Nutrition and Dietetics at Peninsula Health comprises a team of more than 20 qualified Dietitians, providing optimal nutritional care to patients of Peninsula Health. The Dietitians care for inpatients, outpatients and patients in the community. These integrated services ensure consumers experience a continuum of care – from hospital, through rehabilitation and then into the community.
What do Dietitians do?
Dietitians are essential members of the health team who create strategies to enable clients to achieve their food and nutrition related goals using evidence – based practice. They assess the nutritional needs of patients, plan appropriate nutrition interventions and provide nutrition education for patients and their families. Nutrition and Dietetics actively works with Food Services to ensure the provision of a high quality food and nutrition service for patients.
The scope of dietetic practice is varied. Dietitians work with inpatients to identify nutrition problems, assess nutritional status, develop care plans and monitor the effectiveness of interventions. They specialise in diabetes, heart disease, cancer, children and infants, aged care, gastrointestinal disorders, artificial feeding, eating disorders, weight management, rehabilitation, psychiatry, residential care, other special medical needs and medical nutrition therapy.
They are involved with practice based research and develop innovative approaches to patient care. Dietitians act as a resource and support other members of the multidisciplinary team in addition to developing patient education materials.
Dietitians provide outpatient counselling, both in acute and sub-acute settings, and are an integral part of the Community Rehabilitation Program. They work with individuals, groups and communities to improve nutritional well being, prevent disease, increase access to healthy food and enhance personal control of health. Dietitians also work with adult and paediatric patients who require home enteral nutrition support.
All Dietitians working at Peninsula Health have a minimum of an undergraduate degree and are qualified as Accredited Practising Dietitians (APD) with membership to Dietitians association of Australia (DAA).
Services
Nutrition and Dietetics provides nutrition services to all areas across Peninsula Health, including hospital and home based care. Nutritional care of patients involves nutritional screening, assessment, developing and implementing care plans, monitoring effectiveness of dietary changes and discharge education and planning. Dietitians specialise in malnutrition, nutrition support, enteral feeding, cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, wounds, weight control, diabetes, heart disease, children and infants, aged care, rehabilitation and other medical conditions.
Inpatient services:
Speciality and general inpatient nutrition services are provided at Frankston and Rosebud Hospitals. Speciality services include gastroenterology, oncology, neurology, intensive care, cardiology, paediatrics and psychiatry. Rehabilitation and aged cares services are provided at Frankston Community Rehabilitation centre, The Mornington Centre and Rosebud Rehabilitation Unit. Specialty services include management and evaluation, rehabilitation, falls prevention, transition care, palliative care and wound healing
Outpatient services:
Dietitians see patients in a number of general and specialist outpatient clinics, and as part of outpatient group programs. These include general nutrition, cancer, diabetes, cardiac rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation, maternity, paediatrics and psychiatric clinics and groups.
Home and Community Services:
- Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN)
The Peninsual Health HEN program provides nutrition support services for people who require tube feeding (also known as enteral nutrition) living at home in the community. Our service allows patients to remain independent at home and can reduce the need for admission to hospital. This service is available to all ages. Costs associated with enteral feeding may be subsidised.
- Community Rehabititation Program (CRP)
The CRP program provides short-term rehabilitation to people recovering from an illness, injury, surgery and/or hospitalisation. Dietitians provide nutrition services as part of this home and centre based service across the Peninsula.
Education
Students Placements:
Nutrition and Dietetics provides clinical placements for students from Monash university and food service placements for students from Monash and other universities.
Professional Development:
Nutrition and Dietetics has a strong commitment to clinical excellence and research. We promote and support ongoing professional development. The dietitians are Accredtied Practicing Dietitians and are supported by a clinical supervision framework.
Resources
Nutrition Guru Newsletters:
Nutrition Guru is a newsletter designed by the Peninsula Health dietitians for people wanting to know more about nutrition and related health issues. Click on the links below to download our latest issues.
Links
There is an abundance of nutrition information on television, in books and on the internet these days. Not all of this information is correct, and some can be very misleading. There are a number of professional organisations who provide free and accurate expert information on nutrition.
Below are links to these websites.
- The Dietitians Association of Australia: www.daa.asn.au
- Sports Dietitians Australia: www.sportsdietitians.com.au
- Dairy Australia: www.dairyaustralia.com.au
- National Heart Foundation: www.heartfoundation.com.au
- Better Health Channel: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
- Vic Health: www.vichealth.vic.gov.au
- Health Translations (provides health information on languages other than English): www.healthtranslations.vic.gov.au
- International Diabetes: www.diabetes.com.au
- Nutrition Australia: www.nutritionaustralia.org
- Go For Your Life: www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au
- Australian Healthy Eating Guidelines for infants, children, adolescents, adults and aged care: www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/dietsyn.htm
- Diabetes Australia: www.diabetesaustralia.com.au
Contact Us
Nutrition Department
Frankston Hospital: (03) 9784 2660
Senior Dietitians
Frankston Hospital (03) 9784 7670
Rosebud Hospital (03) 5986 0666
The Mornington Centre (03) 5976 9000
Rosebud Rehabilitation Unit (03) 5981 2166
Frankston Community Rehabilitation Unit, Golf Links Road (03) 9784 8646