HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING

How to hire a dietitian in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

'Dietitian' is a protected title across the UK. Here is how to check, what to ask, and what the fee should include.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a dietitian in five steps

  1. Search the HCPC RegisterChoose 'dietitian' and enter the surname. 'Nutritionist' is not protected and has no statutory register.
  2. Say what you need help withThe condition, recent blood results, medicines and what you have tried. A food diary helps.
  3. Ask what the fee includesA written plan, a letter to your GP, follow-up messages — or just the appointment.
  4. Agree the follow-upsHow many reviews, how far apart, and what each costs.
  5. Keep your GP in the loopA dietitian treating a medical condition should be willing to write to your GP.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

HCPC Register

'Dietitian' is a protected title under the Health Professions Order 2001, so only a dietitian on the HCPC Register may use it, in any UK nation. Claiming the title, or implying it, without being registered is a criminal offence (Article 39). 'Dietician' is protected too.

On the HCPC Register pick 'Dietitian', type the surname or registration number, and confirm the entry is current before the first appointment. hcpc-uk.org →

Professional indemnity

Holding an indemnity arrangement is a condition of HCPC registration, so a registered dietitian should be covered if a treatment goes wrong. It may come through an employer, a professional body or a policy of their own.

Ask the dietitian how their indemnity is arranged — a clear one-line answer is what you want.

Nutritionist is a different title

'Nutritionist', 'nutritional therapist' and 'diet coach' are not protected titles and no statutory register covers them. Using 'dietitian' or 'dietician' without HCPC registration is an offence under the Health Professions Order 2001.

If the advert says 'dietitian', search the HCPC Register; if it says 'nutritionist', ask about training and insurance instead. hcpc-uk.org →

Trader status and your cancellation rights

A dietitian in private practice is a trader, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies to the service. If you book a dietitian package online, by phone or at home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you 14 days to cancel; if you asked for treatment to start inside those 14 days, you pay only for what you used.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile and keep the booking confirmation.

VAT

Dietetic treatment is exempt from VAT only when the dietitian is on the HCPC Register and the service is for your health; a plan with no health aim, or advice from someone unregistered, is standard-rated at 20%. A practice with VAT taxable turnover over £90,000 must register and show VAT separately on any standard-rated line.

Check the dietitian on the HCPC Register, and ask for the practice's VAT number if any line carries VAT. gov.uk →

“Are you an HCPC-registered dietitian? What is your number?”

A good answer: A number that brings up their name under 'dietitian' on the HCPC Register.

“Do you work with my condition?”

A good answer: Experience with your problem — IBS, diabetes, allergies, eating disorders, tube feeding — or an honest referral to a dietitian who does.

“What will the first dietitian appointment cover?”

A good answer: Medical history, current diet, weight and symptoms, then practical changes you agree together.

“Will I get a written plan, and is it in the fee?”

A good answer: A clear yes or no, and the price of a plan or GP letter if it is extra.

“Do you recommend tests or supplements, and do you sell them?”

A good answer: Tests only where there is clinical evidence; a dietitian who profits from selling supplements should say so.

“How will we know the dietitian plan is working?”

A good answer: Symptoms, measurements or blood results you agree to track.

“Will you write to my GP?”

A good answer: Yes, with your consent, especially where a medical condition or medicines are involved.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends — the HCPC-registered dietitian named, or a colleague, employed or subcontracted
  • First assessment and review fees, with the length of each
  • Whether a written diet plan and a GP letter are included
  • Tests, supplements or specialist products priced separately — and whether the dietitian sells them
  • The VAT number, if the practice has one, and any line adding VAT explained
  • Online or face to face, and any travel charge
  • Cancellation terms before you pay for a package

Walk away if

  • Calls themselves a dietitian but is not on the HCPC Register
  • Sells expensive tests or supplements as part of every plan
  • Promises fast weight loss or a cure
  • Advises stopping prescribed medicines
  • No assessment before handing over a plan
  • Will not write to your GP when a medical condition is involved
LOW
£65
TYPICAL
£85
HIGH
£100

What a dietitian costs: £65–£100 per session

Dietitians charge by the appointment, with a longer first assessment; written plans, letters and tests may be extra. Dietitian price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Dietitians near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Pre-appointment formYour history, medicines, recent results and a food diary, sent before you meet.
  2. AssessmentThe dietitian goes through your diet, symptoms and medical background in detail.
  3. Advice and planPractical, evidence-based changes you can follow at home, agreed with you.
  4. Letter to the GPWhere a medical condition is involved, a summary sent with your consent.
  5. ReviewsShorter follow-ups to adjust the plan as results come in.

HCPC
The regulator whose Register protects the titles 'dietitian' and 'dietician'.
Nutritionist
An unprotected title with no statutory register.
Food and symptom diary
A record of what you eat and how you feel, kept before the appointment.
Elimination diet
Removing foods for a set time to test for a reaction, then reintroducing them.
Supplementary prescribing
An annotation some dietitians hold on their HCPC entry.
Review
A shorter follow-up appointment.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the plan and the letterThe written plan, any GP letter and your food diary — they help your GP and any future dietitian.
Track the measure you agreedSymptoms, weight or blood results; bring them to the review.
Know when to come backAsk the dietitian when a review is due and what would bring it forward.
Leave the reviewOnly a booked dietitian can be reviewed on Locufy, so your words carry weight. If the dietitian got something wrong, use the make-it-right step first.

STEP 1Tell the dietitian in writingKeep it to the date, what happened and the remedy you want. The duty of reasonable care and skill in section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 binds any dietitian in business, and if the advice missed it, section 54 entitles you to have it put right free or to pay less.
STEP 2Try the make-it-right stepUnder four stars for a booked dietitian, Locufy asks whether to pass it to them first; we follow it through before the review goes up.
STEP 3A concern about a dietitian's practiceThe HCPC takes concerns about registered dietitians from members of the public, and investigates anyone using a protected title such as 'dietitian' without being on the Register.
STEP 4Small claims as the last stepWhere the dietitian still refuses, the small claims routes run to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure and £5,000 in Northern Ireland, with no solicitor needed.

Hiring a dietitian: questions people ask

'Dietitian' is a protected title — only HCPC registrants may use it, across the UK. 'Nutritionist' is not protected and has no statutory register.

Search the HCPC Register at hcpc-uk.org: choose 'dietitian', enter the surname or registration number.

No. You can book directly; ask the dietitian to write to your GP afterwards if a medical condition is involved.

£65 to £100 a session, typically around £85. First appointments cost more than reviews, and specialist areas cost the most. For the detail, open the dietitian price guide; for real quotes, put your town in the search above.

Not on treatment for your health from a registered dietitian — it is exempt under VAT Notice 701/57.

Tell them in writing and see your GP. A dietitian in practice owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and concerns can go to the HCPC.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in health & wellbeing

How to hire: NutritionistHow to hire: PhysiotherapistHow to hire: Occupational TherapistHow to hire: Speech & Language TherapistHow to hire: Wellness CoachHow to hire: Personal TrainerHow to hire: Podiatrist / ChiropodistHow to hire: CounsellorAll 701 hiring guides →

Dietitians near you

Dietitians in LondonDietitians in ManchesterDietitians in BirminghamDietitians in GlasgowDietitians in BelfastAll dietitians on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HCPC — professions and protected titles
  2. HCPC — check the Register
  3. HCPC — misuse of title
  4. HCPC — professional indemnity
  5. gov.uk — Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  10. Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57) — 2.1 Meaning of a health professional; 2.3 Exempt medical services
  11. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  12. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register