Nutrition and Dietetics Service - Food First Team

The Food First Team consists of Registered Dietitians, Assistant Practitioners and Support Workers striving to improve the identification and management of malnutrition and dehydration in older people care homes and in the wider community. 

The Food First Team aims to reduce the incidence of malnutrition and dehydration in Luton and South Bedfordshire by:

• Taking a food based approach first line where appropriate for the management of malnutrition in older people.
• Working in collaboration with primary care (e.g. GPs and District Nursing) to ensure the appropriate prescribing of oral nutritional supplements and specialist infant formulas. We also support with gluten free product prescribing in Luton only.
• Working with older people care homes to support them with meeting the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Regulation 14: Meeting nutritional and hydration needs. The team provides interactive training that covers the identification of malnutrition risk using the ‘Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool’ (‘MUST’) and how to manage someone at risk of malnutrition using a food based approach first line, where appropriate. Following training the team support care homes to achieve and maintain high standards of nutritional care by auditing nutritional care plans. Where standards are met, a certificate is issued demonstrating good nutritional care (valid for one year).
• Providing one to one clinical dietetic support to individuals in care homes who meet the service referral criteria.
• Highlighting nutrition as a priority to all.