Lead Nutrition Specialist Nurse

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Knowsley; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK is looking for a Lead Nutrition Specialist Nurse to lead the nutrition service at Whiston Hospital. The role involves providing advanced clinical practice, managing a caseload, and supporting a multidisciplinary team to enhance patient care. Candidates should have a Registered Nurse qualification and experience in nutrition services. This full-time role offers flexible working options and focuses on delivering excellent nutritional care.

Benefits

Flexible working

Compressed hours

Qualifications

• Post-registration experience in an area exposed to Nutrition patients.
• Significant experience as Band 6 or above.
• Proven track record in service development and implementation of change.

Responsibilities

• Lead clinical management within the Gastroenterology department.
• Provide advanced levels of clinical practice in Nutrition.
• Act as a clinical expert supporting nursing staff and MDT members.

Skills

Advanced communication skills

Clinical examination skills

Leadership qualities

Ability to manage workload autonomously

Education

Registered Nurse Diploma/Degree

Masters level qualification relevant to specialty

Teaching and assessing qualification – Level 6

Independent Nurse Prescriber – Level 6 or above

Job description

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Lead Nutrition Specialist Nurse

Closing date: 16 January 2026

An exciting opportunity for a highly motivated and knowledgeable Nutrition Nurse to lead the established nutrition service across MWL, based at Whiston Hospital. The role supports the delivery of nutritional services within the Trust, working with a multidisciplinary team to maximise the quality of nutritional care.

Key responsibilities include advanced autonomous clinical practice, service development, research, audit, education, leadership and governance.

Main duties of the job

• Lead clinical management within the Gastroenterology department during the working week.
• Demonstrate advanced autonomous clinical practice across traditional boundaries, utilising assessment, decision making and diagnostic skills.
• Order and interpret investigations independently and manage a safe caseload, involving other MDT members as required.
• Lead educational sessions, clinical supervision, research, audit and quality improvement initiatives.
• Abide by legal requirements and statutory rules, maintaining professional standards in accordance with NMC guidelines.

Job responsibilities

CLINICAL

• Provide advanced levels of clinical practice, knowledge and skills in Nutrition.
• Undertake history and physical examination to accurately assess patient condition.
• Request, interpret and act upon relevant diagnostic tests and procedures.
• Interpret, convey and act upon complex information to MDT members, patients and relatives, including stressful situations.
• Act as a clinical expert supporting nursing staff and MDT members within and outside the designated area of work.
• Undertake advanced invasive and non‑invasive procedures in accordance with training and supervision.
• Prescribe medication in accordance with current legislation and trust policy, including parenteral nutrition and medications for short bowel syndrome.
• Perform clinic review of nutrition patients, supporting consultants.
• Lead on service improvement and develop a remote follow‑up clinic.
• Provide unsupervised support for acute medical admissions unit and emergency department.
• Maintain comprehensive, accurate nursing/medical records and documentation.
• Effectively manage acute life‑threatening conditions in accordance with current ALS/ATLS/ALERT guidelines.
• Act as a role model through high standards of practice, motivating effective working partnerships.
• Participate in multidisciplinary ward rounds, board rounds, case conferences, clinical and audit meetings.
• Gain informed consent from patients for procedures undertaken by self or on behalf of others, written and verbal.
• Provide evidence‑based specialist knowledge and advice to patients, families and carers throughout the journey.
• Provide clinical expertise in the management of patients using specialist theoretical and clinical skills.
• Facilitate and support unit coordinators and ward managers to develop effective working relationships.
• Act as an autonomous practitioner exercising judgement, discretion and decision making in clinical care.
• Undertake nurse prescribing as part of designated role and provide autonomous practitioners.
• Support junior medical staff, sharing clinical workload and allowing junior doctors to achieve training and development requirements.

LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT

• Ensure that the patient experience remains the focal point for service improvement within the Directorate.
• Provide clinical support to complaints and SIRI/SUI investigations.
• Support senior staff and clinical teams in maximising flow of patients through units to meet elective and emergency demand.
• Contribute effectively to service developments both within the directorate and at strategic level.
• Attend Gastroenterology Governance and Business Meetings.
• Act as a role model by demonstrating excellent communication and listening skills with patients, relatives and staff.
• Active involvement in Senior Nursing Forum.
• Promote effective team working within nursing and medical staff on Gastroenterology wards.
• Provide support for senior nursing staff in relation to staff development and complaints.
• Participate in the recruitment and selection of staff.
• Lead and guide nursing and medical staff in the appropriate and timely care of the patient.
• Network locally, regionally and nationally to share and exchange ideas and principles.
• Provide an effective leadership role in contributing to own departmental issue pertaining to clinical governance agendas and shared governance within the Trust.
• Provide leadership to nursing staff and junior doctors regarding training and development, ensuring the delivery of consistent high‑quality care.
• Support Trust Management Teams with ongoing clinical care provision and assist with safe, effective flow through the Trust.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Adherence to Clinical Nurse Specialist competency framework.
• Attend mentor meetings with respective Consultants.
• Take responsibility for own professional development and continually assess and acknowledge areas for development.
• Raise awareness of specialty conditions in the area of practice by teaching and providing education across Gastroenterology.
• Support in the facilitation of an appropriate learning/practice environment for nursing, medical and Physician Associate students and new starters providing direct supervision and training.
• Assist in identified training and educational needs of the nursing staff/medical staff and participate in its delivery.
• Provide clinical supervision, mentorship, preceptorship and tuition to nursing and medical staff within the Medical Care Group.

CLINICAL GOVERNANCE

• Develop good working relationships with medical and nursing staff and other members of the multidisciplinary team within and other departments within the Trust and external.
• Act in accordance with the NMC guidelines/Code of Professional Conduct.
• Attend Trust wide audit.
• Lead the reporting of clinical incidents/concerns and take appropriate action to address any safety and quality issues raised.
• Develop and implement policies and strategies in line with evidence‑based practice e.g. NICE/DoH.
• Be involved in identification, development and implementation of relevant policy/guidelines to aid future management by the MDT (e.g. Ambulatory Care pathways).
• Facilitate and identify clinical audit/research and disseminate findings.
• Support, initiate and promote evidence‑based practice, contribute to the development, monitoring and evaluation of clinical guidelines, standards and protocols and adhere to professional regulation.
• Participation in the critical review of complaints, compliments and significant event analysis with a view to continual improvement of patient care.
• Identify the need and undertake research and clinical audit to inform practice and improve the effectiveness of patient care.
• Promote patient and public involvement in the development of services to improve patient care.
• Know about the Trust’s local policies/procedures.
• Understand the importance of sharing information, how it can help and the dangers of not sharing information.
• Be responsible for ensuring that there is adherence to child protection and safeguarding vulnerable adult protocols within clinical practice.
• Be able to seek advice and report concerns, ensuring that they are listened to.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse Diploma/Degree
• Masters level qualification relevant to specialty (or working towards)
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Post‑registration qualification in specialist areas
• Teaching and assessing qualification – Level 6
• Current ALS/ILS certification
• Clinical Examination Skills Course – Level 6 or above
• Independent Nurse Prescriber – Level 6 or above
• Relevant counselling qualification to specialism – Level 3

Knowledge & Experience

• Post‑registration experience in an area exposed to Nutrition patients
• Significant experience as Band 6 or above
• Proven track record in service development and implementation of change
• Experience of teaching and assessing students/staff in the clinical area
• Demonstrate evidence of effective leadership qualities
• Previous management experience (i.e. case load, ward management)

Skills

• Able to influence and overcome resistance through advanced communication skills
• Able to analyse data and provide written reports
• Intermediate IT skills in word processing and spreadsheets
• Knowledge of professional and NHS issues, and policy relating to specialist areas
• Able to manage work autonomously
• Proven organisational and communication skills
• Ability to communicate unpleasant or sensitive information to patients in a variety of settings
• Able to participate/undertake clinical audit and research
• Demonstrate evidence of effective leadership qualities

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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

About the Trust

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Full‑time, Flexible working, Compressed hours