The Government’s ambition to move care from hospitals into communities, from sickness to prevention and from analogue to digital offers a major opportunity to improve health and make better use of NHS resources. However, neighbourhood health will not fulfil that ambition unless dietitians and other allied health professionals (AHPs) are involved in its leadership, design and delivery from the outset.
Dietitians play a vital role in prevention, long-term condition management and reducing avoidable pressure on NHS services.
Neighbourhood health also needs named AHP leaders with clear responsibility for pathway design, workforce planning, outcomes, quality improvement and partnership working. Dietitians should lead or co-lead services in which nutrition is a major driver, including weight management, diabetes, frailty and malnutrition.
Investment in the workforce is equally important. Insufficient funded community and primary care posts, inconsistent commissioning, limited advanced-practice opportunities and poor visibility of AHP leadership all restrict the profession’s contribution.
Community services already demonstrate their value. Dietitians working across Birmingham primary care networks saved more than 600 GP appointments and over £70,000 through reduced inappropriate prescribing, while a Birmingham care-home programme achieved more than £1 million in annualised prescribing savings. Other initiatives have improved hydration, reduced hospital admissions and helped people manage conditions such as diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome.
The BDA is calling for standards that guarantee access to dietetic expertise, named AHP leadership and greater investment in sustainable primary and community care roles. Making nutrition and prevention core parts of neighbourhood health would support earlier intervention, reduce inequalities and deliver better outcomes for patients and the NHS.
We would also like to thank those who have made their own submission, and provided evidence to support the BDA's submission, including the BDA England Board.
