The Complex Feeding Difficulties Service

Information on NHFT's The Complex Feeding Difficulties Service

Type

Complex Feeding Difficulties Service

The Complex Feeding Difficulties Service is a specialist service who work with children in Northamptonshire who are 11 years or younger and meet the following criteria:

- The young person is significantly restrictive or avoidant in their feeding across contexts (home, school and community) in one or more of the following ways:

  • Eating less than 20 different foods across a range of food groups
  • Eating is restricted to items in only 1 or 2 food groups
  • Eating is restricted to very small amounts across a range of food items and groups but not sufficient to meet nutritional or growth needs

- There is an impact in one or more of the following areas:

  • Weight loss or growth concerns
  • Nutritional deficiency
  • Dependence on enteral feeding or on supplements for majority of nutritional needs
  • Psychosocial impairment for the young person or family (for example an impact on how much they can attend school/nursery, socialise with peers, attend family occasions, the anxiety or distress this causes the young person or the family)

- Primary level services (health visiting or school nursing) have already been accessed and been unsuccessful

- The difficulties are not related to eating disorder cognitions

- An MDT assessment, consultation or treatment approach is required.

Many of the children who attend the clinic have other difficulties, including autism spectrum disorders or medical conditions.

How do I register for this service?

You can ask a health care professional such as the Paediatrician, Health Visitor or GP to refer you to the team.

If your child is appropriate for our service we will ask you to complete our screening questionnaire. On returning the questionnaire, you will be put on our waiting list for an appointment.

 

As this is a very popular service it may take approximately 6 months for you to receive your appointment.

Contact us

If you need to call us you can on 03000 270 700

We support the county of Northamptonshire through face to face and virtual appointments.

Meet the team

Our team is made up of specialists in different fields. By bringing different services together we create a multi-disciplinary approach. This helps create a smoother process for our patients, service users and their families.

The team consists of:

  • Speech and Language Therapists
  • Paediatric Dietitians
  • Physical Health Nurses
  • Psychologists.

Professionals

How to refer:

  • Please go through the Referral Management Centre (RMC) referral process and select SALT - Feeding as the service required. 
  • Please make a referral only if local interventions supported by Health visitors/School nurses/SSS have not been successful. Please include information about strategies that have already been explored.
  • The parent screening questionnaire must be completed with families and included in the referral.  Complex Feeding Difficulties Service - parent screening questionnaire[docx] 69KB
  • If you’d like to discuss a referral with us, please email us as we have regular consultation slots available.

When not to refer:

  • Fussy eating which is developmentally appropriate and does not result in weight loss or failure to thrive
  • Where the family/child require access to one service only:  Dietitian, SLT or Psychologist
  • When only one or two of the Section criteria are met
  • Children who have not received advice from community/primary care services
  • When the family need urgent intervention due to risk to the child’s health. Please liaise with the child’s GP/Paediatrician and note that waiting time for an initial appointment with us can be up to 6 months. Please arrange for local monitoring of health/weight/height for all referrals if required

More Information

What do we offer?

What do we offer?

  • Initial assessment and recommendations

  • Follow up appointments as needed

  • Workshops for children and family such as messy play group, parent feeding group

  • Psychological support in groups and individual or family work

  • Speech and Language eating, drinking and swallow assessment and support

  • Dietetic input and review

  • Physical health monitoring

  • ARFID diagnosis where appropriate

  • Liaison with other agencies

Expectations of Change

Expectations of Change

With any longstanding habitual behaviour, change can take time and will require out of session practice.

The aim of our service is to provide skills and knowledge to patients and their families so they can continue to make change after treatment discharge.

In the future your child can be re-referred by any healthcare professional once advice and strategies have been put in place and further support is required. 

Community healthcare services - children and young people

  1. Children's services map
  2. Children's resources, tips and advice hub
  3. Children and young people mental health services
  4. CAMHS in the Community
  5. CAMHS Live
  6. CAMHS Inpatients
  7. Children’s 0-19 Services
  8. Children and Young People ADHD & ASD Service
  9. Children and Young People Community Eating Disorder Service
  10. Children’s CTPLD (Learning disabilities)
  11. Children’s Therapy Services - Speech & Language Therapy Team
  12. Children’s Therapy Services - Occupational Therapy
  13. Children’s Therapy Services - Physiotherapy
  14. Community Children’s Nursing
  15. Community Paediatrics
  16. Complex Feeding Difficulties Service
  17. Co-production and Participation
  18. Health Youth Justice Service
  19. Looked After Children
  20. Paediatric Psychology Service
  21. Referral Management Centre
  22. Short Breaks for Disabled Children and Young People
  23. Specialist Dental Services - Children
  24. Special School Nursing Team