Dietitians
The Dietitians at Dorset County Hospital work within the hospital and the community to promote nutritional wellbeing, treat disease and prevent nutrition related problems. Dietitians apply the science of nutrition to the everyday food we eat and translate this into achievable and practical advice to help people to make informed choices about their diet.
Dietitians work as part of a multi-professional team of specialists. They advise on special diets for a wide range of medical conditions including diabetes, kidney disease, bowel disorders, swallowing difficulties, cancer, rare inherited diseases, coeliac disease, coronary rehabilitation and artificial tube feeding.
The department consists of Acute and Community Dietitians, a Nutrition Nurse Specialist, a Diabetes Dietitian, a Macmillan Dietitian, Renal Dietitians and secretarial staff. There is also a Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) Team who provide support to adults and children receiving enteral feed (tube feed) in the community.
If you are admitted to hospital your nutritional state will be assessed. If there is concern about your ability to eat and your risk of malnutrition you may be referred to the Dietitian for individual advice. Please tell your nurse or doctor if you have had a reduced appetite or lost weight. You may then be advised to follow a high energy diet and given high energy drinks.
If you have been referred as an outpatient to see a Dietitian you will be invited to a one-to-one appointment at either a community hospital or GP practice. For some conditions we use group sessions to allow us to see patients sooner. It is also an opportunity for individuals to share their experiences and gain support from others.
If you are a health professional in the Weymouth and Portland, North, West and Mid-Dorset localities and wish to refer a patient to our dietetic service please refer to the Dietetics referral criteria for adults. Please call the Dietetic Department 01305 254415 or email dietetic.secretary@dchft.nhs.uk for more information.