Northern Trust’s Shelley Hannon wins prestigious National Award for Dietetic Excellence

(L-R): Gillian Farren from the British Dietetic Association presents Shelley Hannon with her award.

A Northern Health and Social Care Trust staff member has been honoured with a national award from the British Dietetic Association for her outstanding contribution to patient care and service improvement.

Dietetic prescribing support assistant Shelley Hannon has received the Dorothy Hopwood Award for Professional Achievement at a ceremony in Birmingham.

The accolade recognises a member of the dietetic support workforce who has made a “valuable and significant contribution” to the profession.

Shelley was praised for her dedication to enhancing patient care through innovative service improvements, particularly her work in developing a rapid access dietetic clinic for patients recently discharged from hospital.

This initiative has led to a significant reduction in dietetic waiting times, improved prescribing practices for nutritional supplements, and reduced both wastage and costs for local GPs.

Kathryn Duff, the Northern Trust’s service improvement lead for Dietetics, paid tribute to Shelley’s commitment, saying:

“Shelley is a true example of an individual who is determined and committed to achieving a high standard of work and delivery of patient care.

“Her ability to work across the larger multi-disciplinary team exemplifies how health and social care aims to work in partnership, improving outcomes for those using our services across the organisation, Northern Ireland and further afield.”

Shelley’s work has not only benefited patients locally but has also provided a model for improved care across wider healthcare networks. Her early-intervention approach has demonstrated measurable impacts on health outcomes while ensuring better use of NHS resources.

In recognition of her leadership and innovative thinking, Shelley has recently taken up the post of Quality Improvement Practitioner for Dietetics, where she is now leading transformative projects across both acute and community dietetic services.