Nutrition and Dietetics - Northern services
The Nutrition and Dietetic service at North Devon District Hospital provides a professional and evidence-based service to improve the nutritional health of service users. We provide inpatient and outpatient care, across all specialities, for adults and children.
Registered Dietitians are qualified health professionals who assess, diagnose and treat diet and nutrition problems at an individual and wider public health level. Uniquely, Dietitians use the most up to date public health and scientific research on food, health and disease, which they translate into practical guidance to enable people to make appropriate lifestyle and food choices.
The title Dietitian can only be used by those appropriately trained professionals who have registered with the Health Care Professions Council and whose details are on the HCPC register. https://www.hcpc-uk.org/check-the-register/
What services are available?
Our department consists of registered dietitians, dietetic support workers and administrators who support patients from across north Devon at our base at North Devon District Hospital.
The team is split into several specialist teams:
The acute team
We provide inpatient dietetic care to appropriately referred adults on all the main wards in the hospital and cover areas such as gastroenterology, surgery, intensive care, health for older people, cardiology, orthopaedics, neurology, oncology, haematology, maternity and intestinal failure.
Our Nutrition team provide care for inpatients on parenteral nutrition (PN) and advises on the care of patients with complex enteral nutrition needs.
We also ensure that the hospital meals meet nutritional standards.
The outpatient team
The team run general and specialist outpatient clinics. These are run as telephone, video or face-to-face clinics at NDDH, depending on the needs of the patient. Referrals are from hospital consultants, GPs, specialist nurses, or other therapists.
We help with nutrition support, weight management, diabetes, eating disorders, oncology, IBS, Crohn's disease, coeliac disease, liver disease, and IBS.
The paediatric team
We work with children 0-18 years of age. We work closely with health professionals within the hospital but also with other members of the wider healthcare community. These include community consultant paediatricians, GPs, health visitors, specialist nurses and child and adolescent mental health teams. We see children with a wide variety of different conditions. We provide advice to help manage their conditions through dietary changes.
Here are some examples of what we can help with:
- Food Allergies
- Diabetes
- Cystic fibrosis
- Cardiac conditions
- Coeliac disease
- Faltering growth
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Eating disorders
- Tube feeding at home
- Inpatients at Caroline Thorpe ward
The Community Home Enteral feeding team (adults)
The community team offer home visits to enterally fed (tube-fed) patients in their own homes or care homes. Patients require tubes for a number of reasons such as neurological problems, cancer or other problems affecting their ability to eat, and the use of a tube could be short-term or long-term. The dietitians in this team work closely with the company enteral feeding nurses, who also visit these patients at home.
Staff and Student Training
We provide training on different aspects of nutrition to all disciplines of staff, including doctors, nurses, support workers, catering staff, and housekeeping staff.
We provide award-winning clinical placements for student dietitians from the University of Plymouth. We take students from the first year to their final year, and have students working with us at regular times throughout the year.
Information for healthcare professionals
Referrals are made via e-RS (electronic referral system) or via EPIC by placing an order.
Patient information leaflets
Leaflets for patients at risk of malnutrition
- Green leaflet: Eating well – Advice for patients and carers: for those at low risk of malnutrition
- Yellow leaflet: Your Guide to Making the Most of Your Food – Advice for patients and carers: for those at medium risk of malnutrition
- Red leaflet: Nutrition Drinks (known as Oral Nutritional Supplements) – Advice for patients and carers: for those at high risk of malnutrition
- Eating well with a small appetite
- Nourishing drinks
- Plant based food fortification
- Soft nourishing diet
- Managing Adult Malnutrition – Resources for Patients and Carers
Modified Texture Diet Leaflets
Disease specific support
- Dietary information for acute pancreatitis
- Dietary information for chronic pancreatitis
- Dietary and lifestyle advice for reflux
- First line dietary advice for constipation
- Low fibre / low residue diet
- Low FODMAP diet – a guide for patients and GPs
- Preparation for surgery - liver-reducing diet
- How to slow your pace of eating
- Diet and your colostomy
- Dietary advice following your ileostomy
Specialist Weight Management Clinic
Diet and Nutrition food fact sheets
Food Fact Sheets on a wide range of medical conditions, nutrients, and for all stages of life. They are written by dietitians to help you learn the best ways to eat and drink to keep your body fit and healthy.
PIFU - Patient initiated follow-up information
Reflux
NHS Start4life: Reflux and bottle feeding
NHS Start4Life: Reflux and breastfeeding
Constipation
NHS Start4Life: constipation when bottle feeding
NHS Start4Life: constipation when breast feeding
Infant and Toddler Forum: common nutritional problems
ERIC web site - Children's bladder and bowel charity
Weaning
NHS start 4 Life: For age appropriate meal and snack ideas: https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/weaning/recipes-and-meal-ideas/
The Infant and Toddler Forum: for weaning advice, finger foods etc
https://infantandtoddlerforum.org/babies-the-first-year/
Fussy Eating
The Child Feeding Guide: resources on tips and tools for parents on fussy feeding, online assessment tools and food refusal guides. You can create an account to track exposure, refusal and acceptance of foods.
https://www.childfeedingguide.co.uk/
Somerset Patient Webinars 6-14 mins long on Fussy feeding tips
https://patientwebinars.co.uk/condition/fussy-eating-in-children/
The Infant and Toddler forum: parents section
https://infantandtoddlerforum.org/toddlers-to-preschool/fussy-eating/
NHS Weaning and fussy eating : resources on weaning, fussy eating and meal/snack ideas.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/fussy-eaters/
Iron Deficiency Anaemia
The Infant and Toddler Forum: parents section
Weight Management
NHS healthy families: Advice on snacking, food swaps and reducing fat, salt and sugar. Healthy recipes and activity ideas.
https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/
NHS - Eat well guide
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/the-eatwell-guide/
First steps nutrition: Eating well resources page has picture guides on portion sizes for age groups and healthy recipe ideas.
Infant and Toddler Forum: Portion size guidance for under 5’s.
British Dietetic Association: Mindful Eating
https://www.bda.uk.com/resourceDetail/printPdf/?resource=mindful-eating
Food Allergy
Infant and Toddler Forum: Guidance and tips about food allergy
Allergy UK: A British medical charity who support patients with allergies
British Dietetic Association: Food Fact sheets about allergy
https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/food-allergy-food-intolerance.html
https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/food-allergy-intolerance-testing.html
Coeliac Disease
Coeliac UK: A British medical charity who support people with Coeliac Disease
https://www.coeliac.org.uk/home/
British Dietetic Association: Food Fact sheet about Coeliac Disease
https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/coeliac-disease-and-gluten-free-diet.html
Diabetes
Diabetes UK: A British medical charity who support people with Diabetes
British Dietetic Association: Food Fact Sheets about diabetes
https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/diabetes-type-1.html
https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/diabetes-type-2.html
JDRF: Type 1 Diabetes Charity
Digibete: Online support and resources for children and parents/carers.
Autism
British Dietetic Association: Food Fact sheet about Autism and the potential impact on eating
https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/autism-diet.html
Children and family health Devon: Resources for families on sensory processing https://childrenandfamilyhealthdevon.nhs.uk/autistic-spectrum-disorder/resources/