Northern Trust’s innovative community nutrition work wins top UK award

Northern Trust dietetic colleagues Kathryn Duff, Shelley Hannon, Michelle Graham Steele, Ursula Quinn, Katherine Hudson and Elizabeth Armstrong received the ‘Community Nutrition Professional of the Year’ award at the 2025 Complete Nutrition (CN) Awards in recognition of their innovative work around community nutrition care.

A team of dietitians from the Northern Health and Social Care Trust has been named ‘Community Nutrition Professional of the Year’ at the 2025 Complete Nutrition (CN) Awards, receiving national recognition for their pioneering approach to community-based nutritional care.

Dietetic colleagues Kathryn Duff, Shelley Hannon, Michelle Graham Steele, Ursula Quinn, Katherine Hudson and Elizabeth Armstrong were honoured for their innovative work supporting patients at risk of malnutrition following hospital discharge.

Their award-winning ‘Hospital : Home’ pilot programme introduced a rapid response pathway for individuals prescribed oral nutritional supplements and identified as vulnerable to malnutrition.

Central to the initiative was the role of a Prescribing Support Dietitian, who provided personalised interventions built on a ‘food first’ model—emphasising everyday, accessible food choices tailored to each patient’s lifestyle.

The early targeted support not only enhanced patient wellbeing and recovery but also delivered significant cost savings by ensuring more appropriate and efficient use of nutritional supplements.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Kathryn Duff, Service Improvement Lead for Dietetics, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to be bringing the award of Nutrition Professionals of the Year back to Northern Ireland.

“The success of this initiative redefines how services can operate and how timely, targeted interventions, using existing resources, can ensure long-term sustainability.

“By pioneering new clinical pathways it creates a blueprint for change. We believe this work has the power to revolutionise dietetic care at regional and national levels, reshaping services, optimising resources, and delivering better outcomes for patients and healthcare systems alike.”

The recognition from the CN Awards underscores the growing importance of proactive, community-centred nutritional support in preventing avoidable illness and reducing pressure on acute health services.

The Northern Trust team’s work is now being viewed as a model with potential for wider implementation across Northern Ireland and beyond.