Make Nutrition an Integral Part of Primary Healthcare
The health of the nation is deteriorating and the NHS is in crisis. The medical model, which worked so well for so long, of family doctor prescribing medications and referring on for more specialist care, is no longer fit for purpose. In the age of chronic disease and polypharmacy, is it time to make nutrition an integral part of primary healthcare?
Primary Care in Crisis
Despite best efforts of GPs, NHS primary care is in crisis. We have a declining pool of GPs, facing a sicker population. Patients struggle to get through to over-stretched surgeries. Face-to-face appointments are increasingly rare and GPs face the challenge of making webcam-diagnoses. Consultations times are short – 9 minutes! – to the dissatisfaction of both doctor and patient.
Patient Complexity is Rising
Patients today are needing healthcare for increasingly complex health situations. The majority of care is required for non-communicable diseases – overweight, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, chronic pain, and more. Underlying risk factors include diet, exercise, smoking, stress and alcohol consumption. These issues cannot be covered in a 9 minute consultation – and GPs are not routinely qualified to offer advice on these issues anyway.
Make Nutrition an Integral Part of Primary Healthcare
It is time for nutritional therapy – and the army of BANT Nutritional Therapists – to be brought under the primary care umbrella. We are uniquely placed – together with our fellow Dietitians – to offer support on what it means to eat a nutritionally balanced diet. Working with a GP diagnosis, we are able to coach and inspire patients to change. We find each individual patient’s motivation and use it to leverage change. Everyone is unique – from their starting point, their state of health, their desires – and BANT nutritional therapists understand and work with this difference. Rooted in the science (BANT has its own nutrition and lifestyle evidence database), advice is given in manageable stages with profound impacts.
If you are interested in taking control of your own health, please get in touch with Clare to discuss your situation. You can share your story and learn how to make nutrition an integral part of primary healthcare. Book a free call here.
To get started on integrating nutrition into your life, have a read of this.