Highlighting the work of our dietitians
As part of Dietitians Week 2021, we want to say a big thank you to our 37 dietitians, three dietetic assistants, admin and management team for their ongoing work.
Whether it be prescribing feeding regimens for premature babies in the NICU or paediatric patients who are tube fed at home, or supporting paediatric or adult patients with an array of conditions, our dietitians aim to help patients optimise their nutritional status, which can help reduce length of stay in hospital, minimise complications and speed up recovery.
During the pandemic, our dietitians have been integral in supporting patients affected by Covid-19. Due to extra demand during the first and second waves of the pandemic, all of our ward-based dietitians upskilled to support patients in the Critical Care Complex to provide feeding tube nutrition and hydration to sedated and ventilated patients.
The team also adapted to deliver outpatient services using video or telephone calls where appropriate to minimise risk for our patients.
Dietitian Eliza Tassone said: “Our dietitians have all trained at either Bachelor or Masters level, with training covering an extensive array of topics, such as biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology, psychology, research, public health, and of course, nutrition and dietetics. We aim to help patients optimise their nutritional status; which can help reduce length of stay in hospital, minimise complications, and speed up recovery. We work alongside other members of the MDT to enable holistic care and ensure patient’s needs are fulfilled.
It’s a rewarding job and we look forward to continuing to play our part in the patient journey at NNUH.”
Dietetic Assistants Leanne Harrington and Alexis Worth said: “As Dietetic Assistants, we support the dietitians within the hospital to care for patients with acute illnesses that impact their dietary needs. This role involves a mixture of administrative and clinical tasks. Due to multiple components of our job, our role is very interesting and no day is the same. We love seeing patients and being able to support them during their time in hospital.”
Emma Gray, Emma Warren and Marcia Dring work as renal dietitians at the new Norfolk and Norwich Kidney Centre.
“We work with a wide range of patients, including those with reduced kidney function, people who have very little kidney function and so require dialysis, and those who may have had a kidney transplant. Our aim as dietitians is to support people to eat as varied diet as possible, whilst trying to keep certain blood results and fluid levels within safe limits. We also provide nutrition support advice to those who may be struggling with their appetite and offer support to patients who may be looking to make healthier lifestyle choices. We work closely alongside other multi-disciplinary team members to ensure our patients receive the best possible care and are in regular contact with renal dietitians across our region to share ideas and new ways of working.”