Clinical Lead Paediatric Dietitian

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; Worcester; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading hospital trust in the UK is seeking an experienced Clinical Lead Paediatric Dietitian to manage and develop paediatric dietetic services. In this role, you will lead a team, providing expert nutrition care for children across various settings. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in paediatrics and demonstrate strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills. This position offers the opportunity to shape services and support junior staff in a dynamic environment, making a positive impact on children's health.

Qualifications

• Significant post-graduation experience in the NHS in paediatrics.
• Experience of working in specialist areas as part of a team.
• Experience of implementing evidence-based practice for continuous service improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop high-quality paediatric dietetic services.
• Manage a specialist caseload across inpatient wards, outpatient clinics and MDT settings.
• Supervise, support, and develop junior staff and students.

Skills

Leadership

Interpersonal skills

Clinical reasoning

Communication

Problem-solving

Education

Dietetic degree

Job description

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Clinical Lead Paediatric Dietitian (Band 7, 0.8 WTE)

The closing date is 01 February 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and motivated Paediatric Dietitian to lead and develop paediatric dietetic services across Worcestershire, following the retirement of the previous post holder.

You’ll join our friendly, forward-thinking team at an exciting time of transformation as we integrate acute and community dietetic services to create a seamless pathway for children and families.

What you’ll do:

• Lead and develop high-quality paediatric dietetic services.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and key stakeholders to drive service improvement.
• Provide line management, mentorship, and clinical supervision for Band 6 Paediatric Dietitians.
• Help provide outpatient support and inpatient dietetic support to the Children’s Ward at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

About you:

You’ll be passionate about improving outcomes for children and families, confident in leading others, and eager to shape future services.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will act as an expert and autonomous Paediatric Dietitian, leading the planning, delivery, and development of high-quality paediatric nutrition and dietetic services across Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. They will provide specialist dietetic care to paediatric inpatients and outpatients, undertaking complex assessments and evidence-based management for children with a range of acute and chronic conditions.

As team leader for the paediatric dietetic specialty, the post holder will oversee day-to-day operations, staff supervision, and service development. They will play a key role in clinical governance, developing policies, guidelines, and educational resources, and ensuring continuous service improvement. The role includes providing expert advice and education to patients, families, and the wider multidisciplinary team, as well as supporting staff and student training within the wider dietetic service.

About us

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester.

Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Being open and honest

Ensuring people feel cared for

Showing respect to everyone

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation – this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex‑positive employer.

DBS Checks and Costs

Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in SupportingInformation section for more details on DBS checks and costs.

Job responsibilities

Job Summary The post holder will work as an expert autonomous Paediatric Dietitian, managing a specialist and often complex caseload across inpatient wards, outpatient clinics and MDT settings. They will assess, plan, implement, and monitor evidence‑based nutrition care plans, ensuring safe, effective, and person‑centred practice. Responsibilities include liaising with specialist centres, leading on home enteral feeding discharges, and communicating complex dietary advice sensitively to children, families, and the wider MDT.

The post holder will supervise, support, and develop junior staff and students, contribute to policy and guideline development, and promote high standards of clinical governance, safety, and service quality. They will actively participate in education, training, audit, and service improvement initiatives, maintaining up-to-date specialist knowledge through CPD.

As Paediatric specialty lead, the post holder will manage day‑to‑day service operations, staff performance, and workload planning, contributing to strategic service development and innovation. They will uphold Trust and professional standards, ensuring compliance with HCPC and BDA codes of conduct, safeguarding, infection control, and health and safety requirements.

Person Specification

Experience

• Significant post‑graduation experience in the NHS in paediatrics.
• Be able to assume leadership responsibilities.
• Experience of working in specialist areas as part of a team.
• Experience of implementing evidence‑based practice for continuous service improvement.
• Experience of supervising staff.
• Experience of appraising others.
• Experience of teaching students and healthcare professionals.
• Experience in implementing clinical governance.
• Evidence of active participation in audit.

Knowledge and skills

• Sound clinical knowledge in a specialist clinical area.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills.
• Evidence of excellent verbal communication skills including active listening skills.
• Evidence of dealing with sensitive communication issues and barriers to communication.
• Evidence of excellent written skills.
• Evidence of communication skills of empowerment and dealing with barriers to change.
• Evidence of clinical reasoning skills relating to working with complexities.
• Able to research evidence‑based practice and apply to practice.
• Ability to train students to graduate level.
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Evidence of training professionals in formal and informal settings.
• Ability to hold group patient education sessions.
• Evidence of effective multidisciplinary team working.
• Evidence of dealing with situations when individuals show anxiety, anger, emotional distress.
• Evidence of delivering a high‑quality patient‑centred service.
• Highly developed problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to maintain patient confidentiality.

Qualifications

• Dietetic degree

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.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust