Five Minutes With... A Community Paediatric Dietitian
“Being a parent of a child who you feel might not be eating or growing properly can be worrying, but we would like you to know there is support available.”
Meet Oluwatobi 'Tobi' David, a Community Paediatric Dietitian who supports children and families across Birmingham with personalised, compassionate nutrition care. Working at the Trust for four years, Tobi shares what his role involves, how his service supports the NHS' 10 Year Health Plan, and why helping children thrive is the best part of his job.
As a Community Paediatric Dietitian, please could you explain the work you do to support children and parents in the community?
I started working for BCHC after my Masters in 2022 with the adult inpatient service and then transitioned to paediatrics towards the end of 2023. Our dietetic service is made up of dietitians and nutrition nurses who work with other healthcare professionals to deliver care to children ages 0-19 with a range of medical conditions or dietary needs, such as selective eating, food allergies, faltering growth or those requiring nutrition support including enteral feeding.
As a community service, we see children in a variety of settings where best suits their needs, like special schools, patient homes, and community clinics.
What are the common misconceptions about your service?
A common misconception about dietetics is that it is all about food or that seeing a dietitian is a quick fix and they will give you a diet plan. Dietetics deals with nutrition, looking at the interplay of physical, mental, and social factors of a child's diet. We work with the child, parents and carers to agree on the most suitable individual plan for long term success. As awareness increases, we are seeing an increasing number of children with neurodevelopmental conditions who require dietetic assistance to optimise their nutrition and growth, as the latest research shows they are at risk of missing out on key nutrients. There is a lot of pressure on parents to make sure their child has a healthy diet. However, as dietitians we always stress that 'no food is a bad food' and we will always aim to support parents and carers to manage any guilt or stigma around the limited diet that their child can manage.
If there are parents reading this who are worried about their children's nutrition and diet, what would you advise?
Being a parent of a child who you feel might not be eating or growing properly can be worrying, but we would like you to know there is support available. The first step would be to visit your GP, who can provide immediate advice or support and if necessary, refer you for specialist assessments or interventions. There is also helpful evidence-based nutrition information on the British Dietetic Association website that many parents and carers may find helpful.
What inspired you to work in this field?
I initially studied medicine, but after a few years I realised that it was not for me and then I discovered dietetics which turned out to be a perfect fit. Moving into paediatric dietetics was a no brainer as I initially wanted to be a paediatrician and have always wanted to work with children.
The NHS' 10-Year Health plan aims to move healthcare to a more preventative approach - away from the hospitals and into the community. How are you and your teams working to support this plan?
As a primary port of call for nutrition and dietetic advice we are best suited to identify nutrition issues. We often work with other professionals to implement interventions that support appropriate growth and development. Managing nutritional concerns early in life can in the short and long term prevent hospitalisation due to poor nutrition and the effects that can have on long term health.
How important is personalised care in your field?
One thing all dietitians know is that every child is unique, so while your aims might be generic the implementation of the plan has to be specific to each child and situation - considering different cultural, religious attitudes and/or allergies and related dietary codes/restrictions and ensuring there is an agreement to give the child the best possible chance for long term success. We also know that food insecurity is an issue that affects many families, so we keep our advice achievable and appropriate, and help to signpost for support.
What would you say to someone looking to get into Nutrition and Dietetic Services?
What children eat and drink is very important to them. It is really rewarding to help them find solutions to keep them healthy. You can always contact your local acute or community dietetic team to inquire about shadowing so you can see if it might be right for you. I also think it's important to note that while nutrition and dietetics is currently female dominated, the provision of care is not the sole remit of a single gender and anyone who is passionate enough is welcome. We would welcome more diversity into the dietetics to help represent and understand our population's needs.
Describe yourself in three words.
Curious. Analytical. Practical.