Senior Specialist Dietitian (XR07)

Leeds Teaching Hospitals; Leeds; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Leeds is seeking a highly specialist dietitian to deliver advanced dietetic care to children with obesity and related health issues. The role requires significant experience in paediatric nutrition and dietetics, managing patient caseloads, and working within a multidisciplinary team. The ideal candidate will possess excellent communication skills, be a team player, and have a commitment to continuous professional development.

Qualifications

• Experience of working as a Dietitian at a senior level including paediatric experience.
• Demonstrate a strong foundation of knowledge in paediatric dietetics.
• Evidence of audits or research projects undertaken.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced, highly specialised dietetic care to patients.
• Lead in research and audit within specialized clinical area.
• Manage own caseload and supervise the caseloads of other dietetic staff.

Skills

Dietary analysis programmes

Advanced counselling skills

Good written and oral communication skills

Problem solving skills / Analytical skills

Experience of delivering education and training

Education

BSc (Hons) Nutrition & Dietetics or equivalent

HCPC registration

BDA membership

Registered for Diploma of Advanced Dietetic Practice

Tools

Microsoft Office

Statistics software (SPSS, Mini-tab)

Job description

Obesityaffects one in four children in the UK and can increase the likelihood ofdeveloping serious health issues such as Type 2 diabetes, liver, and earlyheart disease. Children living with obesity can develop breathing problems,sleep issues and mental health problems, which can impact their quality oflife. Early action can prevent the onset of long-term health problems whichis beneficial for the health outcomes of patients and the sustainability ofthe NHS.

Thenumber of children living with obesity almost doubles from the start to theend of primary school.

Twoand a half million children in England are affected by excess weight orobesity, with 1.22 million significantly obese and eligible for treatmentaccording to NICE guidance. Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) clinicsuse a holistic approach to treating conditions related to obesity in childrenand young people.

Nationallythirty CEW clinics are open with care delivered by a multidisciplinary team(MDT) linked to a specialist children's hospital.

OurMDT delivers the NHS Long Term Plan ambition to treat children for severecomplications related to their obesity, avoiding the need for more invasivetreatment. 200 children a year, aged between 2 and 18 experiencing healthcomplications related to severe obesity, are supported via West Yorkshire CEWservice.

Expected ShortlistingDate

23/10/2025

Planned InterviewDate

12/11/2025

Main duties of the job

1. To work as a highly specialistpractitioner providing dietetic support and advice to children, their carersand Health Professionals in the specialist area of weight management.

2. To develop appropriate resourceswithin this specialist area of dietetic practice.

3. To help to establish and supportResearch and Development and a robust Audit review of service within thiscare setting.

4. To actively lead, develop, promote,and monitor on weight management dietetics service delivery againstcommissioned outcomes.

5. Provide a comprehensive specialisedservice, which includes relevant education and/or training to all healthcareprofessionals, carers and other workers involved in the care of childrenwithin their specialist area.

6. Contribute to all relevant activitiesinvolved in this, e.g. regional and national meetings, clinical networks andspecialised training, audit, and research.

7. To lead the CEW service within acomplex tertiary clinical paediatric area using highly developed skills andknowledge at the level of an independent advance practitioner includesproviding dietetic-led clinics and workshops related to the different comorbiditiessince within this patient cohort.

8. Produces clinical guidelines andpolicies for specialist area. Researches, evaluates, and produces new /updated guidelines on a national collaborative basis within the specialistarea and ensures that these are regularly updated.

About us

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to ourprocess of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to newroles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reservethe right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. Ifyou do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle,please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the namedcontact if you have any questions.

Job responsibilities

JOBPURPOSE

Provideadvanced, highly specialised dietetic care to patients at local and regionallevel. This will include advice to patients and all healthcare staff. Provideand lead aspects of clinical training of dietetic students. Support Clinicaldietetic Manager in co-ordinating activities of the team and providingsupport and supervision to staff. Lead in research and audit withinspecialised clinical area and disseminate findings.

JOBDIMENSIONS

Thepost holder will:

3.1 Lead in a clinical specialist area.

3.2 Manage own caseload and supervise thecaseloads of the other dietetic staff.

3.3 Assist and support the ClinicalDietetic Manager/line manager in the day to day management of the team ofdietitians and students.

3.4 Deliver and supervise training tohealthcare staff, dietitians and students at local and regional level, actingas a resource in the specialist area.

3.5 Be a core member of themultidisciplinary care team, liaising with other members of the team toprovide integrated dietetic care.

3.6 Initiate and co-ordinate research andaudit projects within specialised area and disseminate findings at conferencelevel.

Person Specification

Additional Requirements

• Able to fulfil Occupational Health requirements for the post. This includes clearance on blood borne viruses In compliance with Trust Policy.

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Nutrition & Dietetics or equivalent
• Experience of working as a Dietitian at a senior level including paediatric experience
• Registered for Diploma of Advanced Dietetic Practice, Masters module(s), or equivalent experience as demonstrated through portfolio.
• HCPC registration
• Evidence of Audits or research projects undertaken.
• BDA membership
• Attendance at BDA accredited course in clinical specialist area.

Experience

• Demonstrate a strong foundation of knowledge in paediatric dietetics.
• Good understanding of Clinical governance, risk assessment and continuing quality improvement.
• Knowledge of research techniques.
• Evidence of clinical supervision, attendance of Clinical Supervisory Skills Course or equivalent
• Willing to undergo any training required to enable performance in the job.
• Previous Band 7 or equivalent experience in relevant post
• Attendance on Leadership Skills Course

Skills & Behaviours

• Good written and oral communication skills.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge of dietary analysis programmes.
• Good written and oral presentation skills.
• Experience of delivering education and training.
• Excellent organisational skills
• Problem solving skills / Analytical skills
• Advanced counselling skills
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Able to work / manage a team, demonstrating time management skills and initiative.
• Self-motivated and able to motivate staff and patients.
• Committed to personal and professional development.
• Confident and caring approach.
• Innovative and willing to exchange, develop and implement ideas.
• Proactive within own team and wider multidisciplinary team.
• Portfolio of evidence of commitment to CPD
• Knowledge of statistics software (SPSS, Mini-tab)

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.