with swallowing problems or those who choose/require a softer diet, vegetarian, and vegan menu.
The menu is coded to make it easier for you to choose the most suitable option:
- Higher energy ↑E
- Healthier eating H
- Restricted fibre ↓F
- Vegetarian V
- Level 7 Regular easy to chew

Protected mealtimes

Mealtimes are protected to allow for you to focus on enjoying your meal without any unnecessary interruptions. Check with your ward staff for timings. Feel free to use the day room for your mealtimes.

Assistance at mealtimes

If you or your family member is an inpatient and require assistance with meals, please let a member of staff know and this can be arranged.

Snacks and drinks available from ward kitchen 24 hours a day

A selection of hot and cold drinks and snacks is available from the ward kitchen 24 hours a day during your admission. These include tea and coffee, fruit squash, fresh fruit and soups, with a full menu available on the wards. Please note: there may be dietary or other medical reasons why these may not be appropriate. Please ask the ward staff if you are unsure.

If you are coming into hospital with a feeding tube for your nutrition, please let us know the name of the feed you have at home.

Patient booklets

Contact details

The nutrition and dietetics department is open Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), 8am to 4.

You can contact the department on 0161 446 3729.