Nutrition and dietetics
Changes to our services due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
If you are concerned you may have symptoms of coronavirus please follow the Government advice published on NHS Choices. Do not visit a GP practice, urgent care centre, or any of our services if you have symptoms.
You should only call NHS111 if you have a physical health concern. They will be able to direct you to the most appropriate service.
Only in a medical emergency should you contact 999 or attend the local A&E department.
We are aware that this will be a worrying time for you and for your family. We are doing all we can to keep our CYPF services running while also keeping you and our staff safe. However, please be aware that due to the impact of COVID-19 we will be prioritising urgent appointments and referrals and some services will be disrupted, postponed or delivered differently (via phone or video link where possible).
We operate two services within Berkshire: Children’s and Young People’s Integrated Therapy (CYPIT) Specialist Dietetics, and Community Nutrition and Dietetic Services.
Wherever possible, the work of our team will continue although, in some cases, not in the way you may be used to.
Until further notice, we’re stopping all non urgent face to face appointments. We may offer some appointments over the phone or by video consultation. A member of the team will contact you to decide on the right arrangements for you. There is no need to contact us.
Home deliveries of enteral feeds are continuing as normal at the moment. We have been reassured that supply chains for Abbott and stock in their warehouse facilities are good. We would encourage you, however, to contact them in good time when your delivery time is approaching, to agree and arrange your delivery slot.
Abbott feeding pumps
We are expecting that there will be increased demand for feeding pumps within acute hospital settings in the weeks and months to come. If you have spare feeding pumps at home that are not in use, please contact Abbott on Abbott.devicetracking@nhs.net / phone 01795 593312 to arrange collection and uplift.
Contact
If you have any queries or concerns you can contact us on 0118 2070932. Calls are answered between 9.00am – 1.00pm Monday to Friday. If you are unable to speak to someone, please leave a message and we will aim to respond the next working day. If you have urgent clinical queries, you may also like to call your Community Children’s Nurse, who may be able to help with interim advice.
Our CYPIT Specialist Dietetics team works with children and families with complex health and developmental needs.
We work across Berkshire in partnership with Community Children’s Nursing teams to provide dietetic support to all children receiving enteral feeding (non-oral) as a method to support a good nutritional intake and adequate growth.
We work in special schools to support pupils who have a range of issues affecting their eating and drinking, and their families, carers and school staff.
We also work collaboratively with other therapy services, such as Specialist Eating and Drinking Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists.
Examples of the children our service covers are:
- All children fed enterally or jejunally (tube fed) either for all or some of their nutritional intake
- Children who attend special schools and who have eating and drinking issues, such as faltering growth and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) related eating issues
- Children who are making very selective food choices that may be affecting their nutritional status
Locations
Our CYPIT Specialist Dietetics teams are based at:
- Upton Hospital, Fir Tree House for East Berkshire ( Slough, South Bucks, Maidenhead, Windsor, Ascot and Bracknell) children
- London Road Campus, University of Reading for West Berkshire, Reading and Wokingham children
Appointments
Appointments are offered at relevant special schools or at your child’s home, nursery or respite care setting. When you have an appointment with the specialist dietician, your child’s nutritional intake will be assessed, along with other issues affecting it. We’ll work with you to develop a dietetic plan. This appointment might be with just the dietician, jointly with other relevant CYPIT staff, or your paediatric consultant or community children’s nurse.
Our Community Nutrition and Dietetic Services team provides outpatient clinic support for children and their families/carers, who need support and advice with their nutritional intake to promote good growth and/or help manage a clinical diagnosis.
Examples of areas our team covers are:
- Fussy eating and food refusal
- Faltering growth related to poor intake
- Allergy advice
Locations
We cover Berkshire and work as two locality based teams to cover the East and West Berkshire areas.
Our teams are based in several locations across the localities, but the central point of contact for the service is based at West Berkshire Community Hospital.
Appointments
When you come for an appointment, you’ll be seen by the dietitian who’ll assess your child’s nutritional intake and review the issues affecting it. You’ll be given advice and an agreed plan to help manage these issues. This appointment will usually be with a dietitian alone and will happen in a variety of settings across the county.
CYPIT Specialist Dietetics
If you’re transferring a child into our area who is already receiving enteral nutrition, please contact the relevant dietetic team below:
Berkshire East: 01753 635073
Berkshire West: 0300 3654000
Community Nutrition and Dietetic Services
If you need to speak to someone from the Community Nutrition and Dietetic service please contact:
Berkshire East Community Dietetics: 01753 636724
Berkshire West Community Dietetics: 01635 273710
New referrals
All new referrals to either service should be made by a relevant healthcare professional. Please see the referrals page for more information as the referrals process is different for the services.
