We call on political parties to prioritise bringing Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners into NHS primary care!
BANT 2024 Election Manifesto – A call for change!
More than 15 million people in England (over a quarter of the population) have a long-term ‘chronic’ health condition that could be supported with diet and lifestyle interventions.
Over the next ten years this figure is expected to increase, especially among those living with multiple conditions. Care of people with long-term conditions accounts for about 70% of the money spent on health and social care in England.
In 2021, total healthcare expenditure in the UK was £280.7 billion, equating to £4,188 per person.
Of this, 58 billion a year is spent on treating obesity related ill health alone.
Current calculations show that only 4 out of 10 Registered Dietitians are practising in the NHS equating to 1 practitioner for every 15,220 of the population!
There is currently no provision for nutritionists within the NHS and primary care.
For individuals living with a chronic condition and in need of nutrition and lifestyle support, the odds of receiving care are non-existent unless they can afford to go private.
Chronic disease places a huge burden on NHS resources. Those with chronic conditions are significantly more likely to see their GP, to be admitted as inpatients, and to use more inpatient days than those without such conditions.
The NHS aims to ‘support people with long-term conditions to be as independent and healthy as possible, preventing complications and the need to go into hospital’.
Why then is nutrition still not included on the NHS.
As we count down to a general election, we have a unique opportunity to integrate PSA-accredited Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners into NHS primary care settings:
- In GP surgeries for automatic referrals on diet-induced symptoms
- In out-patient settings to advise on nutrition next steps following treatment
- In paediatric clinics for dietary education for young families
- In integrative healthcare teams to provide active support for patients with metabolic, digestive, cardiovascular, inflammatory, and autoimmune conditions.
We call on political parties to prioritise bringing nutrition and lifestyle medicine professionals into the NHS to support patients with chronic diet and lifestyle-induced illness.
Download the full manifesto here or access our online flipbook.
