HES 1 - British Dietetic Association

Consultation HES Committee

The British Dietetic Association would like to thank you for the opportunity to comment on the ‘Consultation HES Committee’

The British Dietetic Association, founded in 1936, is the professional association for registered dietitians in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is the nation’s largest organisation of food and nutrition professionals with over 6,000 members.

Registered dietitians are the only qualified health professionals that assess, diagnose and treat diet and nutrition problems at an individual and wider public health level. Uniquely, dietitians use the most up to date public health and scientific research on food, health and disease, which they translate into practical guidance to enable people to make appropriate lifestyle and food choices.

Dietitians are the only nutrition professionals to be statutorily regulated, and governed by an ethical code, to ensure that they always work to the highest standard.  Dietitians work in the NHS,private practice, industry, education, research, sport, media, public relations, publishing, NGOs and government.  Their advice influences food and health policy across the spectrum from government, local communities and individuals.

In many areas dietitians are leading partnership work on the whole school approach to food and health.

There is an important role for dietitians at both a local level and at a strategic level and to work with all facets of the whole school approach to food and nutrition:

Interpretation of standards requires a dietitian’s professional expertise for implementation.

Translating national policy guidance into local policy development and implementation

Working with catering services on school meal provision and training of staff.

Developing innovative and accredited training methods on food and nutrition skills for key personnel and the curriculum.

Facilitating the development of School Nutrition Action Groups (SNAGs).  The SNAGS are an excellent vehicle for involving and empowering pupils in achieving change for themselves.

Dietitians provide expertise and guidance to healthy schools schemes and partner organizations on implementing food and nutrition initiatives.

Community Dietitians currently working with schools across Wales can provide evidence of good practice of pioneering food and nutrition based initiatives and programmes which demonstrate a whole school approach to food and health.

It is important that these rapidly developing roles for dietitians are taken into consideration and the resources made available to dietitians to support delivery in this area.

Please find below our comments on the changes that have been made to the proposals and our responses to the consultation questions.

I would be grateful if you could provide me with any feedback to this consultation and inform me of any further consultations.  

Yours sincerely

Nicola Morris

On behalf of Bwrdd Cymru BDA