Home Enteral Nutrition

This service is available to patients who cannot obtain adequate nutrition via the normal route (i.e. from a normal diet).  Enteral nutrition is a way of providing nutrition and fluids via a tube into the digestive tract.  Historically this method of ensuring adequate nutrition would have been provided in a hospital setting.  However once the patient's medical condition is stable and the patient and/or relatives/carers are trainined in administering the feed, the trend in more recent years has been to discharge to the home environment for on-going care.  The Home Enteral Nutrition Service coordinates pre-discharge preparation and monitors the patient after discharge.