Nutrition & Dietetic service Lambeth PCT By Carys Marke

Description of the service Department has a Skill Mix of : Dietitians Nutritionists Community food workers.

What Are the Aims of the service? To provide home visit to housebound patients To provide a nutrition education for residents within the community To provide nutrition training for other health professionals, local authority and voluntary organisations. To seek funding from other sources for service improvement.  

What service do we provide currently? Community Dietetics ( Clinical Arm of the service) Home visit consultation Criteria for referral House Bound Living in the Borough of Lambeth. Who refers to the service ? GP’s (excluding those GP’s that have primary Care dietetic Service) Community Nurses including specialist teams Care Homes ((excluding those GP’s that have primary Care dietetic Service) AHP’s, Community Matrons; Intermediate care centres Transfers from out of area into Lambeth  

What service do we provide currently? Training for health professionals, partners and other agencies across Lambeth on first line nutrition advice for service users. Working with specific agencies such as nurseries on developing food policies, menu planning, nutrition activities e.g. increasing intake of fruits and vegetables.. Using user, partners and other health professional feedback to shape future service improvement. Provide guidance to Lambeth PCT on delivery of specific nutrition related government policies, as appropriate e.g. Nutrition in the under fives guidelines Malnutrition Universal Screening tool.  

What service do we provide currently? Children centres ( Children Services)   The service is: Locality based Adapted to suits the needs of children and families Ensures equality and equity of access.

What service do we provide currently? Nutrition & Dietetic activities for children’s centres. Weaning sessions to parents/ young mothers Drop in session/ one to one sessions - at children centres. Opportunity for parents/ carers to discuss issues around nutrition. Training includes evidence-based updates on current issues on childhood nutrition, to empower health professionals to deliver health messages around nutrition. Training for parents/ carer’s on nutrition issues. Empowering parents by providing access to training to provide employment possibilities. (Certificate in food Hygiene etc)  

What service do we provide currently? Clapham Park healthy Living project ( families) Project aims to promote healthy eating and physical activity in the Clapham Park area, across all age groups. Rationale: To improve the health and wellbeing of the Clapham park residents. Project comes to an end March 2009. The project employs a: Community Dietitian Community Food worker

What service do we provide currently? Clapham Park healthy Living project ( families) Role of community Dietitian within the project: To carrying out and establish healthy lifestyle programmes. Community food initiatives such as training with schools, to help them achieve Healthy Schools Status, drop-ins sessions for parents in the Clapham park neighbourhood, in conjunction with Health Visitors, Nutrition education for residents etc. Supervise and work closely with community food worker.

Clapham Park Project Role of the community Food worker within the Clapham park project: Target groups who are least likely to access mainstream services, due to language, cultural barriers. Run cook and eat sessions Are trained to get health messages across in a practical way. Help community groups to develop the practical skills required in shopping, budgeting and cooking - to be able to make informed choices to eat more healthily on a low budget.

what would we like the service to look like? With a drive to care in the community, how do we envisage the service in the future. Maintain Skill Mix   Deliver locality based service across the borough of Lambeth. Accept referrals from GP and deliver service within GP surgeries and community settings, including group sessions. Continue Home visits but locality based.

Future technology on how the service will work. Systems in place to link up Rio and GP services so that : Access to patient’s records can be obtained readily. Facilitate referral possess and appointment system Access to relevant biochemistry and any relevant records to plan patient care.etc Facilitate feedback to referrer and action plan.  

Information About service Develop specialist services to work in collaboration with other teams within the PCT and other organizations: Community Paediatric Dietetic services Feeding Clinic Link in with education with work around extended schools Participate in Dietetic Student training