Formerly Auckland DHB Allied Health Services - Dietetics

The Auckland Adult Community Service Dietitians team will provide specialised nutritional support associated with a chronic and long term condition requiring nutrition related patient care by means of educational/oral/enteral therapies for clients over the age of 16 years.

Examples include:

• Home enteral nutrition such as NG, PEG, NJ, PEJ/JJ, RIG
• Diagnosed or screened malnutrition or of significant risk of under nutrition caused by:
  - decreased intake, or difficulty chewing/swallowing/meeting nutritional needs
  - conditions causing increased nutritional requirements 
  - malabsorption or increased nutritional losses of nutrients or high risk of dehydration
• Specialised nutritional requirements such as:
  - gastrointestinal or organ diseases/disorders such diagnosed functional gut disorders, coeliac disease & inflammatory bowel disease
  - food allergies/intolerances via referral from ADHB immunologist   

What to expect

Clients are seen via telehealth or in clinic which are held at the Greenlane Clinical Centre and Pt Chev site. If these are not possible home visits can be organised.

First assessment appointments may take up to an hour and follow-up appointments will generally be around 30 minutes. Carers, family or whānau are welcome during sessions with the dietitian.

What will the dietitian do?

Assessment:

• ask questions about your meal patterns, food choices and lifestyle. This will include questions about the type and amount of food and drink that you have
• measure your height and weight if needed
• the dietitian may also ask you to keep a written record of what you eat and drink.

Education:

•  work with you and your family/whānau to provide a personalised nutrition plan
• explain any recommendations made and why they are needed
• provide written information about these recommendations.

Support:

• monitor your food and fluid intake and suggest ways to improve your health
• provide follow up appointments as required
• with your consent, we refer you to other services as you require (for instance – physiotherapists, district nurses)
• talk to you and your family/whānau about other groups and health professionals that can provide ongoing support when you no longer need to be seen by the dietitian
• send a summary of your nutrition care to your GP and/or referrer.

What do you need to do?
Dietitians provide information and support to help you to choose the best foods for your health. To do this you and the dietitian need to work together. You can help by:

• telling us as much as you can about the foods you choose and the amounts that you eat and drink
• asking about things that you don’t understand
• trying the changes that are suggested by the dietitian
• telling us about how the changes are going and if you are managing them
• telling us if you have difficulty understanding the written and/or the spoken information that we give.

FAQS
How are referrals made?

Referrals are accepted from health care practitioners via E-Referral.

What needs to be referred elsewhere?

• ACC

• Weight Management (Refer to Green Prescription)

• Diagnosed or Suspected Eating Disorder Diagnosis (Refer to Auckland Eating Disorder Service)

• Clients open to Mental Health services clinics except for enteral feeding referrals (Refer to Mental Health services)

• Clients open to Mason Centre, Waitemata Mental Health Service (Refer to Waitemata Community Dietetic service)

• Diabetes advice (Refer to Auckland Diabetes Centre or diabetes self-management courses)

• Chronic renal failure under renal consultant (CKD 3 – 4 or 5), on dialysis, kidney transplants, or kidney stones (Refer to Renal Service Dietitian)

• Oncology clients currently undergoing radio or chemotherapy under oncology services (refer to Oncology Service Dietitian)

• Bariatric surgery clients (Refer to Bariatric Service Dietitian)

• Waiheke Island residents (Refer to Waiheke Health Trust)

What information is required for Screening Dietitian Referrals?

• Medical history
• Medications
• Current weight
• Well weight +/- presence of oedema
• Amount of weight loss (if any) and time period (if available)
• Appetite and factors affecting food intake e.g. nausea, constipation, swallowing problems
• Social support
• Alerts e.g. cognition, dentition problems
• Relevant biochemistry