Dietetic Therapy Assistant Practitioner

Integrated Care System; Southampton; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

An opportunity for a Dietetic Therapy Assistant Practitioner in a dynamic team at Harefield Hospital, focusing on providing nutritional support to patients with cardio-thoracic conditions. The successful candidate will have a role in the management of in-patients and contribute to a patient-centred service through clinical assessments and liaising with multidisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• Minimum of two years previous experience as a Dietetic Assistant in a healthcare setting.
• Demonstrates an understanding of nutritional support and healthcare.
• Competence in advising on oral nutritional support products.

Responsibilities

• Support the Therapy team in provision of patient-centred service.
• Carry out clinical tasks including dietary assessments and monitoring.
• Organise discharge follow-up with local GP and community services.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Nutritional Support

Dietary Assessments

Education

Minimum 5 GCSEs including Maths and English

Clinical Assistant practitioner certificate/diploma

Job description

Go back Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Dietetic Therapy Assistant Practitioner

The closing date is 17 July 2025

We are pleased to be able to offer the opportunity for a band 4 Dietetic Therapy Assistant Practitioner to join our dynamic team at Harefield Hospital, Middlesex.

The successful candidate will be confident, professional and enthusiastic, joining the dietetic and multidisciplinary team in working with patients with a variety of cardio-thoracic conditions including the transplant unit.

You will need to be highly motivated and able to work flexibly in a busy environment. You will need good spoken and written English and excellent communication skills. You will liaise with multidisciplinary teams across the Hospital, Catering Department and suppliers. An awareness of the our role and a caring and empathetic approach are essential.We will offer a supportive working environment with in-house training and supervision to help you develop the relevant skills and knowledge for the post.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work as an integral and active part of the Cardiothoracic and Transplant Therapy Team (CT+Tx Therapy team). They will be responsible for supporting the Therapy team in the provision of a patient-centred service, in an efficient and cost-effective way.

The post holder will carry out clinical tasks to support the therapy team dietitians, such as dietary assessments, delegated by qualified staff, requiring a wide range of technical ability, as well as an excellent level of interpersonal skills.

They will provide a key role in the management of stable adult in-patients on oral nutritional support and inpatients with food allergy. This will include initial assessment and screening, with regular reassessment and monitoring during the hospital stay. This will also include organising discharge follow-up with local GP and community services.

They will also act as lead for management of dietetic feed stock and their distribution, this will include ordering, regular stock checks and manual handling of boxes and liaison with the catering department and various nutritional product companies. In addition to these regular roles, undertake teaching on health promotion and audit work across the therapy services.

To gain the required knowledge and skills in the relevant technical, clinical and organisational procedures, and to maintain those skills working under the Assistant Practitioner Competency programme under the supervision of Specialist therapy teams.

About us

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK's best-known hospitals - Guy's, St Thomas', Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield - as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high-quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.

Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals joined Guy's and St Thomas' in February 2021 and is the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK and among the largest in Europe. Weprovide treatment for people with heart and lung disease, including rare and complex conditions, offering some of the most sophisticated treatment that is available anywhere in the world.

Job responsibilities

1. The post holder will work as an integral and active part of the Cardiothoracic and Transplant Therapy Team (CT+Tx Therapy team). They will be responsible for supporting the Therapy team in the provision of a patient-centred service, in an efficient and cost-effective way.

2. The post holder will assist in the provision of care to patients, supported and supervised by senior therapists.

3. The post holder will carry out clinical tasks to support the therapy team dietitians, such as dietary reviews, delegated by qualified staff, requiring a wide range of technical ability, as well as an excellent level of interpersonal skills.

4. The post holder will carry out clinical assessments independently, within their Assistant Practitioner competency framework.

5. They will provide a key role in the management of stable adult in-patients on oral nutritional support and inpatients with food allergy. This will include initial assessment and screening, with regular reassessment and monitoring during the hospital stay. This will also include organising discharge follow-up with local GP and community services.

6. They will also act as lead for the distribution of dietary products, this will include stock check, manual handling of boxes and liaison with the catering department and various nutritional product companies. In addition to these regular roles, undertake teaching on health promotion and audit work across the therapy services.

7. To gain the required knowledge and skills in the relevant technical, clinical and organisational procedures, and to maintain those skills working under the Assistant Practitioner Competency programme under the supervision of Specialist therapy teams.

Person Specification

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS

• Has at least one or more of the following in relevant topic area such as health, care, nutrition, life sciences: Minimum 5 GCSEs (including Maths and English) or equivalent NVQ at level 2/3 BTEC or equivalent 'A' levels
• Clinical Assistant practitioner certificate/diploma

EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

• Minimum of two years previous experience as a Dietetic Assistant in a healthcare setting
• Knowledge of and good understanding of the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)
• Demonstrates an understanding of and interest in nutritional support and healthcare.
• Competence in advising on oral nutritional support products
• Knowledge of food allergy
• Experience of working in a team
• Previous experience of giving presentations to small groups
• Experience of carrying out audits

SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Excellent communication skills - ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing with a wide range of people.
• Ability to work unsupervised as appropriate

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.

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

£31,081 to £33,665 a yearper annum inc. of HCA (pro rata of full-time)