Referring to adult community services - nutrition and dietetics
Welcome to the nutrition and dietetics referral page for adult community services. This page is intended for healthcare professionals only and is not intended for the public. If you are a member of the public, please return to the dietetics main website page for further information.
Included on this page is information about how to refer to our service, extra detail to support a referral, what are inappropriate referrals to our service and useful resources for different dietary conditions. The useful resource section may mitigate the need for a referral to be made to our service so be sure to use these resources with your patients.
If you would like to provide feedback on these forms please email your comments to dietetics@nhft.nhs.uk
How to refer to our serviceBack upWe have a variety of different methods for referring into our service. Please see which method is the right one for you.
Children and young people
All referrals are submitted through the Referral Management Centre (RMC)
Adults
- GPs: refer electronically through the GP system
- SystmOne users: refer through SystmOne using the dietetics e-referral template
- Other healthcare professionals: refer using the relevant online referral form found on this page. Please note our referral forms are now on a new and improved platform that is easier to use and will also allow you to save the information to complete at a later date.
Care homes
Refer to our service using our online referral form
The care home can make this referral and a GP referral is not required.
General information to read before referringBack upGeneral exclusion criteria
- Registered GP outside Northamptonshire
- Referral under 18 years old (unless pre-agreed with service)
General information
- Once the referral has been submitted we will check it meets our referral criteria and prioritise the urgency of the referral. If referral critera are met we will make contact with the patient by telephone or letter to either book an appointment or offer an opt-in to our service. If they opt in, an appointment will then be offered. If they do not opt in or decline a booked appointment they will be discharged back to the referrer
- All referrals are clinically prioritised according to need but we aim to see people within 18 weeks of referral
- Patient contact is currently via telephone, face to face or video
- Following an initial assessment a patient will be offered further dietetic input (if clinically indicated) or discharged from the service
- A letter is sent to the GP and referrer following an initial assessment
- Patients with swallowing difficulties need to be referred to the Speech and Language Therapy service
- Patients with suspected eating disorders need to be referred to the Eating Disorder service
- Patients with diabetes need to be referred to the Diabetes Multidisciplinary Team (unless their diabetes is controlled and they need dietary advice for another reason, e.g. nutrition support or irritable bowel syndrome)
- A patient with a BMI <35 or less or a BMI 35-40 without any comorbidities for weight management advice requires Tier 2 offerings that are available at West Northamptonshire Council and North Northamptonshire Council
How to refer using our website form - NOT for SystmOne users or GP practicesBack upBefore completing a referral to our service, please make sure you have checked out the 'Additional information' section specific to the referral type you are making. This referral form is to be completed by health care professionals.
If you have any queries please contact us on dietetics@nhft.nhs.uk or 03000 270059
Please ensure you proceed through all pages of the referral submission. You will know the referral has been submitted when you see a page indicating 'Thank you for submitting your referral', with a reference number provided.
Gastroenterology- Extra information for referralsBack up
- FODMAP referrals will routinely be added to our IBS pathway unless it is clear from the referral that first line IBS dietary advice has already been given and tried for a minimum of 8 weeks
- Coeliac disease referrals require a confirmed diagnosis by a gastroenterologist
- It is good practice to have undertaken all appropriate diagnostic testing, as the dietetic service does not have the ability to request these (e.g. coeliac screen, SeHCAT test, faecal calprotectin)
- Inappropriate referralsBack up
- Diagnosed eating disorder
- Useful resourcesBack up
- BEAT Eating Disorders
- Bile acid malabsorption - Guts UK
- British Liver Trust
- Coeliac UK
- Constipation - NHS
- Crohn's and Colitis UK
- Crohn's disease - Guts UK
- Diverticular disease - Guts UK
- Eosinophilic oesophagitis
- Fibre food fact sheet - BDA
- FODMAPs - King's College London
- FODMAPs and IBS - Monash University
- Gallstones - NHS
- Gastroparesis - Guts UK
- Heartburn and acid reflux - NHS
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) food fact sheet - BDA
- Pancreatitis (acute) - Guts UK
- Pancreatitis (chronic) - Guts UK
- Gastroenterology referral form - NOT for SystmOne users or GP practicesBack up
- GPs: please refer electronically through the GP system
- SystmOne users: refer through SystmOne using the dietetics e-referral template
Other referrers
Home enteral feeding- Inappropriate referralsBack up
- Patients not registered with a Northamptonshire GP or already under paediatric service (16 to 18 years of age)
- Home enteral feeding tube feed in situ referral form - NOT for SystmOne users or GP practicesBack up
Please complete this referral form for a patient with a feeding tube who needs to be handed over to the home enteral feeding service. This form is to be completed by a Dietitian or Nutrition Specialist Nurse or other appropriate clinician (patient with a feeding tube in-situ).
- GPs: please refer electronically through the GP system
- SystmOne users: refer through SystmOne using the dietetics e-referral template
Other referrers
Frailty and malnutrition requiring nutrition support- Extra information for referralsBack up
- We encourage a food-first approach so please ensure this is explored before making a referral
- Please follow guidance in the document 'Oral Nutritional Supplements (ONS) in Adults: Six Steps to Appropriate Prescribing in Primary Care'
- Oral nutritional supplements can be issued by GPs using guidance provided in the document 'Oral Nutritional Supplements (ONS) in Adults: Six Steps to Appropriate Prescribing in Primary Care'. Please avoid withholding ONS if they are clinically indicated until the dietetic assessment
- For referrals for palliative care please refer to the document 'Oral Nutritional Supplements (ONS) in Adults: Six Steps to Appropriate Prescribing in Primary Care' prior to making a referral to our service
Accepted referrals
- MUST score of 2 when food-first advice does not improve nutritional status
- MUST score of 3 and above
- Complex medical conditions
- Risk of developing re-feeding problems
- Oral nutritional supplements (ONS) are the sole source of nutrition
- Oral nutritional supplements (ONS) for more than THREE months and unable to transition back to diet only
- There are occasions when Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) is not an appropriate screening tool to use to identify risk of malnutrition, for example dysphagia and neurological conditions like Parkinson's and MND. Therefore, for referrals of this nature a MUST score is not required
- Inappropriate referralsBack up
- MUST score of 0 and 1 not on oral nutritional supplements
- MUST score of 2 with no evidence of first-line dietary advice provided (food-first approach)
- Referrals for the care home service need to be completed via the dietetics referral form for care homes. Care homes can refer directly to our care home service and do not require a GP referral
- Less than 8 weeks of life prognosis
- Frailty and malnutrition requiring nutrition support referral form - NOT for SystmOne users or GP practicesBack up
- GPs: please refer electronically through the GP system
- SystmOne users: refer through SystmOne using the dietetics e-referral template
Other referrers
Oncology- Extra information for referralsBack up
- There are occasions when Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) is not an appropriate screening tool to use to identify risk of malnutrition, for example in cancer care. Therefore, for referrals of this nature a MUST score is not required
- Inappropriate referralsBack up
- If the cancer diagnosis is not within the last 12 months or they are not on active treatment, please use the nutrition support template and not the oncology template
- Less than 8 weeks of life prognosis
- Oncology referral form - NOT for SystmOne users or GP practicesBack up
- GPs: please refer electronically through the GP system
- SystmOne users: refer through SystmOne using the dietetics e-referral template
Other referrers
Renal- Extra information for referralsBack upAll patients who are receiving peritoneal dialysis or haemodialysis are reviewed routinely or sooner if any concerns arise regarding appetite, potassium or phosphate. If you have any particular concerns please contact the renal dietitians.
- Inappropriate referralsBack up
- GFR is greater than 30 that have CKD (chronic kidney disease) stage 1-3 (if you require dietetic advice please refer to the miscellaneous referral information)
- Renal referral form - NOT for SystmOne users or GP practicesBack up
- GPs: please refer electronically through the GP system
- SystmOne users: refer through SystmOne using the dietetics e-referral template
Other referrers
Weight management- Extra information for referralsBack up
- We accept referrals for BMI 40 and above and BMI 35 and above with co-morbidities
- Post-bariatric surgery patients need to be referred to tier 4 services (in Northamptonshire we are a tier 3 service)
- If the patient has diabetes, we accept referrals where the patient has had intervention within the last 6 months from a diabetes service, insulin included (exception with a BMI 50)
- If the patient is diagnosed with poor mental health, we accept referrals if they are accessing support from a mental health team
- Inappropriate referralsBack up
- Post-bariatric surgery patients
- Adults with diabetes who have not had diabetic intervention in 6 months
- Adults with mental health issues not accessing support from a mental health team
- We are not commissioned to see tier 2 referrals - please direct instead to West Northamptonshire Council or North Northamptonshire Council
- Useful resourcesBack up
- Healthier Families - NHS Better Health
- Healthy weight - West Northamptonshire Council
- Lose Weight - NHS Better Health
- Northants Activity on Referral (AOR) - Northamptonshire Sport
- Obesity, Healthy Weight Loss and Nutrition - British Nutrition Foundation
- Tips to help you lose weight - NHS
- Trilogy Active - Inspiring Active Lifestyles
- Weight management - North Northamptonshire Council
- Weight management referral form - NOT for non SystmOne users or GP practicesBack up
- GPs: please refer electronically through the GP system
- SystmOne users: refer through SystmOne using the dietetics e-referral template
Other referrers
Miscellaneous- Extra information for referralsBack up
- Diabetes referrals need to be sent to the Specialist Diabetes team unless it is for nutrition support and IBS, in which case please use the relevant sections above
- Eating disorder referrals need to be sent to the Eating Disorder Service - eating disorder referrals are accepted only from the Eating Disorder Service
- For the prediabetes national diabetes programme please send referrals to Diabetes Multidisciplinary Team
- Weight management tier 2 referrals (BMI <39.4) are not accepted in our service and need to be referred to First for Wellbeing
- True food allergies can be referred via miscellaneous referrals
- Miscellaneous referral form - NOT for SystmOne users or GP practicesBack up
- GPs: please refer electronically through the GP system
- SystmOne users: refer through SystmOne using the dietetics e-referral template
Other referrers