Department of Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics
CHI at Temple Street
Temple Street
Dublin 1
Tel.: (01) 878 4442 – department secretary is available between 9.00am–2.00pm Monday to Friday.
To contact dietitians in the National Centre for Inherited Metabolic Disorders, telephone (01) 8784317 and press ‘2’ to leave a voicemail or email
For all other dietetic queries telephone (01) 878 4442 or email
About us
The Department of Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics provides interventions for children and their families where there are identified nutritional issues or specific conditions that may require dietary advice or nutrition support.
Dietitians work in the following clinical areas:
- Critical Care
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Diabetes
- General Paediatrics
- National Centre for Inherited Metabolic Disorders
- Nephrology and Renal Transplantation
- Neurology, including Ketogenic Diet Therapy and Narcolepsy
- Surgery
- Paediatric Weight Management (W82GO! Programme)
We provide inpatient and outpatient dietetic services to patients under the care of CHI at Temple Street consultant paediatricians. We work closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team (including doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers and speech and language therapists) as well as with catering and the special feeds unit.
What does the dietitian do?
Dietitians are trained in the provision of nutrition support including enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition, as well as the provision of therapeutic dietary advice in the management of a range of conditions. Specific indications for referral to a dietitian include poor growth or nutritional intake, increased nutritional requirements, swallowing difficulties, food allergies, chronic conditions requiring therapeutic dietary advice, inherited metabolic disorders and overweight / obesity.
When a child is referred to us, we will:
- Assess growth and nutritional requirements
- Take a detailed history
- Determine if therapeutic dietary advice or nutrition support is required
- Formulate a nutrition care plan to meet requirements for growth and development, and translate this into practical information for parents / carers
Unfortunately we are unable to accept referrals from GPs or area medical officers, however there may be a community nutrition and dietetic service available locally.
Further information about our outpatient service is available here
We are also involved in education of other healthcare professionals, audit and research, and the provision of undergraduate student clinical placements for students from TCD / DIT as part of the BSc(Hons) in Human Nutrition & Dietetics.
Information and resources
The following resources have been produced by dietitians in CHI at Temple Street:
- PEG Tube Feeding Information for Parents
- Constipation Information Leaflet
- Iron Deficiency Anaemia Information Leaflet
- Calcium and Vitamin D
News
- Irish Times (June 2016) “The ketogenic diet: what is it all about?”
- Irish Times (December 2015) “A day in the life…”
- Professional Nutrition & Dietetic Review: PKU Article Autumn 2016
Useful links
- National Centre for Inherited Metabolic Disorders www.metabolic.ie
- W82GO! Programme www.w82go.ie
- Breastfeeding information www.breastfeeding.ie
- Coeliac Society of Ireland www.coeliac.ie
- Cystic Fibrosis Ireland www.cfireland.ie
- Diabetes Ireland www.diabetes.ie
- Food Safety Authority of Ireland www.fsai.ie
- HSE Growth Monitoring Resources http://www.hse.ie/eng/health/child/growthmonitoring/
- Information for parents and carers about children’s kidney conditions www.infokid.org.uk
- Irish Food Allergy Network www.ifan.ie
- Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute www.indi.ie
- Little Steps www.littlesteps.eu
- Safefood www.safefood.eu
Work Experience / Work Shadowing The Department of Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics is unable to accommodate requests for transition year work experience programmes or shadowing experience.
