Nutrition and Dietetics
If you’re finding it difficult to manage your diet and nutrition, we can support you with advice and guidance.
Appointments
Until further notice, we’re stopping:
- Non-urgent referrals and appointments
- All non-urgent clinic appointments
- All group education sessions
We’re also providing nutrition support remotely to our vulnerable and HEN patient groups.
Contact us
If you have concerns you can contact us, but please be aware that it may take time for us to respond.
Call 0300 365 1234
Support
To support our patients, we’ve made guides and videos available on this page, to help you with things like managing your weight and providing advice on fortifying your food.
Bournemouth University have also created a practical tips guide on eating and drinking well while self-isolation.
Our service is available for both adults and children living in Berkshire.
Unfortunately we don’t accept self-referrals. If you’d like to access our service, please ask your healthcare professional to refer you through our Integrated Hub.
integratedhub@berkshire.nhs.uk
Appointment letters are now digital. You will receive a text message with a secure link to your appointment information and be able to confirm, cancel or rebook with just one click.
Find out more information about digital correspondence
Useful Contact Numbers
You can contact our teams and dietetics offices if you have questions about how we can help you.
Call Abbott Hospital to Home Service (24 hour helpline) 0800 0183 799
Call Royal Berkshire Hospital 0118 322 7119
West Berkshire
Call Community Dietitians 01635 273710
Call Learning Disabilities Dietitian 0118 207 7682
Call Children with Complex Needs Dietitians 0300 365 4000
Call Dietitians working in Royal Berkshire Hospital 0118 322 7119
East Berkshire
Call Community Dietitians 01753 636724
Call Learning Disabilities Dietitian 07500 918083
Call Children with Complex Needs Dietitians 01753 635073
We can help you in many different ways, such as:
- Individual consultations to assess, treat and educate you on therapeutic diets
- Offering advice if you’re living in a residential home and are at risk of malnutrition (in special cases, we also see people in their own homes)
- Supporting you if you’re receiving artificial nutrition at home to minimise complications and avoid going back into hospital
- Running specialist weight management sessions
- Providing nutrition education for you, your family, carers and other health professionals
We can also support you if you’re receiving care at Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Body Mass Index (BMI)
A healthy weight can be checked by calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is the measure of your height and weight, which is then compared against a chart. The BMI chart can give a good indication of whether you’re under or overweight, or you’re average weight.
Find more NHS information about BMI calculations
Weight Management if you have Type 2 Diabetes
We can also provide weight management advice if you have type 2 diabetes, such as low calorie liquid diets and specialist groups.
Contact your local dietetic team for further information.
Weight Off Your Mind (WOYM)
We provide a virtual weight loss course for anyone who needs to lose weight for health reasons. Our course has six sessions, which are held twice a month for 3 months, plus a final masterclass.
Each session lasts for 90 minutes and is colour coded. If you're registered for the WOYM course, you can use our course guide to track you progress.
Ask your GP for a referral to this course.
Dietary changes can help IBS symptoms and sometimes simple changes are all that are required. Remember to monitor your symptoms by keeping a food and symptom diary. If you require further help ask your doctor to refer you to a dietitian. We offer free live webinars and specialist clinics to provide advice on diet lifestyle choices if you have IBS.
View First Line Dietary Advice
We offer further live webinars and specialist clinics to provide advice on diet lifestyle choices if you have IBS. Contact your local dietetic team to find out if you’re eligible to join.
Our dietitians can support you if you’re receiving tube feeding at home. It can take a while to adjust to tube feeding, but if you need support our videos and leaflets can guide you if you’re having difficulties.
You can also contact our team if you have any more questions.
I have questions about my feeding pump
If you have any questions about your tube, pump or devices, or you need to speak to an Abbott Nurse Advisor out of hours, you can contact the free Abbott helpline.
Call 0800 0183 799
My feeding tube has come out
If your balloon gastrostomy tube has fallen out, you will need to place stoma stopper or Enplug as soon as possible. Both our video and leaflet show you how to do this.
Watch our video on placing a Stoma Stopper
My feeding tube is blocked
If your gastrostomy or jejunostomy feeding tube is blocked, there are several ways you can try to unblock it.
Watch our video on unblocking a feeding tube
My Corflo PEG is broken
If the Y end on your Corflo PEG tube has broken, you can replace it with a new end connector.
Watch our video on replacing parts on your Corflo PEG tube
Patients on Intravenous & Nasogastric Nutrition Therapy (PINNT)
PINNT is charity that provides practical support to you, your family and your carers if you’re receiving tube feeding or parenteral nutrition.
I have other concerns
Our troubleshooting guide can support you if you have other questions about tube feeding
Not eating enough of the right things can lead to malnutrition. This might mean your feel more tired and find it difficult to concentrate. In some severe cases, malnutrition can lead to a higher risk of infections, falls and poor wound healing.
To support you, we use your Body Mass Index (BMI) number and assess your level of risk using our Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). Depending on your risk level and needs, we’ll work with you to create your care plan.
Our guides can help your learn more about nutrition.
- View our Making the most of what to eat guide
- View our Homemade milkshakes guide
- Watch our video on Fortifying Your Diet
- Watch our video on Nourishing Drinks
If you’re a care professional, you can use these MUST assessments and care plans with your patients:
Malnutrition is caused in part by poor appetite and poor intakes of food and drink resulting commonly in weight loss as well as increased risk of infections and other illnesses.
It’s vital as staff within care homes to be able to recognise the signs of malnutrition and initiate treatment as early as possible.
Our videos and guides provide tips for improving resident’s eating and drinking to reduce risk of malnutrition or treat it once diagnosed.
Resources Section
BDA factsheets
Diabetes UK
Change4Life
WeightWise
