From your patient’s pockets to your own, everyone has been affected in some way by the current cost-of-living crisis. With everything costing more, we wanted to highlight a few of our useful resources, benefits and services which will help you and your patients save money directly, as well as access useful advice and support your BDA membership provides. After all, we look after all of your professional needs in one place, so you can focus on your daily practice.
BDA Food Fact Sheets
Check out our top tips within our Eat Well for Less Food Fact Sheet, developed to help:
- Save money on your food shop
- Look for cheap and convenient ways to achieve your 5-a-day
- Understand labels to ensure you are getting the best value for money
- Reduce food waste by using leftovers and peelings to flavour soups and stews
- Find inspiration through our batch cook meal ideas
Check out this and all of our other 60+ Food Fact Sheets here.
Let’s Get Cooking
Through our Let’s Get Cooking programme, we’re working with charities like Barnardo’s to help young people and parents understand how to cook healthier meals. We have a number of resources and recipes available to help cut down on shopping and cooking costs.
Take a look at our:
Professional support through your BDA membership
As a member of the BDA, you have access to a host of specialist services and support to help you in your daily practice, at discounted rates or included within your membership fee. These include:
- bespoke expert advice and support from your Trade Union for any workplace issue or query you may have
- professional advice from the professional practice team should you have any queries or concerns around safe staffing or code of conduct etc
- A full list of your member benefits is available here.
Here are some to think about though…
BDA Legal
All BDA members, including students, are provided with a useful set of bespoke legal services across a wide range of areas, including a FREE 24/7 legal advice helpline, employment law advice, free will writing, fixed rate conveyancing, personal injury, free motor claims service, family law service, power of attorney and much more. Access it here.
FREE legal representation at HCPC hearings
We hope you won’t need this but if you ever find yourself at a HCPC hearing it’s good to know that Full BDA members have legal representation, including response preparation advice for HCPC investigations.
PEN Database
Worth over £360 per year, but available to all BDA members as part of your membership, the PEN system is a global nutrition and dietetic resource that provides quick online access to the most up-to-date, critically appraised evidence on more than 200 nutrition and dietetic related topics all in one handy, easily searchable system. Access it here.
Trade Union support
Trade union support, advice and representation is available to Full and Associate members, for free as part of your membership. Our TU Reps are able to support you in any work issue you may have. Contact us if you don't know who your local Trade Union Representative is.
Professional Indemnity Cover
The BDA provides Full, Associate and Student members Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) – a mandatory requirement for those registered with the HCPC to be able to practice. Your employer or Trust may well have policies in place which may appear to cover you, but it is important to highlight that they will not support you if (commonly) they are the ones bringing the action against you. Access it here.
Funding opportunities
If you require a bursary or funding for a research project, you can apply to the BDA’s General and Education Trust Fund (GET). Funding is available for a wide range of dietetic research and can be used to fund running and project costs, as well as help with salaries. Find out more here.
Additional support available
- Significantly discounted attendance fees and participation in various BDA national and local events including our Research Symposium, Education Forum and more to keep your CPD up and learn new skills.
- Discounted access to attend one of our many popular quality-assured Classroom or online courses
- Discounted practice and education resources including the PENG pocket guide and the BDA learning zone
- Free access to the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics for the latest research across the profession
- Access to resources for our awareness-raising campaigns like Dietitians Week and Ads & Fads, which help amplify the impact and value of the dietetic profession
- Our wide range of influencing tools can help you ‘make the case’ for dietetics and influence your local political representative/s, commissioners, other health professionals and key decision makers.
- Other free resources include our Work Ready industry leaflets, which can support you to promote healthy choices in the workplace. There is also a downloadable lunch break sign to make sure staff are making the time and prioritising lunch