Patient Dietetic Consultations can take place via telephone, video or face to face in a clinic setting. We also offer a home visit service for patients who are housebound or residents of a nursing or care home.
Clinical appointments
Once we have received a referral from your GP, Consultant or health professional, we will send you:
- An opt-in letter offering you a choice of a Telephone, Video, 1:1 Clinic Appointment or a Group Education Session
- If you have been referred for a Home Visit a Dietitian will contact you by phone to discuss and book an appointment.
You can respond to the opt-in letter in two ways:
- Telephone us on: 01253 957 871 and speak to one of our administrators or leave a message on our 24 hour answer machine
- Email us: askadietician@nhs.net
Please note: If no response is received after 2 weeks, you will be discharged from our service.
Explore the drop-downs below to find out more about each option.
Your first telephone consultation with the Dietitian will last about an hour and the Dietitian will be in a quiet, private room to ensure confidentiality.
You are welcome to have a friend or relative with you on speaker phone, especially if they do most of the cooking or shopping or if their support is important to you.
If your telephone appointment is not suitable, please contact us to either rearrange or cancel. This will allow us to offer the appointment to someone else and help reduce our waiting lists. If you do not attend your telephone appointment without letting us know, you will be discharged from our service. Your referrer and GP will be informed.
The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics train students and there may be occasions when a Student Dietitian is present at your telephone appointment. If you would prefer them not to be present, please feel free to tell us.
Instead of travelling to your appointment, you and your Dietitian are able to communicate over a secure online video system called Attend Anywhere.
An online video call is as convenient as a phone call, with the added value of face-to-face communication. It can save you time and money, and brings your care closer to home.
Ready to Attend Your Video Call Appointment with the Dietitian?
Go to the waiting room for your video appointment.
This link will have been sent to you in an appointment letter along with a date and time of your appointment with the Dietitian. Remember that this is for a pre-arranged appointment only.
Please note: you must not log into a video call earlier than ten minutes before your appointment time.
Your First Video Consultation with the Dietitian
Your first video consultation with the Dietitian will last about an hour and the Dietitian will be in a quiet, private room to ensure confidentiality. Video calls are secure; your privacy is protected. You have your own private video room that only an authorised Dietitian can enter.
You are welcome to have a friend or relative with you, especially if they do most of the cooking or shopping or if their support is important to you.
If your video appointment is not suitable, please contact us to either rearrange or cancel. This will allow us to offer the appointment to someone else and help reduce our waiting lists. If you do not attend your telephone appointment without letting us know, you will be discharged from our service. Your referrer and GP will be informed.
The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics trains students and there may be occasions when a Student Dietitian is present on your video call appointment. If you would prefer them not to be present, please feel free to tell us.
Your first meeting with the Dietitian will take place in a quiet room, ensuring confidentiality and will last about half an hour.
The Dietitian will aim to see or speak with you promptly and within thirty minutes of your appointment time. You will be offered an explanation if further delays are expected.
You are welcome to have a friend or relative present especially if they do most of the cooking or shopping or if their support is important to you.
If your appointment is not suitable, please contact us to either rearrange or cancel. This will allow us to offer the appointment to someone else and help reduce our waiting lists. If you do not attend your appointment without letting us know, you will be discharged from our service. Your referrer and GP will be informed.
The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics trains students and there may be occasions when a Student Dietitian is present at your appointment. If you would prefer them not to be present, please feel free to tell us.
Home visits are only available for housebound patients and residents of Nursing Homes and Care Homes that meet our referral criteria.
Visits will only be undertaken if necessary and advice may be given over the phone, if deemed appropriate.
For additional support, you are welcome to have a friend, family member, or carer present at the home visit appointment.
What happens next?
Once you have opted into the dietetic service, you will be placed on a waiting list until an appointment becomes available.
We will then contact you by telephone to book an appointment and give you details of the date, place and time of your appointment or group education session.
We may also send you an appointment letter to confirm these details if there is enough time for the letter to reach you before your appointment.
If this appointment is not suitable, please contact us to either rearrange or cancel. This will allow us to offer the appointment to someone else and help reduce our waiting lists.
If you do not attend your appointment or group education session without letting us know you will be discharged from our service. Your referrer and GP will be informed.
Food and drink diary
You may also be asked to keep a food and drink diary for 3 days before your appointment.
Keeping a food and drink diary can help:
- To reflect on your eating and drinking. Becoming aware of what you eat and how food fits into your lifestyle is important to managing and maintaining any changes you make
- You and your Dietitian to plan small, realistic changes to improve your eating habits and lifestyle.