Primary Care

The BDA believes that dietitians have a critical role to play in supporting primary care services for conditions relating to diet and nutrition. Excitingly, in England this was recognised in the GP contract in 2020, whereby dietitians are now specifically included within the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. This means that GPs can get specific funding for dietetic posts in their services, but they will only do that if they are aware of the impact that a dietitian could have in their service.

The BDA believes dietitians can have a number of important impacts in primary care, these include:

1. Enable patients to self-manage their conditions
2. Reduce demand on GP time
3. Make ‘prevention’ possible in primary care
4. Manage medicines effectively and efficiently
5. Manage ACBS products effectively and efficiently
6. Reduce the need for expensive referrals to secondary care and the need for hospitalisation
7. Utilise technology effectively
8. Be part of the multidisciplinary primary care home team

Click here for further information relating to the role of First Contact Dietitians. 

The Primary Care Project

The BDA commissioned Plymouth University to undertake a research project to collect and evaluate data on the effectiveness of dietitians working in primary care. This was part funded by HEE and will give us a firm evidence basis on which to base our calls for more dietetic posts in primary care. The three phases to the project have now finished, and we are awaiting the final analysis and write up. The three phases were:

• Phase 1 - scoping review focusing on the effectiveness of dietitian-led care in primary care   
• Phase 2 - an on-line survey of dietitians working in primary care
• Phase 3 - collecting observational data to evaluate how dietitians could work in primary care.  This consisted of three models:

1. Dietitians working as a First Contact Practitioner to treat frailty and malnutrition within the general practice setting.
2. Dietitians working to enhance the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) within general practice.
3. Paediatric allergy which is usually delivered through referral to secondary care.

HEE FCP and AP in Primary Care: Dietitian - A Roadmap to Practice

Health Education England (HEE) supported by the BDA produced a Roadmap for dietitians working in primary care, more information can be found on our First Contact Dietitian webpage 

Across the Four Countries

We are linking in with a representative from each of our four countries to progress the primary care agenda. 

BDA Primary Care Basecamp

The BDA has created a Primary Care Basecamp for all dietitians with an interest in these roles to join and share experiences, knowledge and recourses such as business cases and job descriptions. Please email us directly if you would like to be added to the Basecamp.

• Read the King's Fund's briefing on "Primary Care Networks" in England, part of the NHS England Long Term Plan
• Read Healthcare Improvement Scotland's strategic direction for Primary Care.  
• Read Northern Ireland's Primary Care strategy.