9 June 2021

Dietetics has wide and diverse careers opportunities, and to highlight this theme for Dietitians Week we spoke with Samantha Arter, a Palliative Care Dietitian who recently joined CNWL’s partner organisation Ealing Community Partners. She shares her experiences of working in this specialist role.

My background

I qualified as a Dietitian in 2007, and have spent the majority of my career working in nutrition support and home enteral feeding (tube feeding) in the community.  

Many of the patients I cared for during this time had palliative diagnoses and I developed an interest in specialising in this aspect of care, including providing support and advice as patients progress to end of life care. I also have a personal interest in work promoting more open communication about palliative and end of life care, dying and bereavement.

What is the role of a Palliative Care Dietitian

Physical effects, including pain affecting the ability to take nutrition and/or hydration, psychosocial, social, spiritual and cultural influences are all assessed when we visit a palliative patient in the community. This information is then used, in collaboration with our patients, to agree on a nutritional care plan.

The need to provide nourishment to our loved ones when they are ill is inbuilt and easily becomes a source of great stress when they are unable to eat as they used to. Dietitians in palliative care can provide counselling, expert advice and have sensitive conversations about these situations. We may also talk about alternative feeding (tubes or drips), including why this is not always appropriate or beneficial.

People may live for many years with a palliative diagnosis, so providing support with their nutrition can help to optimise their health and quality of life during this time. Tailored dietary advice also supports people before, during, and post palliative treatments (such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy) and can help them to maintain their nutritional status and cope with the effects of treatment.

Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) working is key and I work closely with the team at Meadow House Hospice, GPs, hospital Dietitians and other health and social care professionals in Ealing.

One of the challenges I face is the expectation to recommend oral nutritional supplements, when people cannot eat. There are times when these are justified but equally there are many other options and ideas a Dietitian can discuss and recommend, as well as providing a great deal of specialist support.

You can read more about Dietitians Week here.