This Dietitians Week, we're looking ahead and considering what dietetics may look like in 5, 10, even 20 years time. Whilst we contemplate what's in store for the profession, it also serves the opportunity to reflect on our goals as an organisation - what do we hope for in the future?
We asked our Chair, Susan Price, CEO, Liz Stockley and Student Rep, April Aslett to write a letter to their successors to be read in 2036 - our 100th anniversary. They've shared their predictions and hopes for the future, as well as offered advice to the Chair, CEO and Student Rep of 2036.
The letters have been put in our time capsule for safe keeping, which will be opened as part of our celebrations in 11 years time.
Letter to the future BDA CEO
To the future CEO of the British Dietetic Association,
It's 2036 - firstly, happy 100th birthday to the BDA!
I write this letter with anticipation that much will be achieved for the dietetic community between now and 2036. The strategy set out in 2024 laid the groundwork for a transformative decade, one that hopefully saw significant growth in the workforce and development of both the profession and the dietetic community.
Our vision at the time felt both bold and necessary. We set an audacious goal: 20,000 satisfied members by 2034. I am hoping this target has been exceeded through collective effort, unrelenting advocacy and by staying true to our values.
I hope the dietetic workforce has grown not only in number but also in terms of the role and scope of dietitians. I hope our members working in freelance and industry have experienced successful growth and increased influence over politicians, industry and the people of the UK.
I hope we have finally achieved independent prescribing for advanced dietitians.
AI and digital transformation have no doubt brought about significant change. I envisage this has empowered our members in both service delivery and in areas of research. I expect this has streamlined assessments, enhanced personalised care plans and allowed dietitians to focus on relational and behavioural change—the heart of dietetic practice.
The BDA Trade Union will have continued to be one of the most respected voices in UK healthcare. Our influence in collective bargaining, pay reviews and workforce strategy will have grown alongside the workforce. Our vibrant network of reps, including learning and equality reps, will be well trained and will be supporting members and achieving working conditions and pay that are fairer, safer, more equitable and more sustainable.
At the time of writing, our network of groups and branches provides expertise, support and fellowship to the dietetic community. I anticipate by now that this network will be even stronger, providing a safe, community hub for development of the profession, for supporting career development of our members and leading the way in dietetic research.
I hope that, together with our AHP partners, we have strengthened our influence in the public health system in each nation of the UK and that our members have significant leadership and decision-making roles across the systems.
The foundations we are building now - technological, educational and organisational - are strong and will have provided sound infrastructure for the development of the organisation and for excellent services for members. I’m sure that you have built on the strengths of the excellent staff team at the BDA and have continued to foster a wonderful environment within which to work.
I will hopefully have the opportunity to be involved in the 100th birthday of this amazing association in some way, to celebrate and reflect on just how far we have come.
Warmest regards,
Liz Stockley
Chief Executive Officer
British Dietetic Association
Letter to the future BDA Student Rep
To the BDA Student Representative of 2036,
Hello from 2025! My name’s April and I’ve had the absolute privilege of serving as the BDA Student Rep this year. As you read this, the BDA is celebrating its 100th anniversary – what an incredible milestone! And what an honour it is to be asked to write this letter to you.
It’s hard to predict exactly what studying dietetics will look like in 2036 but I think it’s safe to say that technology will have an even bigger role in dietetic education. We’re already seeing online placements and virtual patients introduced into our training and I imagine these systems and tools will only become more sophisticated.
I hope that there are now more pathways into the profession, such as distance learning options and increased apprenticeship opportunities, helping to make dietetics more accessible and create a workforce as diverse as the communities we serve.
As much as technology will evolve, I hope we haven’t lost what makes dietitians so special: empathy, compassion and a person-centred approach. My hope is that dietitians can harness the power of technology to streamline administrative tasks and enhance services, giving us more time for the human side of care.
We are already in an age of (mis)information overload and I imagine that hasn’t changed - perhaps it is even more challenging in 2036! This means reliable, evidence-based nutrition guidance will be even more vital. The expertise of dietitians will be more important than ever, though I also hope that advances in healthcare and preventative initiatives have contributed to a healthier population overall.
Sustainability has been an increasingly important topic during my time as a student and I hope that by 2036 the NHS is well on its way to meeting its net zero goals. Allied health professionals, including dietitians, have already been finding innovative solutions to reduce clinical waste and improve the sustainability of their practice. I’d love to think that our profession continues to contribute to sustainability solutions, like building food systems that support both people and the planet, and that we feel confident having meaningful conversations about sustainable diets that are practical, inclusive and accessible.
Being the BDA Student Representative has been one of the most valuable and rewarding parts of my student journey. I’ve had the opportunity to advocate for the student body, contribute to conversations at Board level, learn how the organisation works and connect with dietitians and fellow students across the UK. It’s helped me grow in confidence and deepened my understanding of the profession as a whole.
My advice to you? Say yes to the opportunities that come your way, even if they feel slightly outside your comfort zone. The year goes by incredibly quickly, so take time early on to consider what matters to you most in this role and focus your energy there! While you can’t do everything, you can make a difference. Don’t underestimate the impact you can have just by being approachable, thoughtful, and kind.
Being the Student Rep is a unique opportunity to champion others, shape the future of the profession and connect with some truly inspiring people. Wherever the profession stands now, I hope you feel proud to be part of it – and excited to help shape its next chapter.
Warm wishes from the past,
April Aslett
BDA Student Representative, 2024-25
Letter to the future BDA Chair
To the future Chair of the British Dietetic Association,
This is Susan Price - I am the current BDA Chair and was appointed at the October 2024 AGM.
A HUGE congratulations to you on being the BDA Chair! It's such a huge honour and I hope that you are enjoying it as much as I am. I have no doubt that you have the same passion and dedication towards our amazing profession and association that I do.
As I write this in June 2025, I am very much looking forward to Dietitians Week 2025 (#DW2025 - are hashtags still a thing?!) and seeing all the amazing areas that our members are working in, along with thinking about what dietetics in 2036 might look like.
So, here are some of my thoughts…
2036 feels both incredibly distant but also close. As you read this we will have delivered on our 2024-2034 strategy and achieved our five strategic objectives with the four golden threads. I can imagine that we will have not only reached our goal of 20,000 members under your leadership (and the previous Chairs and CEO) but this will be growing even more. As well as the numbers increasing, you will be ensuring that members will be satisfied and diverse.
Having a diverse, fully inclusive dietetic workforce is something that I feel very strongly about. I do hope that in 2036 our membership will not only be representative of the communities and industries that we are working in - but that we have also taken it to a different level that is over and above anything I could wish for.
In the future I want to be seeing the dietetic workforce breaking boundaries in the locations that they work and lead in - across the NHS and non-NHS areas. I envision that we will have developed the support worker, advanced practitioner and consultant roles not just in the NHS but also in private areas of practice. It will be fascinating to see how dietetic roles have developed in primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare. I picture an association that will champion the integration of dietetics into primary care as a standard, not an exception, and hence significantly reducing the need on acute services. Our members in acute services will be leading the way in hospital-based nutritional care – even more so than now.
I hope we will have moved far beyond the perception of dietitians solely as hospital-based clinicians. By your time, I believe we will be deeply embedded in every facet of society: shaping food policy at governmental levels, driving sustainable food systems and leading the change in personalised nutrition. I can also see how our freelance members will have successfully built on their established entrepreneurial skills and thus taking our profession into many other new areas that we have not been in before.
By 2036, our members working in Higher Education will have enabled another 10+ years of student dietitians to become graduates. I can’t wait to see how they will shape the profession.
I can see the BDA being an even more powerful association of influence across all areas of nutrition, both in the UK as well as across the globe. UK dietitians and support workers will hopefully be seen as leaders within their areas of expertise as well as legislation makers. Additionally, industry will be coming to the BDA as a first point of contact for any nutrition related matters.
In 11 years time, AI will likely be embedded into our work as an association as well as in dietetic practice. I do hope that the foundations that we are laying now regarding AI and other technological developments have enabled you to achieve what you need to. AI-powered tools will be assisting dietitians in delivering highly individualised advice (for people or industry) and our online resources will be the go-to for evidence-based nutritional information for the public. Whatever new development comes next, whether this be in IT, AI, social media or something I am not yet aware of, I do hope that the BDA will take this on board to ensure that we are constantly moving with the times and therefore keeping new, fresh and relevant.
Due to expertise and leadership from dietitians, I am imagining a nation where nutritional literacy will be commonplace, where healthy food choices will be the easiest, most affordable and sustainable options for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status. I hope that we will have achieved significant strides in reducing health inequalities, with our work having a tangible impact on the most vulnerable communities. Imagine a world where the term "food poverty" is a historical anecdote and where sustainable eating is open to all and second nature to the majority.
By your tenure I really hope that the pervasive misinformation and pseudoscience that currently floods the internet will be effectively countered. I hope the BDA will have spearheaded a public education campaign so effective that fact-checking nutritional claims is as intuitive as checking the weather. I also hope we will have overcome the funding challenges that currently plague many NHS, Higher Education Institutions and non-NHS dietetic services, ensuring that every person or service who needs a dietitian or dietetic support worker has access to one. Furthermore, I believe we will have navigated the complexities of integrating cutting-edge technology, like nutrigenomics, into practice ethically and effectively, without losing the human touch that is so vital to our profession.
As for advice for you, my future self, and indeed for any of our successors:
- Remember you do not have to know everything! By having your board made up of a wide diverse group of people you will have all the expertise around the table to help you reach the best decision.
- Ensure that our links with Higher Education Institutes remains strong - they are literally producing our future members and the dietetic workforce of 2036 and beyond.
- Invest in research and innovation, for that is how we will continue to evolve and adapt. Evidence-based practice must remain our bedrock.
- I have really enjoyed having such a good relationship with our CEO Liz and the wider SLT – and I hope you have that too!
- Behind all decisions always ask “what is the impact and benefit for our members” – we are a members association! Never lose sight of our core values.
- Continue to champion collaboration, both within the profession and with other healthcare disciplines and sectors.
- Most importantly, remember the individual. Behind every policy, every guideline, every technological advancement, there is a person whose life we are striving to improve through the power of good nutrition.
A big 100th Happy Birthday to our brilliant British Dietetic Association - whatever your celebration plans are, I do hope I can join in and I very much look forward to meeting you!
The dietetic journey continues and will be full of discoveries and new practices. Embrace the future with courage and curiosity.
With all my hope and anticipation.
Susan Price
BDA Chair (appointed October 2024)
