Nutrition and Dietetics

If patients require support from a diabetes dietitian, please see the Hounslow Diabetes Service.

However, we do accept patients with diabetes who need support with an unrelated nutrition problem for example; malnutrition, or obesity.

If patients are diagnosed with a learning disability and require specialist adaption to care, please refer them to the dietitian in the Adult Learning Disability Health Team.

For eating disorder referrals, please contact wlm-tr.eatingdisorders@nhs.net.

Nutritional deficiencies (diagnosed on blood tests)

Patients with MUST score 2 or higher. (See ‘malnutrition screening tools’ below for help with this)

Please take a look at the MUST screening tool, which is used to screen for malnutrition.

We offer nutrition support and MUAC training for all healthcare professionals.

For more information regarding our training session please email: hrch.dietetics@nhs.net. 

While you are waiting for your appointment, you may find it helpful to read through this information sheet on malnutrition created by the BDA.

• Patients with BMI 35 or above

For patients with a BMI between 30 to 35 kg/m2, please consider Healthy Hounslow as a first line of intervention before referral to us. Patients are able to self-refer to this service.

More information about Healthy Hounslow can be found at healthyhounslow.co.uk. Unfortunately, we cannot assist any patients with BMI above 35 kg/m2 with Diabetes.

We accept home enteral feeding patients who are registered with a Hounslow borough GP only.

Below is a summary of the process required to accept a HEF referral in community dietetics.

For a new HEF referral, for community dietetics referral we need the following:

Before discharge

Hospital teams are required to:

• Email dietetic team to notify of likely discharge (hrch.dietetics@nhs.net)
• Register on Abbott e-reg (Abbott hospitals, community team will assist for out of area referrals)
• Request pump delivery (Abbott hospitals): hospital team to submit Abbott e-reg to Abbott to request pump delivery before discharge, before e-reg transfer to community team- this can be done without budget codes (if pump required)
• Complete referral form and submit to single point of access: hounslowandrichmond.spa@nhs.net  

On discharge

Hospital teams are required to:

• Provide 10-days supply of feed and ancillaries on the day of discharge (14-days supply will be required over Christmas and New year period)
• Transfer Abbott e-reg to (Vienna Hubbard) at West London NHS Trust on discharge only (we will submit for a first delivery, once discharge is confirmed or on the next working day if a bank holiday or weekend)
• Email final handover to hrch.dietetics@nhs.net 

Please also ensure community nursing are aware and any other relevant teams, e.g. health visitors if weight monitoring is required.

Please contact the dietetics team for further information.

• IBS
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Coeliac disease
• Diverticular disease
• Those recovering from small bowel obstruction
• Food intolerances, e.g. lactose, wheat etc

Your first appointment

Your first appointment may be over the telephone or in person at one of our clinic locations.

If after speaking with you on the phone, we feel you need to be seen face to face then this will be arranged for your follow-up appointment.

If you cannot make your appointment

If the appointment is not convenient for you, it is important that you call the department on 020 8973 3575 as soon as possible to arrange another appointment.

If you need an interpreter, please call the department so that one can be arranged for your appointment.

We take referrals from all healthcare professionals, including GPs.

We do not accept self-referrals.

Referrals can be made by completing our referral form and submitting it to our Single Point of Access (SPA) at hounslowandrichmond.spa@nhs.net.

For weight management referrals, please consider if Healthy Hounslow services may be more appropriate as a first line approach.

For malnutrition referrals, you must include MUST screening and include a MUST score.

Please include current weight, weight history and any comorbidities. If the patient is bedbound, please provide an estimated weight or MUAC where possible.

Dietetics referral form

Home enteral feeding discharge summary