Allied Health Professions

Dietitians are registered with the Health Professions Council. They specialise in nutritional assessment which is used together with clinical information to prescribe appropriate dietary treatment. Diet is the cornerstone of treatment in many conditions such as diabetes, coeliac disease, malnutrition, renal and hepatic diseases and certain paediatric disorders. The dietitian's overall aim is to educate patients to make informed food choices required for the dietary management of their condition and to ensure nutritional needs are met. They also have a key role in the management of artificial feeding and support to family and carers when required. Dietitians have a major role in nutrition and health promotion initiatives and disease prevention programmes. They liaise with other health professionals and key personnel in a variety of community settings.

After qualifying, most dietitians work clinically in the National Health Service where they advise on therapeutic diets. Dietitians work in a variety of wards, ranging from general medical and surgical wards to more specialised areas, including intensive care, paediatrics or renal dietetics. They are also involved in training other health care professionals within the hospital.

Community dietitians are involved in health promotion, clinical work, or a mixture of both. They help to promote healthy food choices and prevent disease by increasing awareness of the link between nutrition and health. They may work with GPs, practice nurses, health visitors, schools and voluntary groups.

Many dietitians work directly for a food manufacturer, food retailer, or a pharmaceutical company, or they may work with a public relations company representing an industry. Dietitians are there to give unbiased advice on nutrition, produce nutritional literature, respond to customer concerns and set nutritional standards for the companies.

Sports dietitians provide expert practical and evidence-based advice on all areas of nutrition for sport. They help athletes, coaches and their associated professionals understand how optimum hydration and nutrition may help athletes improve performance.

Many dietitians choose to be self-employed and seek opportunities to work within a wide range of areas, including private clinical practice, media, and publishing for magazines and books.

Many dietitians choose to work in research in order to initiate and evaluate new ways of working in the field of nutrition and dietetics, to evaluate and improve treatment and to keep other health professionals informed about research outcomes.