Band 8a Specialist Liver Project Dietitian

NHS; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Part time

Job summary

A large NHS Trust in Birmingham is seeking a Band 8a Specialist Liver Project Dietitian to assess and manage nutritional needs of at-risk liver disease patients. The role involves working collaboratively within a project team, developing effective intervention strategies. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in dietetics, excellent leadership skills, and experience with research and service development. This position is part-time, dedicated to improving community health outcomes.

Qualifications

• Experience with adults facing various cancers.
• Experience in leadership and team management.
• Teaching experience to university and multi-professional groups.

Responsibilities

• Work as part of the liver team assessing patients' nutritional needs.
• Develop assessment methods for at-risk populations.
• Lead various dietetic assessments and interventions.

Skills

Communication skills

Leadership skills

Clinical reasoning

Teaching skills

Education

BSc or MSc in Dietetics

State Registration with Health Professions Council

BDA or equivalent professional registration

MSc in relevant subject

Tools

Advanced Diploma in Dietetic Practice

Job description

Band 8a Specialist Liver Project Dietitian

The closing date is 28 November 2025

Are you an experienced Liver Dietitian looking for a new challenge? Do you have strong interest in service development, audit and research? If so then we have an opportunity that may be of interest to you at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB)

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, organised and well‑motivated individual to work as part of a project team, based at UHB, to identify patients in the Birmingham area who are at risk of developing liver disease and liver cancer.

Most liver disease is preventable, and much is influenced by alcohol consumption and obesity prevalence, which are both amenable to public health interventions. These populations have significant nutritional needs that could be assessed and pre‑emptively managed as part of an overall plan to improve population health.

This is a Birmingham Initiative to improve the detection of alcohol and obesity related liver disease to prevent early deaths. Working in partnership with the UHB liver team, Birmingham City Council (BCC) has funded a dietetic post to assess the nutritional needs of eligible patients of the various at‑risk populations, devise efficient and informative methods for assessment and intervention. These Dietetic assessments will be carried out in areas such as primary care, community hubs, Change Grow Live hubs to identify those at risk of malnutrition/sarcopenia and optimise nutrition to improve or protect liver function.

This post is for 18.75 hours per week.

Main duties of the job

This post is ideal for a Dietitian wishing to use and develop their clinical, project and service development skills. We are looking for an experienced, proactive and innovative Dietitian who has worked within the liver pathways and has a strong ability to work independently and make decisions. The post holder will have experience of audit research, service development, presenting at national conference and ideally writing for publication. You will need to have excellent communication and leadership skills, be adaptable and confident to work autonomously and with other members of staff within a supportive team. We expect you to be enthusiastic, motivated, able to evidence continuing professional development and keen to develop yourself and others.

We are a large and friendly dietetic department of around 70 staff including assistants providing dietetic care across all areas of the Trust and beyond. The successful applicant will work as an integral member of the therapies and wider liver team, building working relationships with other multi‑professionals across UHB and community stakeholders.

About us

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Job responsibilities

*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description

Person Specification

Qualifications

• *Appropriate Dietetic or professional qualification e.g. BSc or MSc.
• *State Registration with Health Professions Council
• *BDA or equivalent professional registration.
• *MSc in relevant subject or working at "M" level as demonstrated by ongoing CPD
• *Evidence of commitment to advanced clinical and non‑clinical continued professional development within own speciality, e.g. post registration training, management competencies and evidence of a detailed personal development portfolio.
• *Relevant, accredited, postgraduate education/courses in intestinal failure e.g. PENG course, St Marks intestinal failure course
• Evidence of relevant continued professional development in following areas
• Clinical e.g.
• *Theoretical and conceptual knowledge gained will be at MSc or equivalent level
• *Accredited specialist training courses
• *Attendance and involvement at specialist group meetings of British Dietetic Association (e.g. PENG) or BAPEN
• *Advanced Diploma in Dietetic Practice
• *Attendance and teaching at relevant multi‑disciplinary courses/conferences both National and International
• Teaching
• *Advanced presentation skills
• *Clinical supervisory skills training for student training
• *Advanced skills and practice in mentoring and supervision
• Good teaching, supervisory and appraisal skills

Experience

• *Extensive post registration experience of which significant years evidence experience relating to adults with various cancers.
• *Experience in leadership and team management including the development and management of performance and staff appraisal
• *Significant experience in education and clinical training of others. Teaching experience to uni and multi‑professional groups with evidence of ability to deliver high quality presentations
• *Specialist knowledge and experience in the advanced assessment and treatment of adults with cancer; being able to carry a caseload of a highly complex nature and apply a wide range of treatment options for a range of clinical presentations
• *Advanced knowledge and skill in the assessment and treatment of a wide range of complex cancer disorders.
• *Advanced knowledge in cancer in adults
• *Good working knowledge and application of all areas of Clinical Governance including Quality, Audit and Risk management
• *Advanced awareness of current professional and legal issues e.g. Confidentiality, consent, equal opportunities
• *Knowledge and understanding of the research process.
• *Significant experience in the development and performance management of dietetic staff and students

Additional Criteria

• *Able to work within a Professional Code of Conduct and interpret local and national guidelines and policies in order to deliver a safe service.
• *Ability to work autonomously within specialist clinical area & undertake advanced clinical analysis and reasoning skills in the assessment and treatment of adults with IF and apply broad standards & guidelines to own practice.
• *Well developed leadership and influential skills, able to lead and command confidence in senior therapists, consultants, senior nurses and managers within and related to cancer services & work effectively across boundaries.
• *Advanced clinical reasoning skills and ability to make complex clinical judgements
• *Ability to constructively challenge current practice and identify opportunity to develop, implement and facilitate change in practice by others.
• *Good teaching, supervisory and appraisal skills
• *Able to interpret and analyse a range of policy, clinical guidelines and data and their relevance for practice.
• *Ability to comprehend and work within the Trust's policies of data protection, equal opportunities and Health and Safety to meet the differing needs of patients.
• *Active member of relevant professional groups
• *To be reliable and work as an excellent role model

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.