Children's dietetic services

The paediatric (children’s) dietitian specialises in assessing nutritional requirements, food intake and growth both in times of health and disease.

 

Individually tailored dietary advice is provided based on a child’s age, treatment and medical condition.

 

Who we provide a service to:

• The paediatric dietitian manages an age group from the very premature infant through infancy and childhood until adolescence, when their care is transferred to an adult service.
  
  
• Services are provided to the Trust’s children’s and neonatal directorates both on a local and regional level.
  
  
• High standards of dietetic care are provided to all children referred from paediatricians where Addenbrooke’s is their local district general hospital. This included children with diabetes, those attending the Child Development Centre and those requiring general paediatric medical and surgical care.
  
  
• In addition, as a regional centre for a number of paediatric specialities our paediatric dietitians offer high level dietetic skills in neonatology, paediatric intensive care, cystic fibrosis, gastroenterology, oncology, paediatric neurology as well as specialist surgery and metabolic medicine.
  
  
• Our team of eleven paediatric dietitans is led and supported by a principle paediatric dietitian who along with 4 advanced paediatric dietitians facilitate education, support, peer review and continuing professional development within the team, Trust and wider region.
  
  
• Our team of paediatric dietitians is steadily increasing and there are some exciting developments planned for new services in the future including the development of services to the proposed new children’s hospital.

 

Education

• The paediatric dietetic team have an ongoing commitment to teaching and education both locally and on a regional level. Education opportunities are provided to all staff within the Trust’s Children’s and Women’s services as well as linked education establishments around Cambridge.
  
  
• Regionally the team acts as an essential resource in many areas of paediatric dietetics for other paediatric dietitians based across East Anglia and provide specialist education to regional and occasionally national study days on request.

 

What our jobs entail

• The paediatric dietitian specialises in translating individual nutritional requirements into practical dietary and feeding practices or regimens, to optimise health, growth and development within the parameters of the child’s particular condition.
  
  
• On admission to hospital each child has their weight and height measured. A detailed nutritional assessment can be carried out by a paediatric dietitian where indicated on request from the child’s medical team.
  
  
• During an inpatient stay, a child might require nutritional support and/or a special or therapeutic diet. This will involve assessment, advice and support from one of our team. Each child referred to our service is monitored throughout their stay by a paediatric dietitian and, where appropriate, follow-up after discharge is provided via our outpatient facility.
  
  
• The paediatric dietitians have a high profile within the multi-disciplinary team, both within individual paediatric specialities and on the Children's Unit. We work closely on developing policies and procedures for use within the Children Unit and also with the catering team to provide nutritious, balanced choices throughout a child’s hospital stay.
  
  
• We hold a minimum of ten paediatric dietetic-led clinics per month, and take referrals from Addenbrooke's paediatricians and their teams. Referrals into these clinics include the management of faltering growth, feeding difficulties, food intolerances and allergies, iron deficiency anaemia and childhood obesity. We also have input into consultant led clinics for metabolic medicine, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and gastroenterology.

 

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