Name: Oncology Specialist Group Study Day 2025 – ‘Doing things differently’
Start: 2025-10-10T08:45:00
End: 2025-10-10T16:00:00
Location: The Studio Birmingham, 7 Cannon Street, Birmingham, B2 5EP

Hosted by Oncology Specialist Group

Join us for an inspiring and informative study day as we dive into the latest developments and emerging trends in cancer nutrition and support services. Connect with experts, share ideas, and enhance your practice in a welcoming, collaborative environment!

This multidisciplinary event will cover a wide range of topics relevant to dietitians with a specialist interest in oncology. We'll explore subjects such as:

Food insecurity during ever growing inflation
Insight into how music therapy can support nutrition
Exciting new developments into patient initiated follow up and ambulatory nasogastric tube service pilots!

Also to include:

A palliative care approach to endings in cancer care
New emerging evidence in head and neck cancer nutrition research.

Speakers

Kyle Kennedy, a Dietitian at Wishaw University Hospital presenting on Training Needs of UK Dietitians: are we prepared to tackle this crisis?

More about Kyle - Kyle Kennedy is a dietitian in Scotland. He is also a committee member of the EFAD European Specialist dietetic network for Public Health and Secretary and Food Insecurity Lead for the BDA Public Health Specialist Group.

Talk summery - The UK arm of the EFAD FEED Europe Project specifically around the background, methods, results, and conclusions of the study.
Sophie Hamilton & Christine O’Brien (Cancer Care Specialist Dietitians, BHT) presenting on QI Project - Implementation & Evaluation of PIFU (Patient Initiated Follow Up) in the Macmillan Dietetic Service at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (BHT)

More about Sophie - Sophie Hamiton is a Cancer Specialist Dietitian with 18 years’ experience working in the NHS, with the most recent 10 years in the Oncology & Haematology Outpatient setting at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. She has a special interest in the management of UGI and HPB cancers. Outside of work, Sophie enjoys walking her dog in the Chiltern countryside and cooking with homegrown produce when she can!

Talk summery - Implementation and Evaluation of Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) in the Macmillan Dietetic Service (BHT)’. The talk will cover how we engaged with the QI (Quality Improvement) Team at BHT to address the problem of demand outstripping capacity in the Macmillan Dietetic Service. It will evaluate how the implementation of PIFU has addressed sustainability of caseload in different settings and will report on findings from our patient experience survey.
Mhairi Donald, Macmillan Consultant Dietitian presenting on Therapeutic Cooking in Cancer Care
Karen O’Hare, Senior Specialist Oncology Dietitian and Fiona Brennan, Senior Nutrition Nurse presenting on Ambulatory Nasogastric Tube Feeding in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: A Pilot

More about Karen - I have been working at The Christie since 2020, specialising in the care of patients with head and neck cancer. Over the years I have developed a strong interest in improving patient care and more recently, have been involved in the set-up of a quality improvement project to pilot ambulatory nasogastric tube feeding for head and neck cancer patients. The aim of this pilot is to improve patient experience, optimise patients’ nutrition and reduce inpatient admissions.

Talk summery - Talk will cover an ambulatory nasogastric tube feeding pilot that we have been running since March this year. We will discuss how this pilot works and the preliminary findings so far.
Georgina Giebner, Macmillan specialist dietitian, The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre (NHS) & The Rehab Dietitian limited (freelance) and Dr Jervoise Andreyev, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Honorary Professor, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust and The Medical School, The University of Nottingham presenting on Using the 2025 BSG practice guidance on the management of acute and chronic gastrointestinal symptoms and complications as a result of treatment for cancer

More about Georgina - Georgina is an advanced specialist oncology dietitian with over 20yrs of experience in dietetics. Gina has and currently works in a number of areas of oncology, specialising in gastrointestinal cancers. Gina has completed Masters level training in gastrointestinal side effects from cancer treatments both during and long after treatment.

Talk summery - Using the BSG guidance document we will presented a case together of how we might jointly approach someone after cancer treatment with abdominal pain, progressive weight loss, incontinence and steatorrhoea.

Looking at:
Patient unmet needs/ scale of the problem
Principles of symptom investigation and then targeting medical and dietetic treatment at the diagnoses made
British Society of Gastroenterology practice guidance on the management of acute and chronic gastrointestinal symptoms and complications as a result of treatment for cancer
Dr Jenna Ivey, Clinical Psychologist & Dr Caroline Coffey, Clinical Psychologist presenting on The Psychological impact of endings in Cancer Care

Talk summery - Our talk will provide a space to consider the impact of “endings” in Cancer Care. We will consider what may come up for our patients, as well as what may come up for us as professionals. We will give space to consider what we can do to support ourselves working with the psychological impact of endings.
Merran Findlay, PhD AdvAPD Clinical Associate Professor presenting on Daring to Be Different: Driving Real-World Change in Cancer Nutrition Care

Expect a mix of research findings, case studies, and real-world applications, designed to deepen understanding and inspire innovation in supportive dietetic cancer care.