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Happy Dietitians Week! Dietitians are leading experts in supporting better health, empowering individuals with evidence-based nutrition care. Let’s celebrate the impact and dedication of our AWH dietitians.

AWH employs Accredited Practicing Dietitians who empower patients with knowledge, support recovery, and improve lives through person centred nutrition care. Dietitians play a crucial role in every stage of care:

- Improving nutrition both before and after surgeries
- In prevention and management of chronic illness
- Nutrition support through pregnancy and infancy, through to healthy ageing
- Nutrition support through cancer care
- Dialysis
- Disability
- Neurological conditions

Admitted patient services:
Our dietitians provide individualise nutrition support based on each patient’s medical condition, ensuring their nutrition needs are met. We support a wide range of hospital services, including acute and sub-acute care, dialysis, paediatrics, special care nursery, medical and surgical wards along with emergency and critical care. We also work closely with the Food Services Department to ensure the provision of quality meals to meet special dietary requirements.

Community services:
We provide nutrition care to the community through our Community Rehabilitation Program, Rural Allied Health Program and Community Health centres. We support patients and families with enteral (tube) feeding, nutrition education for people living with diabetes, pregnancy care, disability and gastrointestinal disorders. We provide nutrition support for those who may be malnourished, suffering from an eating disorder, or for those that are looking to improve their health habits.

Oncology services:
We work in the cancer care team providing specialised nutrition support for patients whose dietary intake is impacted by their cancer treatment.

Gastrostomy clinic:
The gastrostomy clinic is a great example of our advanced dietetic skills, where we provide comprehensive gastrostomy (feeding tube) management, including tube changes, stoma care and troubleshooting. This clinic has been made possible through the credentialing program where we are not only expanding our scope of practice, but we are also able to enhance patient care with this new streamlined service at AWH.

What is  the role of a dietitian in mental health?
Mental health dietetics plays a vital role in recognising the interconnectedness between physical and mental health. Whether in an acute setting or within community care, mental health dietitians deliver evidence-based nutrition support that directly impacts brain function, mood regulation, and general well-being. Mental health dietetics extends across a broad spectrum: from using diet to help alleviate medication side effects and manage co-morbid physical health issues to providing specialised care for eating disorders, optimising ward-based nutrition, and facilitating life skills education through engaging group programs. By focusing on optimising nutrient intake for mental clarity, mental health dietitians empower individuals to become active participants in their journey toward recovery and a holistic approach to mental health.