We provide dietitian consultations for:

Adults with respiratory conditions
Older adults
Adults recovering from critical illness
Adults pre and post lung transplantation
Adults pre and post heart transplantation
Adults with swallowing problems

Medical conditions we can provide specialist nutrition advice for…

We provide nutritional assessments for those with respiratory conditions and those recovering from critical illness. We can provide nutritional assessments for those with respiratory conditions who are overweight or obese, with or without diabetes. We can provide appropriate nutrition treatment plans to support healthy lifestyle changes.

We also provide nutritional assessments for older adults without respiratory conditions and specialise in the nutritional aspects of muscle loss and frailty. We have a keen interest in the science of body composition analysis and interventions to support better health.

We can also assess and advise those who have swallowing problems and require a textured modified diet. Eating mashed or blended foods can cause dietary imbalances as it leads to less variety and smaller portions, making it more difficult to meet protein and micronutrients (vitamin and mineral) requirements.

We have years of NHS experience supporting the nutritional needs of patients from a variety of medical specialities, including recent experience working with patients with heart conditions and those who are pre and post heart and lung transplant.

Medical conditions we do not provide specialist nutrition advice for…

Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
This is a very specialised lifelong medical condition that can cause lung damage but also affects various other organs in the body and so has complex nutritional consequences. Although we have knowledge of CF and experience treating people with CF during their hospital admissions we do not consider ourselves experts and feel you would benefit from seeing a dietitian who specialises in CF.

You can find a specialist CF dietitian by either typing “Find a dietitian” into an online search engine or going directly online to the British Dietetic Association (BDA) webpage and navigating to their “Search the Freelance Dietitian Directory” page.

Allergies
If you would like advice on suspected or diagnosed food allergies causing your respiratory symptoms such as asthma you would benefit from seeing a dietitian who specialises in food allergies. You can find a specialist allergy dietitian by searching the BDA webpage as described above. If you already have a diagnosed allergy and this is not your main reason for seeking advice from a dietitian we can tailor your individualised nutrition treatment plan around the required dietary restrictions accordingly.

Consultations

If you have never seen a dietitian before, you may be wondering what happens during the consultation. The consultation consists of a structured nutritional assessment, a review of the assessment results and a discussion about realistic aims of treatment and goals. All the information you provide during the consultation will be treated as confidential.

Nutritional Assessment	Health Questions Unless this information is already included in your referral you will be asked about your medical history, medications, allergies, any recent blood test and lung function results. Dietary Assessment A dietary assessment will then be undertaken by asking you about your usual dietary intake, specifically looking at type of foods eaten, quantity and timing of meals, snacks and drinks. Ideally you will have completed a food diary for 3-7 days prior to your appointment as this will help speed up this part of the assessment. Physical Assessment You will be asked about your weight and weight history. If you agree the dietitian can then perform a more comprehensive nutrition focused physical assessment of your body composition (muscle and fat stores). Muscle strength can also be assessed using hand grip strength measurements. You can find more information about nutrition assessments on our ‘Learn More’ page.
Review and Discussion	Once the assessment part of the consultation has been completed, the dietitian will discuss the results of this with you and advise on potential factors that could be impacting on your health. They will advise you on ways you could improve your health.
Nutrition Treatment Plan (Aim and Goals)	Together you will agree what you want to achieve overall (your treatment aim). You will then decide what dietary and health changes you can make to achieve this and the dietitian will help guide you to formulate a nutrition treatment plan. This usually consists of a set of realistic goals rather than a prescriptive meal plan. The dietitian will ensure you have the knowledge and confidence to implement each of your goals. The nutrition treatment plan may include starting nutritional supplement drinks to help boost your daily intake of energy, protein and other nutrients. There is a huge variety of these available to buy but you can also make your own. Your dietitian will ensure you have written information on these if needed. In certain circumstances nutritional supplement drinks can be obtained on prescription and your dietitian can help coordinate this by writing to your GP. For further information on nutritional supplement drinks see our FAQ and ‘Learn More’ pages.
Questions	There will be time for you to ask questions during the consultation so it’s a good idea to write down any questions you have before you come to your consultation appointment.

To be listened to and treated with empathy and compassion
To receive a comprehensive nutrition assessment including assessment of body composition, muscle strength and frailty.
To be provided with supporting information about why and how you can improve your health
To be provided with a personalised nutrition treatment plan
To be given appropriate nutritional advice based on scientific evidence

If you think you are ready to book, great! You can book via our website by clicking on “Contact Us” at the bottom of this page. This will direct you to complete a contact form. We will then contact you by email or telephone (please state your preference), to arrange a suitable consultation date, time and location.

If you are unsure whether you need to see a dietitian and would like to ask a question about this or would like any further information about booking a consultation please get in touch by clicking on “Contact Us” at the bottom of this page.

Clinic	We have a consultation room within a private therapy clinic in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. There is no onsite parking at the clinic but it is possible to be dropped just outside the main entrance of the clinic. There is nearby pay and display parking (approximately 250 metres walk) or plenty of free parking only a short walk away at St Ives Park and Ride.
Online appointments via video call	If you do not live locally within the Cambridgeshire area and are unable to travel, we can accommodate video call appointments. To be able to do this you will need: a smartphone, tablet or computer that allows video calling an internet connection a well-lit, quiet and private space so we can hear and see you clearly We will be unable to complete a full assessment of muscle strength and body composition but if you wish we can instead use a functional assessment to assess for muscle loss and frailty.
Home visits	Home visits can be arranged for those who have medical needs that mean leaving home is difficult and are unable to attend a clinic consultation. The availability of these will depend on your home location. Additional travel time and travel expenses costs may need to be charged. You will be fully advised of these costs prior to your consultation.

Attending the appointment with a relative/friend
If you would like to bring a friend or relative along with you to the consultation then please just let us know when booking. If your partner or relative tends to do most of the meal preparation and cooking it would be beneficial for them to come along to your appointment.

Initial consultation (online or in-person)	£90	Duration 60 minutes This should allow time for a full nutrition assessment, provision of individualised dietary advice and nutrition treatment plan. It includes a GP or consultant letter summarising the consultation.
Follow-up consultation (online or in-person)	£65	Duration 45 minutes Part of the process of creating individual nutrition treatment plans is the need to review and adjust the nutrition treatment plan. At the follow-up consultation we will discuss what has and hasn’t worked and advise on further changes you can make. It also allows reassessment of measurements to demonstrate strength and body composition changes.
Consultation package (online or in-person)	£140	Duration 60 minute initial consultation plus 45 minute follow-up consultation This package has both an initial consultation and a follow-up consultation included and is the best way to get the most from your time and money. The follow-up consultation allows time to review and adjust the nutrition treatment plan but also allows time to discuss how nutrition impacts on your health.
Further Follow-up consultations	tbc	If you would like further follow up consultations or ongoing support we can discuss a package of reasonably priced follow-up consultations. These can be in-person, via video call or on the telephone and be scheduled for 15 – 45 minutes, depending on your requirements.

Once you have booked your consultation, you will receive an e-mail notification with the details of your appointment date, time and location. This will include a payment invoice with details how payments can be made. Invoices are payable in advance of your appointment. If you have private healthcare insurance you should contact your private healthcare insurance provider for advice on what is included in your plan. See our FAQs ‘Will my private health insurance cover the cost of me seeing a dietitian privately?’, for further information.

If you have any other questions about consultations please just get in touch by clicking on ‘Contact Us’ at the bottom of the page and complete the contact form