Specialist Dietitian

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust; Blackpool; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare foundation trust in the UK is seeking a Specialist Dietitian to lead dietetic services for mental health inpatient wards. The role requires effective clinical leadership, a passion for improving care standards, and extensive knowledge in dietetics. The ideal candidate will possess significant experience in collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams and championing evidence-based practices. This position offers the potential for flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Support for professional development

Qualifications

• Significant post-qualification experience in the relevant field.
• Evidence of clinical leadership skills and managing performance.
• Experience of collaborative working with multi-agency resources.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional leadership for dietitians.
• Ensure high standards of dietetic practice and clinical outcomes.
• Mentor a Band 6 Dietitian in the Fylde network.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Evidence-based practice

Patient management

Change management

Education

HCPC registration

Post-graduate qualification

Job description

Go back Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Dietitian

The closing date is 25 September 2025

Are you an enthusiastic and driven professional ready to lead and shape the future of dietetic services?

We are excited to offer a rare and rewarding opportunity for an experienced Dietitian to take on a pivotal leadership role within our newly established network of Dietitians. This role provides professional leadership to a dedicated team delivering dietetic care to patients on our mental health inpatient wards.

We are seeking a self-motivated, forward-thinking individual with a passion for improving care standards and fostering cross-system collaboration. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in delivering safe, effective services, championing a culture of research, and leading transformational change. In this role, you will:

• Provide professional leadership for dietitians across our mental health inpatient services.
• Ensure the highest standards of dietetic practice, patient experience, and clinical outcomes.
• Hold a clinical caseload at The Harbour in Blackpool and offer clinical support to dietitians across the Trust, including in-person support as needed.
• Mentor a Band 6 Dietitian based in the Fylde network, requiring regular travel to the area.
• Lead on the delivery of person-centred, evidence-based assessments and interventions.
• Develop and support educational and research initiatives to enhance clinical practice.

Main duties of the job

To act as a Principal Dietitian and professional Lead for Mental Health In-patient Services with responsibility for advancing evidence-based clinical practice in this speciality, particularly across the multi-disciplinary team within the service. To exercise advanced clinical expertise, levels of judgement, discretion and decision making in clinical care demonstrated through the four pillars of Advanced Clinical Practice: Clinical skills, Leadership & Management, Research, and Education. This will be done in collaboration with AHP, medical and nursing colleagues.

About us

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• HCPC
• Significant post qualification experience in the relevant field.
• Clinical based Post-graduate qualification.
• Validated postgraduate qualifications/courses in relevant areas.

Knowledge & Skills

• Extensive specialist knowledge of the care and management of patients in area of speciality.
• Evidence of clinical leadership skills including influencing and achieving change and professional development of others.
• Evidence of managing individual staff/teams and managing performance, including undertaking appraisals.
• Manage change and contain conflict, ensuring resolution with positive outcomes.
• Knowledge & awareness of diversity and human rights and the competencies appropriate to your role to support patients\' diverse needs and human rights.

Experience

• Significant post registration experience in the speciality area including having worked as a clinical specialist (band 7) in area of speciality
• Experience of collaborative working with a range of multi-agENCY and inter professional resources.
• Experience of developing and implementing care pathways and protocols, policies and procedures.
• Involvement with appropriate clinical interest groups.

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.

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust