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Nutrition Support

The Nutrition Support team work with adults who may find it difficult to eat and drink.  The team supports individuals to manage their nutritional needs.

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.


 

Factsheets

  • pdf Food First Making Every Mouthful Count
  • pdf Hands Up For Nutrition Leaflet
  • pdf Over The Counter Nutritional Drinks
  • pdf Store Bought Nourishing Drinks

Useful links

  • NHS Fife Nutrition and Clinical Dietetic facebook page
  • British Dietetic Association Malnutrition Food Facts Sheet
  • NHS Inform malnutrition
  • NHS Inform Eat Well

Other pages in Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics

Acute Hospital Inpatients

Adult Learning Disability Dietetic Service

Adult Mental Health

Care Homes

Diabetes

Health Promotion

Infants, Children & Young People

Older People's Service

Feed your mind podcast

Weight Management and Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Service

Related Content

Acute Hospital Inpatients

Acute Hospital Inpatients

Adult Mental Health

Adult Mental Health

Older People's Service

Older People's Service
Last Updated: 19 October 2022
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