The British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) has submitted its response to the Labour government’s NHS 10-Year Health Plan unanimously calling for an extension to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) register to include Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners.

 

This singular regulatory change would augment the NHS workforce and get straight to the issue of tackling chronic disease through prevention-led care, thus relieving the strain on NHS resources and instantly increasing General Practitioner capacity to address GP wait lists.

Furthermore, extending the HCPC dietetics register would allow these skilled Nutritional Therapy professionals to play a vital role working in primary care, community and neighbourhood settings where the NHS most needs strengthening. Nutritional Therapy Practitioners can deliver targeted nutritional interventions that transform lives and prevent the escalation of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes (T2DM), IBS, cancer, dementia, and mental health issues.

BANT currently represents c. 3,000 Nutritional Therapy Practitioners who are available and voluntarily registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC), Professional Standards Authority Accredited Register (PSA), providing a clear roadmap for their timely addition to the regulatory HCPC register and primary care workforce.

Nutrition and lifestyle medicine services are currently not integrated in primary care settings despite increasing scientific evidence correlating ‘diet’ and ‘lifestyle’ with risk factors for preventable chronic disease¹.

With two-thirds of British adults overweight and 26% living with obesity, the need for nutrition and lifestyle support has never been greater². The cost of obesity is estimated at 0.05% to 2.42% of the country’s gross domestic product, equivalent to 98 billion annually (GDP) ^3&4. Despite high levels of obesity, the current NHS workforce is unable to meet the demand for weight loss support and obesity prevention⁵. 

Looking ahead, the stakes are even higher, with projections indicating that 25 million more people in England will be living with major illnesses by 2040⁶. Nutritional Therapy has proven effective in reducing symptoms and enhancing health and activity, offering a beacon of hope for a healthier future for the NHS and more importantly, the people it serves⁷.

Read the full article on Politics home: https://www.politicshome.com/members/article/bant-calls-nutritional-therapy-practitioners-work-primary-care-nhs-10year-health-plan