Cushla Kelly - 1 June 2026

My background in dietetics has been heavily community based in recent years, and I was familiar with the Hospital at Home (H@H) team but more so that it was a service our trust provided, and we have a small team of dietitians that work within this team.

In 2023, an Expression of Interest arose for a secondment within dietetics in the H@H team. It was 2.5 days a week and for 6 months. I was currently working within a full-time community-based team at this time and I really enjoyed the work I was doing, but I found myself thinking this would be a great opportunity to improve my career and enhance dietetic experience with acutely unwell patients. My experience to date has been mostly within community-based teams. Therefore, I thought H@H team would be a perfect mix of learning more about acute conditions and treatments but within community settings, which I was familiar with. 

I was very thankful I was successful with my interview and, as the role with the H@H team was 2.5 days, I kept the remaining 2.5 days within my other dietetic team. This did come with challenges as I was working between different teams based in various areas of the trust and dietetically, I was assessing a wide range of patients with differing medical backgrounds and treatment plans (it definitely kept me on my toes!).

When I first joined the team, I was very naïve as to how the team worked, and I was fascinated from my first day, by the heavy emphasis on multidisciplinary team approach for each of our patients. The team was growing rapidly when I started at H@H in 2023 and, as I was only spending 2.5 days of the week within the team, it was very busy, but everyone in the team was always so helpful and appreciative of dietetics. 

In 2024, there was a full-time permanent dietetic post advertised within the team and I knew instantly I would love to stay within the team. I was very fortunate to have obtained this post and became the first full-time member of dietetic staff within the H@H team. The team itself had been running for over 10 years, and it was very exciting that dietetics was being valued and able to grow within the team. 

Dietetics itself, within H@H is a small team as there are only 3 dietitians, but we work very closely daily to prioritise our patients, balance the caseload and ensure we work as efficiently as possible.

Although I am the newest member of dietetic staff to the team, I continue to be in awe of how closely each member of the wider H@H team works and how every member is valued for their input with patients. Each day is a learning day, and I am definitely becoming more & more familiar with all the rural roads of the southern trust (and the nice petrol stations to grab lunch when on the road).

As well as the clinical aspect of the H@H team, it has opened various other doors within my professional development by being involved with various audits, projects, interprofessional learning and simulation training. 

I know my journey within the team is only beginning, and I am very excited to see what the future holds for H@H dietetics.