The oral nutrition support service are a specialist dietitian led team. We help you if you are struggling to eat enough due to a medical condition, or have become ‘malnourished’ or at high risk of ‘malnutrition’.
We support you to increase your intake of nutrition to help support your wellbeing. If not addressed, malnutrition can worsen a person’s wellbeing. For example, you may see:
- Slower recovery and rehabilitation following illness
- Increased risk of infections
- Loss of muscle strength, resulting in increased risk of falls, chest infections and heart failure (our hearts and lungs are powered by muscles).
The team consists of specialist dietitians supported by dietetic support workers and practitioners.
We offer a full assessment and work with the person sometimes in collaboration with family/carers to agree dietary changes which are realistic and meet individual needs.
How to access the oral nutrition support service
We support people who have tried to improve their eating but are still struggling and require more specialist support. Where appropriate, we will ask you to attempt the self-help resources below first before seeking a referral to our service.
Your GP can advise if you are suitable for our service and refer if appropriate. Information for referrers including our referral criteria.
When and where you can be seen
This service runs Monday to Friday daytime. You will be seen in community-based clinics, at home (if too unwell or frail to be seen at clinic) and within care homes.
We are a teaching hospital and sometimes we have student dietitians on placement with us who may be present in appointments.
Self-help resources
If you have a medical condition, food allergies or issues with swallowing for which you have received special dietary advice, the information in these leaflets may not be right for you. Please discuss with your healthcare professional.
- Learn more about the effects of malnutrition.
- Checklist to see if you are someone you know are at risk of malnutrition.
- Small and often, high calorie diet guide, for people with a poor appetite and unplanned weight loss.
- Guide if you have COPD and experiencing poor appetite and unplanned weight loss.
Referral criteria
The service is for adults aged 18 and over who are registered with a Newcastle GP, where:
- Patient consents to referral to oral nutrition support service.
- Must score ≤2 with evidence of underlying physical cause which has not responded to first line guidance (see supporting resources section below).
- Lower must considered if: ‘dysphagia significantly impacting oral intake and weight loss’? e.g. MND or pressure damage Grade 3+.
Exclusion criteria
The team is small and in high demand, referrals are rejected in the following situations:
- Referrals from intermediate care teams which do not fund dietetics as part of their service.
- Out of area (does not have a Newcastle GP).
- Patient appropriate for 1st line advice but not given or implemented (see supporting resources section below).
- Eating disorders, ARFID, ADHD – consider referral to appropriate mental health services or signpost to Eating Distress North East.
- Stable patients (lower nutritional risk or have completed previous dietetic intervention). We are unable to provide routine, longer term review of patients prescribed nutritional supplements.
- Patient has unstable mental health condition, active alcohol and substance misuse (if underlying cause of malnutrition, patient should be referred to and be engaging in appropriate services to support)
We suggest health professionals follow the below local pathway when considering a referral.
Newcastle malnutrition management pathway
Referral and contact information
GPs can refer to the service via the existing e-referral System (e-RS)
Referral criteria for the dietetics and nutrition department
