Community nutrition nurse specialist role: a service improvement

Abstract

This article describes the introduction of a community nutrition specialist nurse role in Buckinghamshire. The need for this role arose from issues experienced by the large but busy district nursing team (caseload of >300 patients per day) in home enteral feeding management and troubleshooting. The post holder was appointed to support community, hospital, dietitians and industry home care nurses with nutritional screening in the community and home enteral feeding, with a greater focus on the former. The post holder was involved in the development of a community version of MUST along with a care pathway and the design of a training programme to improve district nurses' knowledge and confidence in managing malnutrition in the community. The post holder is also involved providing patients personalised advice for managing malnutrition and in referrals to the community dietetics team. Such innovations in staffing are vital if the negative impact of malnutrition on patients and the health service is to be curtailed.