Food First

The Food First Team – What We Do

We are a team of registered dietitians and an assistant practitioner working across Milton Keynes towards a collective vision of Sharing our specialist knowledge to empower others to make nutrition and hydration a priority.

We are passionate about using food based approaches to managing malnutrition and work with a range of Health and Social care staff to improve people’s access to safe and evidence based nutrition and hydration care. This includes working with primary care (e.g. GPs) to support the appropriate prescribing of nutritional products. We also provide an enhanced service to care homes for older people which includes a training and accreditation programme.

A personalised food based approach for the management of malnutrition is encouraged and based on three principles:

1. Fortified diet: Adding extra energy and protein to meals/snacks to increase nutrient density and not portion size.
2. Nutrient dense snacks: For a little and often approach for those with a small appetite.
3. Nourishing drinks: Nutrient dense drinks that can be tailored to people’s preferences.

For more information regarding nutrition and healthy eating, click here

For more on what a dietitian is look at the BDA’s webpage here

For more information about boosting your protein count, click here

Contact the Food First Team

Tel: 01908 995416

Email: food.first@mkuh.nhs.uk

• 100kcal boosters
• Homemade Booster Recipes
• ONS Resource
• MK Care Home Prescription Request for Consideration of Adult Oral Nutritional Supplements 2023 – for care homes who are not yet Food First trained
• Food Enrichment Booklet
• Enriched Diet Plan Booklet
• There are many different companies that produce nutritional supplements – some are available over the counter, some can be prescribed. Below are links to the main company pages, however, this may not be an exhaustive link as new companies join the market on a regular basis.
• ONS must only be prescribed in line with the ACBS criteria listed on the drug tariff: https://www.drugtariff.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/#/00875854-DC/DC00875243/LIST%20A. Further information can be found here