An NHS dietitian has been awarded for a special project she has led to help pancreatic cancer patients get the nutritional support they need.
Chloé McMurray won the GutsUK/Dr Falks dietitian recognition award for her role as a specialist hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) dietitian at the University Hospital of North Tees.
As part of the project, she has become a member of the specialist multi-disciplinary team to help patients with effective nutrition management.
For her work, Chloé received an award at the annual meeting of the British Gastroenterology Society in Glasgow recently, where she also presented two abstract posters about her work.
Chloé said: “In 2020, a project started to introduce a specialist dietitian to the HPB service, to assess the impact on patient care and professional practice.
‘I have always felt it was incredibly important that patient quality of life was optimised for as long as possible and, as a dietitian, this meant supporting the patient’s relationship with, and enjoyment of food.
“When this project came up I felt it was a great opportunity to trial a brand-new dietetic role, with the potential to benefit both patients and the service as a whole, whilst highlighting the value of including and funding dietitians within a wider specialist team.
Dietitian involvement in clinics and team meetings
“As the service grew, we gained funding, which allowed me to attend three weekly clinics and weekly team meetings. I also completed non-medical prescribing training and attended an international masterclass.
“My role then expanded beyond clinical care to include education and training for consultants, doctors, nurses and student dietitians, strengthening collaboration and increasing trust and awareness around pancreatic nutrition management.
‘Evaluations have showed that patient care has significantly improved, with reduced appointment burdens, delays in dietetic care and earlier nutritional intervention, particularly for cancer patients.
‘To have such a specialist role within the team is not the norm and I feel very privileged to have been part of the project.
“This award has really helped to highlight these benefits.”
Carys Robinson, dietetic team leader, said: “Chloé is a dedicated and valued member of the Nutrition and Dietetic team who prioritises patient experience and safety and constantly strives to improve the quality of life for her patients and excellence in her practice.”
Chloé is now working in a new role still within the University Hospitals Tees group, as personalised cancer care prehabilitation lead at The James Cook University Hospital.