Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review approaches to improve the integration of (a) nutritional science and (b) dietetic services into standard patient care pathways for (i) recovery, (ii) managing chronic ailments and (iii) in general.

The Department currently has no plans to review approaches for integrating nutritional and dietetic services into standard patient care pathways. However, NHS England’s Nursing Directorate is reviewing and refreshing the National Nutrition and Hydration guidance.

Clinical approaches are under the remit of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Dietitians are the primary qualified and regulated healthcare professionals who assess, diagnose, and treat dietary and nutritional problems within the National Health Service. They play a vital role across a wide range of care pathways and are integral members of multidisciplinary teams.

Dietitians contribute significantly to patient recovery, including in critical care, cancer, neurological, and mental health services. They also support the management of long-term conditions such as diabetes, renal disease, and cystic fibrosis, and provide general nutritional care to promote health and wellbeing.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes ensuring that dietetic and nutritional support is embedded across care pathways to improve outcomes and deliver best value from the health budget.