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PAEDIATRIC DIETETICS
Personalised nutrition advice for your child
- Self-referrals available
- Inpatient and outpatient services
- A safe and reassuring environment for your child
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Paediatric dietetics at HCA UK
Why choose us?
At The Portland Hospital, we make expert nutritional care simple and accessible for your family. Our registered dietitians are uniquely qualified to assess, diagnose, and treat your child’s dietary needs, offering practical, personalised guidance based on the latest science.
From navigating allergies to managing complex conditions like epilepsy through one of the only private Ketogenic programmes in the UK, everything happens under one roof. With seamless teamwork across specialities, we focus on what matters – helping your child thrive.
From navigating allergies to managing complex conditions like epilepsy through one of the only private Ketogenic programmes in the UK, everything happens under one roof. With seamless teamwork across specialities, we focus on what matters – helping your child thrive.
The right diet and nutrition can play a vital role in helping children manage many kinds of serious health conditions such as diabetes, growth issues or recovering from surgery.
Our caring team will give advice tailored to your child’s unique circumstances, from specialist needs such as ketogenic diets to dealing with a reduced appetite after an illness or as result of medication, and support with tube (enteral) or intravenous (parenteral) feeding.
If your child requires urgent care, we also have a dedicated Urgent Care Centre for Children at The Portland Hospital.
Our caring team will give advice tailored to your child’s unique circumstances, from specialist needs such as ketogenic diets to dealing with a reduced appetite after an illness or as result of medication, and support with tube (enteral) or intravenous (parenteral) feeding.
If your child requires urgent care, we also have a dedicated Urgent Care Centre for Children at The Portland Hospital.
We understand that allergies can be difficult to identify and manage on your own. Our paediatric dietitians will offer clear evidence-based advice on how to understand and navigate your child’s specific needs, and you’ll get practical, personalised help to make the right decisions about their diet.
Our team is made up of registered specialists in child nutrition. They’ll work with you and your child to provide advice and planning to help them develop to eating habits that are healthy, practical and sustainable.
If your child is struggling to maintain a healthy weight, our dietitians can provide tailored advice about food portions and food group combinations, so you and your family can make the most informed decisions about diet.
You’re also welcome to come along to our feeding clinic at The Portland Hospital any time to meet with our team.
If your child is struggling to maintain a healthy weight, our dietitians can provide tailored advice about food portions and food group combinations, so you and your family can make the most informed decisions about diet.
You’re also welcome to come along to our feeding clinic at The Portland Hospital any time to meet with our team.
Yes, you can. You don’t need to wait for a GP or consultant referral to access our therapy services – parents can contact us directly. Simply get in touch with our admin team at therapies@hcahealthcare.co.uk or call +44 (0) 207 390 6553 (option 2). We’ll send you a short self-referral form to complete and return, and once we receive it, we’ll guide you through the next steps and arrange an appointment.
If you already have a referral letter from your NHS GP, you’re welcome to send this to us instead.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch. Our team is here to make the process as simple and supportive as possible, so you can focus on getting your child the care they need.
Fast access to specialists
Appointments booked within 72 hours
Convenience of care
All our paediatric therapy services under one roof
Multidisciplinary team expertise
We focus our wealth of experience on your child
Paediatric dietetics at HCA UK
Conditions we treat
We can support your child through a wide range of health conditions that can affect growth, development, and wellbeing. Whether your child needs help managing a long-term condition or simply requires extra nutritional support, we’re here to provide personalised, practical guidance tailored to their unique needs.
- Allergy and intolerance
- Behavioural eating problems
- Crohn’s disease
- Coeliac disease
- Constipation
- Enteral nutrition (tube feeding)
- Faltering growth
- Iron deficiency (anaemia)
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Ulcerative colitis
- Childhood malnutrition
- Weaning problems
Maya-Lee meets dietitian Nina
A big part of our job is making sure all our patients are comfortable asking questions so they can feel safe and informed.
Join our young reporter Maya-Lee as she quizzes Nina, one of our paediatric dietitians at The Portland Hospital, to find out what she does and why she cares so much about what children eat.
Join our young reporter Maya-Lee as she quizzes Nina, one of our paediatric dietitians at The Portland Hospital, to find out what she does and why she cares so much about what children eat.
Accessing private healthcare
Self-referral
You don't need to wait for a GP or consultant referral to get access to our therapy services, you can contact us directly.
Get in touch with our admin team at therapies@hcahealthcare.co.uk or call us on +44 (0) 207 390 6553 (option 2). We’ll send you a short self-referral form to complete and return. Once we receive it, we’ll guide you through the next steps and arrange an appointment.
Call +44 (0) 207 390 6553
The process
What to expect
At The Portland Hospital, we want to make sure you and your child feel supported at every stage of your time with us. Part of that is making sure you know what to expect when you get here. From the first appointment through to diagnosis and treatment, we’re here to guide and reassure you.
If you have any questions not answered here, feel free to get in touch. We’ll try to help in whatever way we can.
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Initial consultation
At your first appointment, you’ll meet one of our highly qualified paediatric dietitians. We’ll take time to listen, understand your concerns, and get to know your child’s medical history, growth patterns, and eating habits – all in a calm, friendly setting that puts you and your child at ease.
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Investigation and diagnostics
If needed, we’ll carry out further assessments or liaise with our wider team to investigate allergies, gastrointestinal issues, or nutritional deficiencies. With access to state-of-the-art diagnostics and a full multidisciplinary team under one roof, we make sure nothing is missed.
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Treatment
Your child’s personalised nutrition plan is built around real-life needs – from navigating everyday meals to managing specialist diets like the ketogenic programme for epilepsy. We’ll provide clear, practical guidance that fits your family’s routine and preferences.
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Ongoing care
Nutrition is a journey, not a one-off appointment. We’ll stay by your side, offering follow-up reviews, adjusting your child’s plan as they grow, and providing advice whenever you need it. Our team is here to make sure you always feel confident, supported, and reassured.
Our location
The Portland Hospital
205-209 Great Portland Street W1W 5AH London
Take a tour of The Portland Hospital
Take a whistle-stop tour of The Portland Hospital with Abigail and Hannah as they embark on a treasure hunt that sees them visit the different departments to see exactly what we offer.
Paediatric dietetics FAQs
Our paediatric dietitians can support your child with a wide range of feeding and nutrition needs. Whether your child is facing feeding difficulties, needs help managing a medical condition, or simply requires guidance on healthy eating, we’ll create a personalised plan that works for your child and your family.
We can support your child with:
Feeding support
Feeding challenges can be worrying, but you’re not alone. Working closely with speech and language therapists, our expert paediatric dietitians provide personalised feeding support to help your child eat well, grow confidently, and enjoy mealtimes again.
Ketogenic diet
A carefully managed, specialist diet that can help children with the management of certain medical conditions, such as epilepsy. Whether inpatient or outpatient, your child will be in the care of a team that includes a paediatrician, two specialist ketogenic dietitians and a lead consultant paediatric neurologist.
Healthy eating advice
Our team of registered specialists in child nutrition will work with you and your child to provide advice and planning to help them develop to eating habits that are healthy, practical and sustainable.
Nutritional support
If your child has a health condition that makes eating well more challenging, our specialist paediatric dietitians can provide clear, tailored nutritional support and advice.
Weight management education
If your child is struggling to maintain a healthy weight, our dietitians can provide tailored advice about lifestyle and food, so you and your family can make the most informed decisions about diet.
Our goal is to help your child feel confident about food and to support families in making informed, practical choices that benefit long-term health and wellbeing.
If you can’t find the information you’re looking for here, please don’t worry. Get in touch and one of our team will be happy to help.
You might consider seeing a paediatric dietitian if your child is having difficulties with growth, weight gain or weight management.
Similarly, if they have a restricted diet, or are dealing with a medical condition that affects eating or digestion (allergies, reflux, constipation, or coeliac disease for example).
Dietitians can also support children with feeding challenges (including fussy eating), or those who need nutritional support due to chronic illness. If you're concerned about your child's nutrition, we can give you personalised advice and reassurance tailored to your child’s specific needs.
Food allergies or intolerances present with symptoms that occur after eating a particular type of food. This may be:
- Abdominal pain
- Vomiting
- A rash that appears straight after eating
If your child isn’t gaining weight as expected, it’s important to seek advice early. There can be many reasons for slow weight gain, from feeding difficulties and fussy eating to underlying medical conditions such as food allergies or digestive issues.
Our paediatric dietitians can assess your child’s growth and nutritional intake, and work with you to create a personalised plan to support healthy weight gain. In some cases, they may also work with specialists in gastroenterology or allergy to get a fuller picture of what’s going on and make sure your child gets the right support.
Yes. Our paediatric dietitians are specially trained to help manage a wide range of digestive issues through focused and fully personalised dietary advice. If your child’s experiencing symptoms such as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea or abdominal pain, we can help assess their diet and identify any potential food-related triggers.
We’ll work closely with you and, if needed, specialists in gastroenterology and paediatric allergies, to create a balanced eating plan that will support your child’s digestive health and overall wellbeing.
Yes. We’ll work with you to create a safe, sustainable weight loss plan that fits your child’s needs, lifestyle and development, and helps them to reach a healthier weight while building confidence and a positive relationship with food.
- Pick-up and drop-off options: Visitors can pick up and drop off patients at the main entrance. No parking is allowed as the driveway is for emergency vehicle access.
- Local parking: There’s no on-site parking and street parking isn’t permitted on single yellow lines between Monday and Saturday, from 8.30am to 6.30pm. However, national and private car parks are available nearby. Please contact the admissions team if you need help to find a local car park near to the hospital.
- Disabled parking: Westminster Council operates a small number of disabled parking bays near the hospital, available to Blue Badge holders for up to four hours. The nearest one is on the corner of Bolsover Street, next to Tesco Express.
At The Portland Hospital, we have open visiting. However, we recommend that visitors leave by 10pm. If your child is staying overnight, this gives both parents and child the chance to settle for the night.
Should you wish to stay overnight with your child, you can. We can provide you with a bed for one parent.
Should you wish to stay overnight with your child, you can. We can provide you with a bed for one parent.
“Following our positive experience at The Portland, I have recommended it countless times and couldn’t be happier with the results...”
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This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.