03/06/2025

This week (2nd – 6th June), we proudly join the celebration of Dietitians Week 2025—a time to honour the vital work of dietitians and look ahead to an exciting future for the profession.
Dietitians Week is the British Dietetic Association’s annual celebration of Dietitians and those that work to support them. This year’s theme, “The Future of Dietetics”, highlights innovation, new technology, evolving patient needs, and the many career paths available in this dynamic field.
Ciara McSherry, Digital Transformation Lead for Dietetics, has recently been leading Western Trust Dietitians through the implementation of the encompass system in the Trust. Reflecting on the last few months, Ciara acknowledges the monumental change the department has been through:
“Literally overnight, we have gone from keeping paper records and documenting in medical and nursing notes on the wards, to a single digital patient care record for each person in our Trust, aligning with the rest of the region. Some of our teams were already leading the way with paper free services but often had to work across multiple digital healthcare systems. encompass brings it all together- increasing efficiency, improving communication and ultimately helping us deliver safer and better patient care in providing personalised diet advice and support to our service users. ”
The Western Trust has around 60 dietitians working across a wide geographical area—from Limavady to Lisnaskea—supporting patients in hospitals, community clinics, specialist services, Nursing homes and in their own homes. Many deliver care that crosses Trust and even border boundaries.
“Having a regional electronic patient record will be a huge benefit for all these services,” says Ciara. “It streamlines how we work, strengthens local and regional collaboration, and improves coordination with the multidisciplinary teams we work closely with across Northern Ireland.”
Ciara makes a point of recognising the amazing teamwork that made it all possible.
“Our Dietetic team is supported by fantastic clerical staff and Dietetic Support Workforce who are fundamental to delivery of care across the trust and I wish to thank everyone for their engagement and enthusiasm throughout this digital transformation. Twenty staff volunteered as encompass Super Users, helping champion the change, and we also benefited greatly from Pay-it Back expert support from our Dietetic colleagues in the other Live Trusts across Northern Ireland. That spirit of collaboration is what makes our profession so special.”
As Dietitians Week encourages us to imagine what’s next, Ciara is hopeful:
“Digital tools like encompass open the door to new possibilities—from more connected services to more empowered patients. I’m excited to keep working with colleagues locally and regionally to maximise the impact for our teams and those we serve.”
Follow the daily themes and activities during the week on social media using #DW2025