Nutrition Support

The team support people living with a variety of conditions, some of which include:

• A cancer diagnosis e.g. Head and Neck cancer, Oesophageal cancer
• Progressive neurological conditions e.g. Motor Neuron Disease (MND), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Huntington’s Disease (HD) and Dementia
• Stroke
• Brain Injury
• Respiratory conditions e.g. COPD
• Conditions of the gut e.g. Crohn’s disease and Pancreatitis

The team use a ‘food first’ approach, This involves making small changes to your diet to increase your intake of energy and protein.
In some situations, we may need to consider using the following:

• Oral nutritional supplement drinks may be required for a short period of time. These are only recommended under the guidance of a Dietitian.
• Tube feeding may be required for some individuals with certain conditions. This may be short or long term if an individual is unable to eat or maintain their nutritional status.

You may have been advised to alter the texture of your food and or drinks due to a swallowing issue. The Dietitian will support you to ensure your modified diet is as nourishing as possible.

The team works closely with your doctor and any other healthcare professionals that may be involved in your care, such as Speech and Language Therapists, Specialist and Community Nurses.

What to expect

Following referral, we will have an initial conversation with you. We will ask you questions about your eating and drinking habits and if there has been any recent changes in your weight to help assess your nutritional status. We will then work with you to explore what matters to you most. A plan will be formed that will support you to make appropriate lifestyle and food choices. We aim to provide accessible information when needed. We tailor our advice to meet the needs of the individual. The type of appointment may vary according to your needs and may be any of the following:

• Telephone call
• Video call (Near Me)
• Clinic appointment
• Home visit/Care Home

All requests for assistance will be triaged and may lead to signposting to other services.