Dietitians win national award for virtual help group

A team of dietitians has won a national award after setting up a virtual cow’s milk allergy group for new parents.

Left to right: Gemma Machell, from Nutricia Flocare, with members of the KCHFT Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Team Melissa Jeffrey-Smart, Elaine Greenman and Trista Lam

The Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Team, at Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT), won the Sustainability Initiative Award in this year’s Clinical Nutrition Magazine Awards.

The award is for a team or person who makes healthcare more sustainable and reduces its impact on the environment. The team won as the virtual group means families do not have to travel and fewer letters are sent out. Winners will enjoy an afternoon tea prize-giving ceremony in London, at the end of September.

Elaine Greenman, a highly specialist paediatric dietitian and team leader at KCHFT, said: “I am absolutely thrilled our team has won this award, not only because of the huge amount of work put in by my colleagues, but also the clear drive in KCHFT to create more sustainable care.”

As well as its green credentials, which align with the sustainable care ambition in KCHFT's We care strategy, the virtual cow’s milk allergy group has resulted in families being able to access help quicker and less time worrying. The group helps parents and carers who need feeding and weaning advice during a baby’s first few months. It involves expert advice from KCHFT dietitians, as well as allowing parents to chat and share their experiences.

One mum who benefitted from attending the group was Abigail Grieve, 30, from Herne Bay. Her son Zachary was diagnosed at just five-weeks-old after he had an adverse reaction and an emergency trip to hospital.

She said: “Afterwards, we went to see our GP and he referred us to a dietitian. I was contacted and offered the chance to join the group. Google can be good in some ways, but going to the group clarified different things for me and explained everything. Zachary is my third child and I didn’t have this with the other two.“

Abigail was breastfeeding Zachary and following the family’s trip to hospital, was advised to stop eating dairy and not to introduce her son to dairy during weaning, until he’d had further tests.

Kirsty Curry, 32, from Maidstone, joined the group when her daughter Sienna was seven-months-old.

She said: “I was referred by my health visitor and I found it really helpful. I changed Sienna's formula and the group cleared up many questions I didn’t realise I had until the other parents started asking them. The dietitians were full of knowledge and able to answer all of my questions.”

Introduced by a paediatric dietitian and an administrator, the virtual session includes a presentation, 45 minutes of group discussion and 60 minutes of web chat.

Elaine said: “This is a patient group where advice and treatment is relatively prescriptive and generic and makes up a quarter of referrals the team receive. We collated evidence-based advice that has routinely been delivered in one-to-one, face-to-face, video or phone consultations, into a one stop shop solution of a two-and-a half hour group session, comfortably managing 15 parents/carers at a time.”

The accolade follows hot on the heels of KCHFT being one of just four finalists in the Greener Allied Health Professions Awards, for its elbow crutch recycling scheme, with winners to be announced mid-October.

Pictured are three members of the Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Team, Melissa Jeffrey-Smart, Elaine Greenman and Trista Lam, with Gemma Machell, Clinical Practice Manager with Nutricia Flocare, the award sponsor.