National dietetic award for Northern Trust colleague

A member of staff from the Northern Health and Social Care Trust has won a national award from the British Dietetic Association.

Dietetic prescribing support assistant Shelley Hannon received the Dorothy Hopwood Award for Professional Achievement at an event in Birmingham, following her involvement in a number of service improvement projects.

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

Offering her congratulations, Kathryn Duff, the Northern Trust’s service improvement lead for Dietetics, said: “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 has played a paramount role in the development of a rapid access dietetic clinic for patients discharged from hospital, which has led to a significant reduction in dietetic waiting times. Her analysis highlighted that this early intervention influenced appropriate prescribing of nutritional supplements, reducing both wastage and prescribing costs for local GPs, while improving health outcomes for local people.

More recently, Shelley has taken up the post as Quality Improvement Practitioner for Dietetics, leading on transformative work across both acute and community dietetic services.

7th August 2025