Dietitians at UHDB play a vital role in helping patients get well
This week, 20-24 June is Dietitians Week. Georgia Dickenson, Community Team Lead Dietitian, who works at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital, explains how dietitians help patients and communities across Southern Derbyshire.
The role of a dietitian has a broad spectrum and dietitians play a vital role in helping patients get back to full strength, while also offering support to other healthcare professionals.
Georgia, who has worked as a dietitian for four years, said: “The role of a dietitian is massively varied.
“We currently have a team of around 90 staff and we work across three sites and in the community. We look after inpatients, outpatients, deliver training and do home visits to housebound patients. We also support colleagues in other departments with our renal dietitians, oncology dietitians, gastro dietitians and paediatric dietitians.”
Georgia’s role often involves visiting patients in their homes to help support them to gain weight. The team also do lots of work to raise awareness about malnutrition with students on placement, or colleagues within the Trust.
Dietitians week helps to challenge the perception that ‘dietitians only work to help people with weight management’ and show that they do so much more to support patients in improving their health.
Georgia said: “We do so much more than weight management, for example for Renal and Oncology patients we play a vital part in building the patients’ strength back up and aiding their recovery.
“We show patients the importance of putting nutrition first and the benefits it can have.”
Georgia and her colleagues are keen to reach out to other colleagues in the Trust in the hope of supporting their patients with dietary needs too.
She said: “I am really lucky to be a part of an absolutely fantastic team and it really is a team effort
“We’re a source of information for other healthcare professionals and I think awareness weeks like this are key in showing people what we do and letting them know that we can help them too.
“If you see us on a ward or in the community in our white and turquoise uniforms come and speak to us, we are here to help.”