The Nutrition and Dietetics service aims to help you to better manage your health through eating well.
Our team is made up of dietitians, dietetic assistants, Macmillan dietetic assistant practitioners, community food workers and administrative staff.
After carrying out a nutritional assessment and identifying any dietary or nutrition problems, we look at the most up-to-date public health and scientific research on food, health and disease and turn this into practical guidance for each individual or situation. By doing this we support you to make appropriate lifestyle and food choices which suit your personal needs and help you to treat or prevent disease.
Working in health and social care settings across the whole of Ayrshire and Arran, our team provide services to all hospitals and GP practices. We also work within local authority and private venues such as care homes and nurseries, and we will see people in their own homes when medically appropriate. We also support organisations with training, guidance, policy and practical advice to help support their staff, clients and service users to eat well for better health.
Reasons for accessing our service
There are many reasons that may lead you to use our service. If you are looking for general information and advice on any of the following topics please click on the relevant link for further details.
- Eating well for good health and well-being is for those who want to know more about a healthy diet for all ages and how their diet compares.
- Weight management – information, help and guidance on our healthy living pages about weight management.
What will happen during my one-to-one appointment with the Dietitian?
Your initial appointment will last approximately forty five minutes. In most instances the dietitian will ask you about your lifestyle and to recall in detail what you normally eat and drink. To make this easier you may wish to record what you eat and drink for three to four days before your appointment.
If you are able to stand unaided safely, your weight and height measurements may be taken. If you are wearing shoes and a jacket you may be asked to remove these to ensure the measurement is as accurate as possible.
You will also be asked relevant medical questions regarding health, symptoms etc.
The Dietitian will use this information to discuss appropriate dietary changes and agree goals. Verbal advice will be backed up with written information where required.
Further appointments will be arranged as necessary.
I’ve been invited to attend a group session, what will happen there?
Group sessions normally involve 8-12 people and vary in length from 90 minutes to half a day. The location and timing of your specific session will be given to you in advance.
All sessions are facilitated by a staff member to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to participate. The groups are informal, practical, informative and fun.
Top tip
It helps to write down any questions you have before your appointment or group session in case you forget to ask. The staff member will be happy to try and answer your questions.
Should I have someone with me during my appointment?
Some people find it helpful to have a friend, relative or carer present, especially if they assist with shopping and cooking.
My appointment is not suitable – what should I do?
If for any reason your appointment is not suitable please let us know.
We will be happy to arrange another appointment.Please give as much notice as possible. You may be helping someone else by allowing us to re-allocate valuable appointments.
Failure to attend
If you do not contact the service to cancel or rearrange your appointment and you fail to attend, you will be discharged from the service and a letter will be sent to your referrer.
Student Dietitians
The department trains students and this means you may be seen by a student dietitian for part, or all of your consultation. We will always tell you in advance when students are with the dietitian. If you would prefer not to be seen by a student, or have a student present at your appointment, please let us know.
Other useful information
If English is not your first language or you have hearing difficulties we can arrange for an interpreter or someone to sign for you.
If you wear glasses for reading it would be beneficial to have then with you
If the appointment is for a child under 5 years old, it would be useful to see the child’s red book.
How to contact us
| East Ayrshire Department of Nutrition & Dietetics University Hospital Crosshouse Kilmarnock Road Kilmarnock KA2 0BE Telephone: 01563 827141 Fax: 01563 827699 | North Ayrshire Department of Nutrition & Dietetics Ayrshire Central Hospital Kilwinning Road Irvine KA12 8SS Telephone: 01294 323534 Fax: 01292 323533 | South Ayrshire Department of Nutrition & Dietetics University Hospital Ayr Dalmellington Road Ayr KA6 6DX Telephone: 01292 614508 Fax: 01292 617062 |
How do I access the service?
If you or someone you know think they would benefit from a referral, speak with your healthcare professional (District Nurse, GP, Consultant, Health Visitor and so on)*.
Referrals might be for any of the following conditions:
| Adults | Children |
| Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) | Coeliac disease |
| Coeliac disease | Constipation |
| Diabetes | Diabetes |
| Diverticular disease | Dietary related migraines |
| Dysphagia/modified consistency diets | Faltering growth |
| Eating disorders | Food allergies |
| Food allergy (confirmed) | Food refusal |
| Hyperlipidaemia | Gastro-oesophageal reflux |
| Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohns and Colitis) | Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohns and Colitis) |
| Iron deficiency anaemia | Obesity (BMI>91st centile)* |
| Irritable bowel syndrome | Phenylketonuria (PKU) and other metabolic disorders |
| Liver disease | |
| Motor neurone disease | |
| Pregnancy | |
| Renal disease | |
| Under nutrition/nutrition support | |
| Weight management/obesity* |
The above list is meant as a guide only, it is not exhaustive.
*Please note individuals can access Weigh to Go Ayrshire and Jump Start without a referral from a healthcare professional.
Adult Weight Management: Diabetes Prevention, LEAN and Weigh to Go
We offer different programmes depending on where you live, your BMI and your medical conditions. Click here to calculate your BMI before reading on.
Weigh to Go
Weigh to Go is delivered in a variety of venues across Ayrshire and Arran by local leisure services, football and sports clubs. The programme is suitable for people who are aged 18+ and who have a BMI of 25 or more.
Weigh to Go runs for 12 weeks, with ongoing support for 1 year. The programme aims to provide you with the tools to lose and maintain a healthier weight. It is delivered as a group or 1:1 sessions, and includes health checks, weigh in’s, nutritional education and physical activity. You can self-refer to Weigh to Go, or you can be referred by a Health Care Professional.
Lifestyle, Exercise and Nutrition (LEAN)
LEAN is a specialist programme delivered in East Ayrshire only. The programme is suitable for those aged 18+ with a BMI of 40 or more (35 for some conditions), and who have more complex health needs.
The programme runs for 9-12 weeks, with ongoing support for 1 year and is run as a group session. It is delivered by Specialist Dietitians and exercise specialists and explores the many aspects of life that can affect weight.
You can self-refer in to LEAN, or you can be referred by a Health Care Professional.
For further information on either programme call the team on 01563 554418 or click here to send us an email.
You can follow us on Facebook for the latest news, ideas on keeping active and healthy recipes. We’ve also got a Healthy Weight app which has lots of useful information on a wide variety of health related topics, tailored for the area of Ayrshire in which you live, with regular updates and new weekly content. It’s available on the Google Play and Apple App stores. Download the app now and select Healthy Weight.
Self-Management
If you would like to begin your own weight loss journey, the NHS Inform 12 week programme is a great place to start. This course will provide you with weekly topics to help you work towards achieving a healthy weight at a pace that suits you.
Diabetes Prevention
The Diabetes Prevention Programme is open to anyone in Ayrshire with a diagnosis of pre-diabetes, Impaired Fasting Glucose, Impaired Glucose Tolerance, or a diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes within the last two years.
This 12 month programme is delivered by dietitians and offers:
- an initial consultation
- two structured education sessions
- access to an online web-based application
- follow up appointments every three months for a year
The service also offers onward referral to weight management or other appropriate services as needed.
Referrals to this programme must be completed by a Health Care Professional such as your GP, practice nurse or pharmacist.
For further information on the Diabetes Prevention Programme, please call the team on 01563 554418 or send us an email: Diabetes_Prevention@aapct.scot.nhs.uk
Healthy Weight App
Would you like information to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight for you and your family? We’ve got an app for that…Search your app store for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, download and install the app, and then select Healthy Weight Ayrshire. A direct link to the Google Play store is here, or click here for the Apple App store.
The free app provides helpful information about:
- Local services and support
- Early years (1 to 5)
- Child healthy weight (5 to 17)
- Adult weight management
- Bariatric surgery
- Physical activity and recipes
- Useful links and apps
Prepared by the Dietetic Weight Management Team based at North West Kilmarnock Area Centre, Kilmarnock.
Adult Weight Management service
See our section on the Adult Weight Management service to find out more about the weight management programmes available.