What to expect from working with us

Organising your first appointment

We receive referrals from a wide variety of sources:

• Phone calls

• Emails

• Online submissions

• GPs

• Support Coordinators

  and lots more!

Once we receive a referral, a member of our Admin team will call, text or email you or your listed contact person. We will ask for some information about your age and goals, to help match you with the best Dietitian if you haven't chosen one already from our website. We will also tell you about the different appointments we offer (clinic, telehealth, home visit) and about our pricing.

Once we know the type of appointment you are looking for and the Dietitian you are going to see, we will offer you dates and times that might suit. Once an appointment is booked, you or your listed contact person will receive an email confirmation. You will also receive a text message reminder two days before your appointment. If you need to reschedule or cancel for any reason, please contact us as soon as you can.

To prepare for your appointment, you can have a look at our Accessibility and Sensory Guide. This shows you what our clinics look like, how to get there and what to expect from the environment. If you are worried about anything, or have any specific accessibility needs, please get in touch and we will accommodate them as best we can.

During the first appointment

Our first goal is to get to know you and anyone else in your life that plays a role in your food or eating. This will include asking questions about your day-to-day life and activities, your medical history, your current experience of food and eating. We will also ask about your goals for your nutrition, health and eating, including how you are hoping we can support you to achieve them. We might also ask if you have any high priority questions or essential information you want to leave with after your first appointment. This information helps us to understand how we can work with you in the best way possible.

We might also ask you if you have seen a dietitian before. It is okay if you haven’t! We ask this question as it can help us understand what strategies you have tried in the past, or what information you may already know. We can talk about what has previously been helpful or unhelpful and if your goals have changed now.

We will ask you about your current nutrition, which might include your mealtime or eating patterns, what you normally eat each day, or your tube feeding plan. Depending on what you are seeking support for, we might also talk about your likes and dislikes, your sensory needs, any history of dieting, or information about your feeding tube.

Don’t worry if this seems like a lot of information to remember - we will guide the conversation and reflect on what you are sharing to help you share safely. Some people also choose to bring written information with them or have a support person with them who can help to answer the questions. We can also contact other healthcare providers or support people to help get all the information they need. Your Dietitian will ask your permission to do this and you can talk about who you think is best to provide information.

After your Dietitian has a good understanding of your background, your current situation and your goals, they might spend some time talking to you about your health condition and the role of nutrition. They might also start to brainstorm with you about possible strategies to start working towards your goals. Some people aren't ready to develop strategies straight away and that is ok - your first appointment is mainly an opportunity to share your story and start building a relationship with your Dietitian that makes you feel safe and supported.

As your appointment comes to an end, we will talk about the plan for our next session and any actions for you or your Dietitian. We might provide you with some handwritten or printed resources or we might send a follow up email with links or attachments. We will make sure we have answered your questions and that everyone knows what the next steps are. Sometimes your Dietitian might need some extra time outside of the session to develop a resource specifically for you, or write up a new plan for your support team. This will be discussed with you so you know how long it will take and any cost involved.

Once your appointment finishes, if you are in clinic you can see our Admin team to pay for your appointment and book your next one. If you are doing Telehealth or having a Home Visit, your Dietitian might make the next appointment with you or they might ask the Admin team to call you later.

After the first appointment

Many of our clients see us on a regular basis depending on their needs. For example, people with a new eating disorder or feeding tube might need appointments every 2 - 4 weeks, whereas someone who is stable on a long-term feeding tube or seeking general information for cardiovascular disease or diabetes might only need an appointment anywhere from every 1 - 6 months. We will talk to you about this and make sure your appointments are suitable for you in relation to time, energy and money.

Each time you book an appointment you will receive the booking confirmation email and reminder text message. If your contact details change, please let us know as soon as possible.