Using this service
We assess your needs and work with you to help you manage your diet and nutrition – including those who are fed by a tube, under weight due to an illness or disease, or need dietary advice for a diagnosed condition.
We can also provide training and information for other health professionals.
How to refer yourself:
Call 0300 330 5777 or email bromh.contact@nhs.net with the following information:
– Which service you would like to refer to and why (please read the information on the service page before you complete a referral).
– Full contact details including your name, date of birth and a contact telephone number.
Who can refer:
– You must be a Bromley resident.
– You must be new to the service you are referring to.
– You can refer someone on their behalf, such as an adult you care for or your child.
– No GP referral is needed to access this service.
If you have previously had an appointment with this service, please follow the instructions from your last visit.
Children’s Team – we work with parents and carers of babies and children who are tube-fed. We also offer dietary advice and support to parents and carers of babies and children with a range of clinical conditions, including food allergies and intolerances, faltering growth, feeding problems, fussy eating and weight management.
The current average waiting time for the Children’s Dietetics service is 3.0 weeks.
Adult Team – we offer dietary advice and support to help manage your condition. We provide advice and support to those of you who are tube fed.
The current average waiting time for the Adult Dietetics service is 6.1 weeks.
Open Bromley Adult Community Dietitians leaflet here.
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Clinics
We hold clinics throughout Bromley at the following locations, all having wheelchair access. An appointment will be given as near to your home as possible.
Adult Clinics
We are currently offering telephone consultations and a monthly face to face clinic at Beckenham Beacon.
Children’s Clinics
We are currently offering telephone clinics and a weekly face to face clinic at the Phoenix Children’s Resource Centre. There is also a weekly face to face clinic for babies under one at the Willows.
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Appointments
Your first appointment
The dietitian will assess what you usually eat and drink by asking a series questions (called a diet history), or discuss your child’s current eating pattern if the appointment is for your child. The dietitian will discuss and agree a plan with you to suit your (or your child’s) individual needs.You and the dietitian will then agree if you will be seen again and if so book an appointment.
Online booking
Some of your appointments can now be booked online after your referral has been accepted. You should expect to receive a link via text message to book your appointment with us online. This will come from NHSBHCare. Please click on the link to book a time and date that is convenient for you. If you haven’t received a link or you have problems making a booking, please call 0300 330 3777. If you choose not to use the online booking link, we will call you to arrange your appointment.
Changing or cancelling an appointment
If you need to change an appointment you should phone us as soon as you can so that we can offer the appointment to someone else. This helps to reduce the time you might have to wait for your appointment.
If you miss an appointment and do not tell us you may not be given another appointment. We will write to whoever referred you to let them know.
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Information for patients with a feeding tube
Here you will find videos that show you how to set up and program the pump, as well as deal with common alarms. You can also access online pump training:
Please click here to access advice sheets and videos on how to care for your feeding tube, which includes advancing and rotating and flushing and unblocking the tube:
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
More information for children
Dietitians work with children and young people who have special dietary needs, inform the general public about nutrition, give advice and provide ongoing support when needed. We work with you/your child, doctors, nurses, health professionals and community groups.
Other advice and information
Information for fussy eating are:
Fussy eaters – NHS
Toddler and Infant Nutritional Advice – Infant & Toddler Forum
Leaflets:
Does your child need more iron?
Does your child need more calcium?
Does your child have toddler diarrhoea?
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
More information for adults
Dietitians work with adults who have special dietary needs, inform the general public about nutrition, give advice and provide ongoing support when needed. We work with you, your doctor, nurses, health professional and community groups.
If you have a feeding tube you may find Nutricia’s Practical Guide to Tube Feeding for Adults useful. You can find out more about Nutricia here.
Healthy Eating – Five a day
Malnutrition
Weight management
Other advice and information
British Dietetic Association
The British Dietetic Association is the professional association for dietitians. This website includes a section called Food Facts and web links and information on a wide range of nutrition related matters.
Leaflets
Bromley Adult Community Dietitians
Adding extra calories and protein
How to take your nutritional supplement
Recipe ideas for adults
Recipe – BHC MUST Compact Supershake
Recipe – BHC MUST Super Creamshot
High calorie drinks and recipe ideas
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
For professionals
Patients can be referred via the Single Point of Entry form on EMIS.
Here you will find videos that show you how to set up and program the pump, as well as deal with common alarms. You can also access online pump training:
Please click here to access advice sheets and videos on how to care for your feeding tube, which includes advancing and rotating and flushing and unblocking the tube:
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Overview
Dietitians in Bexley
Our team offers advice, education and support to you and those who care for you if you have a feeding tube or if you require dietetic support and are housebound.
We assess your needs and work with you to help you manage your diet, nutrition and enteral feeding tube.
We can also provide training and information for other health professionals.
If you are a GP or healthcare professional based in Bexley, please click here to make a referral.
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Using this service
You can be referred by your discharging hospital or another qualified health professional. You must be registered with a Bexley GP.
Adult Team – We provide advice and support to you if you are tube fed and help manage your condition.
We also provide a domiciliary service for those that need nutritional advice and clinically need to be seen in their place of residence whether this be their own home or care home.
We provide regular training to care homes in Bexley on identifying and treating malnutrition through MUST training (Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool training) and the food first approach through food fortification techniques.
Children’s Team – We work with parents and carers of babies and children who are tube fed or have complex needs and underweight.
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Appointments
Your first appointment
The dietitian will assess your nutritional needs by asking a series of questions including foods eaten where applicable. The dietitian will discuss and agree a plan with you to suit your (or your child’s) individual needs. You and the dietitian will then agree on your next appointment.
Changing or cancelling an appointment
If you need to change an appointment you should phone us as soon as you can so that we can offer the appointment to someone else. This helps to reduce the time you might have to wait for your appointment.
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Patient Information
Dietitians work with people who have special dietary needs, inform the general public about nutrition, give advice and provide ongoing support when needed. We work with you, your doctor, nurses, health professionals and community groups.
Other advice and information
British Dietetic Association
The British Dietetic Association is the professional association for dietitians. This website includes a section called Food Facts and web links and information on a
Videos
The FreeGo Enteral Feeding Pump is simple to set up and use. By watching the series of training videos that follow, you will learn how to set up the pump, you’ll see a full explanation of all the controls, how to load and prime the feed, general care and maintenance as well as a sequence on trouble shooting.
Other training materials are available, including a DVD, printed manuals in Welsh, Polish, Chinese, Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati and Punjabi. There also audio files and Braille documents for sight impaired patients. If you require any of these materials, please contact your Health Care Professional.
Click here for training videos
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Care Homes Information
We can come to your Care Home to provide training and there is a rolling programme in place to deliver training
Criteria for Referral
•Malnutrition identified as high risk with a MUST score of 2 or more
•Underweight identified as BMI< 18.5 kg/m² or unintentional weight loss of >10% in previous 3-6 months
Any referrals that do not meet the criteria will be returned to the referrer.
Nutritional Support Pathway (Management Guidelines)
Low Risk – MUST score 0: repeat screening monthly
Medium Risk – MUST score 1:
•Weekly weights
•Encourage and assist with intake of food and fluids
•Offer additional high energy snacks
•Offer 2 x fortified milk drinks per day (see Fortified Milk leaflet)
•Record intake on food and fluid chart for at least 7 days
•If improving, continue until low risk
•If no improvement after 1 month, consider treating as high risk
High Risk – MUST score 2:
•Weekly weights
•Recommend high protein/high energy diet
•Encourage regular meals and high energy puddings
•Encourage 2-3 high energy snacks per day (see leaflet ‘Snacks for small appetites’)
•Fortify all meals, snacks and drinks as able (see Food Fortification Protocol)
•Offer 2 x fortified milk drinks per day (see Fortified Milk leaflet)
•Record intake on food and fluid chart for at least 7 days
•If improving, continue until low risk
•If no improvement after 14 days, refer to Dietitian
Please note for all new admissions into Nursing/Care Homes that it takes a while for new residents to settle into their new surroundings so please follow the Nutritional pathway initially and refer to the Dietitian when appropriate
To refer, please complete enclosed referral form and email to: bromh.bexleycommunitydietitians@nhs.net
Information for care homes
- link to BAPEN and MUST tool http://www.bapen.org.uk/screening-and-must/must/introducing-must
- link to BAPEN virtual e-learning portal for MUST http://www.bapen.org.uk/e-learning-portal/nutritional-screening-using-must/virtual-learning-environment
- Home made fortified milk recipe (please see this attached)
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
GP and Health Professionals
Bromley Healthcare’s Community Dietetic Service provides a domiciliary service to patients requiring enteral feeds within their place of residence in Bexley.
The service includes:
A community based dietetic service for non-ambulatory patients within their residential setting (residential/care/housebound/nursing/learning disability) implementing the ‘Food First’ program. The Food First program uses dietary methods as a first line approach to treat malnutrition before using prescribed oral nutritional supplements
A rolling training program will be established and delivered to Bexley care homes on ‘’Food First’’ and the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool “MUST”. The MUST tool is a five step screening tool for those at risk of malnutrition leading to the development of a care plan
A nutrition and dietetics telephone advice line for Health Care Professionals including GP’s will be available Monday to Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm. The contact number is 0208 662 6689
Dietitians who will work with GPs help support the appropriate prescription of ONS (oral nutritional supplements) to ensure these are prescribed and used appropriately.
Click here for the referral form
Service Lead (Adults): Sarah Belaon
Joint Service Leads (Children): Sarah Belaon and Donna Garcia
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Useful Contacts
Adult dietetic team: bromh.bexleycommunitydietitians@nhs.net 0300 330 5777
Children’s Dietitian: Donna McCaughan – 020 3319 7668 bromh.childrensdietitians@nhs.net
Abbott Nutrition: 0800 018 3799 ukh2h@abbott.com (If you have an enquiry about your home delivery or a problem with your pump please contact Abbott Hospital to Home Service)
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Accident and Emergency Department: 020 8836 4360/1
Darent Valley Hospital Accident and Emergency Department: 01322 428100
District Nurses – Oxleas: 020 3260 5153
Children’s Community Nursing Team: 020 3004 0092
For any Enteral Feeding Tube issues or queries please contact your Dietitian on the numbers below (if out of hours, please contact Abbott Nutrition). If your tube has fallen out or is blocked and you have been unable to contact our team or Abbott, please seek medical attention immediately.
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Overview
Since April 2013 our team of dietitians has been offering advice, education and support to people in Lewisham.
We assess your needs and work with you to help you manage your diet and nutrition – including those with conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, food allergies,and those who are over or under weight.
We can also provide training and information for other health professionals.
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Using this service
You can be referred by your GP or Health Care Professional. You must be registered with a Lewisham GP Practice.
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Clinics
There are four strands within the Adult Dietetic service;
1. The GP practice based clinics, which run fortnightly or monthly in all 36 GP practices in Lewisham. Patients with diabetes, raised cholesterol, IBS, diverticulitis, food intolerance, underweight and overweight may be referred.
2. The Level 3 weight management service- Lewisham is divided into 4 neighbourhoods, with one Host GP site in each neighbourhood running a weekly clinic at – Amersham Vale [Waldron HC], St John’s MC, Novum HP at Baring Rd, and The Vale MC. The level 3 weight management clinic accepts referrals for patients with BMI>40, BMI> 35 with one co-morbidity ,and BMI>30 with 2 or more co-morbidities.
3. Care and Nursing Home and LD homes Services- Patients may be referred for malnutrition following the pathway- MUST score 2 or more. Patients may also be referred if dietetic intervention is required. The Care and Nursing Home team may make referrals. The dietitian offers training on at least 2 nutritional topics to staff in every Care, Nursing and LD home annually.
4. Oral Nutritional Supplements [ONS] – Patients who are discharged from hospital, and/ or are prescribed oral nutritional supplements by their GP practice are referred to the dietitian for nutritional review in order to ensure that the most appropriate individual nutritional care plan is in place. Patients are generally seen in their GP Practice based clinic, or if unable to attend their GP practice, a home visit may be offered.
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Appointments
Your first appointment
The dietitian will assess what you usually eat and drink by asking a series questions (called a diet history). The dietitian will discuss and agree a plan with you to suit your individual needs. You and the dietitian will then agree if you will be seen again and if so book an appointment.
Changing or cancelling an appointment
GP Practice based appointment- contact your GP practice
Level 3 Weight Management service- contact Dietitian 020 8662 6690 or email bromh.lewishamdietetics@nhs.net
ONS- home visit- contact Dietitian 020 8662 6690 or email bromh.lewishamdietetics@nhs.net
By informing your GP practice or dietitian of cancellation, the appointment slot can be offered to another patient which will reduce patient waiting times. Please note that if you miss an appointment without notifying the GP practice or dietitian, you may not be offered another appointment.
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
More information
Dietitians work with people who have special dietary needs, inform the general public about nutrition, give advice and provide ongoing support when needed. We work with you, your doctor, nurses, health professional and community groups.
Healthy eating and five a day
Malnutrition
Type 2 diabetes
Weight Management
Useful information and websites
British Dietetic Association
The website of the British Dietetic Association – the professional association for dietitians. This website includes a section called Food Facts and web links which have links and information on a wide range of nutrition related matters.
Leaflets for adults
See here for the Lewisham Adult Community Dietitians leaflet.
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
For professionals
Joint Service Lead Adults and Childrens – Sarah Belaon
Calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.