Nutrition and dietetics

Overview

Dietetics and dieticians

Dietetics is a branch of therapy that focuses on using the diet, and the nutrition provided by food, to prevent disease and improve health problems.

Dieticians are therefore experts in diet and nutrition. They give practical advice on how to change a diet to meet health needs and, in NHS hospitals, they design dietary plans and hospital food to help rehabilitate patients to full strength.

These dietary experts are an important part of patient rehabilitation, as it’s often a process that needs special dietary input - especially for those with a reduced ability to chew or eat food due to illness, swallowing problems or tube feeding.

What do dieticians do at Barnet, Chase Farm and the Royal Free hospitals?

NHS dieticians at the Royal Free London are trained to graduate level and provide specialist dietetic input into the following areas:

As part of the healthcare team our dieticians provide care for people in the community too, as well as in hospital, by providing nutritional advice and how nutrition can be used as part of the overall treatment of medical conditions.

For more details about the role of dieticians visit the British Dietetic Association 

British Dietetic Association patient leaflets

Contact

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Find your ward

  • Barnet Hospital

    Wellhouse Lane
    Barnet
    Hertfordshire
    EN5 3DJ

  • Chase Farm Hospital

    The Ridgeway
    Enfield
    Middlesex
    EN2 8JL 

  • Edgware Community Hospital

    Burnt Oak Broadway
    Edgware
    Middlesex
    HA8 0AD    

    Enquiries: 020 8952 2381

  • Royal Free Hospital

    Pond Street
    London
    NW3 2QG    

    Enquiries: 020 7830 2127

Patient leaflets

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