The British Dietetic Association has launched its manifesto for the 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election, calling on the next Northern Ireland government to put dietitians at the heart of efforts to shift the health service towards prevention and early intervention.
Northern Ireland’s health service continues to face significant pressures, while an ageing population, long-term conditions and health inequalities are increasing demand for care.
The BDA argues that nutrition and dietetic expertise must play a greater role in addressing these challenges and delivering the ambitions of the Neighbourhood Model of Health and Wellbeing.
The manifesto calls on the next Northern Ireland government to take action across three priority areas:
Tackle malnutrition with dietetic expertise, by updating the ten-year-old Promoting Good Nutrition Strategy, developing specialist dietetic-led services and introducing free school meals for all primary school children.
Develop the dietetic workforce through long-term workforce planning, fair pay, investment in modern ways of working and support for dietitians to work at the top of their profession.
Invest in education and training, by introducing a dietetic apprenticeship, ring-fencing funding for postgraduate training and guaranteeing dedicated dietetic practice education posts across every Health and Social Care Trust.
BDA Chief Executive Liz Stockley said, “Across Northern Ireland there is a clear recognition that our health service needs to do things differently, with a much greater emphasis on keeping people well and intervening earlier.
“Dietitians already have the expertise to help make that shift a reality. From supporting people with long-term conditions to delivering specialist services closer to home, they already offer many of the solutions our health service needs.
“Our manifesto sets out practical steps the next Northern Ireland government can take to unlock their potential, by investing in the workforce and services that can help people live healthier lives while making the best use of health service resources.”
A major focus of the manifesto is malnutrition. Malnutrition is estimated to cost health and social care services across the UK more than £23 billion each year, and is more prevalent in older people. It can make it harder for people to recover from illness or injury, reduce independence and lead to poorer health outcomes.
The BDA is calling for a dietetic-led review of Northern Ireland’s Promoting Good Nutrition Strategy, the framework which governs how malnutrition is identified and managed across the health and social care system.
The manifesto also calls for investment in advanced practice roles in areas including gastroenterology, obesity and diabetes, as well as support for independent prescribing rights for dietitians and the development of more dietetic-led services in primary care.
Debbie McGugan, Chair of the BDA Northern Ireland Board, said, “Dietitians across Northern Ireland see every day the difference that timely nutritional support can make to people’s health, independence and quality of life.
“But too often our expertise is brought in after someone has already become unwell. We have a real opportunity to change that by making nutrition a core part of prevention and early intervention, and enabling dietitians to play a greater role across our communities.
“To do that, we also need to invest in the profession itself - creating routes into dietetics, supporting people to develop specialist skills and ensuring experienced staff can build rewarding careers here in Northern Ireland.
“We want every candidate standing in the 2027 Assembly election to understand the contribution dietitians can make to building a healthier Northern Ireland and a more sustainable health service.”
The BDA will engage with political parties and candidates ahead of the 2027 Assembly election to encourage them to support the manifesto’s recommendations.
