How we verify dietitians and nutritionists

We list two kinds of professional, across the UK and the island of Ireland. The register a practitioner is on decides the title we show on their profile.

We don’t list anyone without one of these registrations. That includes nutritional therapists, health coaches and people who call themselves a “nutritionist” without being on the AfN register. Our guide to the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist explains what each title means.

When practitioners apply, they tell us which register they’re on and give us their registration number. A member of our team then searches that register by hand. It isn’t an automated check. We confirm that:

• the practitioner is on the register they named;
• the name on the register matches the name they gave us;
• the registration number matches;
• the registration is current, for example a status of “Registered” on the HCPC register;
• the profession on the register matches the title we’ll show: dietitian on the HCPC or CORU register, or Registered Nutritionist or Registered Associate Nutritionist on the AfN register.

For practitioners on the AfN register, we also record their grade, Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) or Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr), and show it on their profile, so you can see which grade they hold.

When they apply, practitioners also declare that their registration is current and in good standing, that the information they’ve given us is accurate, and that they’re 18 or over.

• Before a profile goes live. A practitioner can’t publish their profile, appear in search results or take bookings until we’ve verified them. Unverified profiles never appear on CONNECT.
• How long it takes. We check most applications within two working days.
• When registration details change. Once a practitioner is verified, they can’t change their name, register, grade or registration number themselves. If any of these changes, for example when someone moves from ANutr to RNutr, they ask us and we check the register again before we update their profile.
• Re-checks. A registration can lapse, or a regulator can suspend or restrict it, after we’ve checked. We may re-check a practitioner’s registration at any time, and we will if someone raises a concern about them. We don’t yet re-check every practitioner on a fixed schedule.

Every profile shows the date we verified the practitioner. Look for “Verified on” in the credentials box. Because a registration can change after that date, it’s worth checking the register yourself before you book.

Verification answers one question: was this person on the right register, with a current registration, when we checked? It doesn’t tell you everything.

• It isn’t an endorsement. It isn’t a recommendation of any practitioner or a guarantee of the outcome of a consultation. Our terms of service say the same.
• We check registration, not other qualifications. Degrees, courses and memberships of professional associations aren’t part of our check.
• We don’t check what practitioners write about themselves. Practitioners write their own profiles. We don’t verify their specialisms, years of experience, languages or bio. The registers don’t record most of this.
• We don’t see insurance documents. Practitioners must hold professional indemnity insurance. They confirm this to us and name their insurer, but we don’t check their policy.
• It’s a register check, not an identity check. We confirm that the name and number a practitioner gives us appear together on the register. We don’t currently ask for photo ID.
• It can go out of date. A practitioner’s registration can change after we check, as explained above.
• It doesn’t cover the advice itself. Practitioners are independent professionals. They’re responsible for their own advice, under their regulator’s or register’s standards. CONNECT doesn’t give medical advice: see our medical disclaimer.

Reviews are separate from verification. Our reviews policy explains who can leave one and how we check them.

If we can’t find a practitioner on the register, or the details don’t match, we don’t verify them and their profile can’t go live. We email them to explain why. Often it’s a small mismatch, such as a typo in a registration number or a different registered name, so they can correct their details and ask us to check again.

If we find a problem with a practitioner who’s already listed, such as a lapsed registration, we can take their profile out of search results straight away, withdraw their verification or suspend their account.

Every profile shows the practitioner’s register, registration number and the date we verified them, with a link to the register. You can repeat our check in a couple of minutes:

• Dietitians in the UK: search the HCPC register (opens in a new tab) (choose “Dietitian”).
• Dietitians in Ireland: search the CORU register (opens in a new tab).
• Registered Nutritionists: search the AfN register (opens in a new tab).

Our step-by-step guide to checking registration shows what a valid entry looks like and the red flags to watch for. If what you find doesn’t match a profile on CONNECT, please tell us.

To stay listed on CONNECT, practitioners must:

• keep their registration current, and tell us promptly if it lapses, is suspended or has conditions placed on it;
• hold professional indemnity insurance for the services they offer through CONNECT;
• keep their profile, specialisms and prices accurate;
• work within their scope of practice and follow their regulator’s or register’s standards.

These are conditions of our terms of service. We can remove a practitioner whose registration we can’t verify, who breaks our terms, or where we reasonably think it’s needed to protect the public.