Specialist Intensive Care Dietitian

Integrated Care System; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK hospital trust is seeking a Specialist Intensive Care Dietitian to join their team. The role involves providing nutritional care to patients in intensive care, focusing on complex medical and nutritional needs, particularly in cardiothoracic cases. Ideal candidates should have intensive care experience and relevant qualifications. This position offers a supportive work environment and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Supportive team environment

Opportunities for CPD and training

Qualifications

• Experience of working in an intensive care setting.
• Advanced knowledge of nutrition support, including enteral feeding.
• Ability to work calmly under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Provide care to adult cardiothoracic patients with complex needs.
• Undertake nutritional assessments and implement nutrition plans.
• Support service development and quality improvement.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Organisational skills

Ability to work under own initiative

Motivational interviewing

Ability to problem-solve

Education

BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics

Current registration with HCPC

Job description

Go back Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Intensive Care Dietitian

The closing date is 09 August 2025

We are looking for a friendly, proactive and motivated Dietitian to join our intensive care dietetic team.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a dietitian with intensive care experience and a keen interest in cardiothoracic intensive care. Royal Papworth Hospital is a specialist centre for heart and lung conditions, including transplant and ECMO.

The successful applicant will be part of a small, supportive team of four intensive care dietitians working across the cardiothoracic intensive care unit (ICU) with a shared caseload. The ICU dietetic team includes two Band 7s (including the Team Lead) and two Band 6 dietitians. This role would suit a Band 7 or experienced Band 6 dietitian ready to progress. Experience in managing complex enteral feeding requirements is essential.

The role provides opportunities for line management, so line management experience is desirable, but development opportunities are available in this area if required.

This permanent role is 30 hours per week. Informal visits are welcomed and encouraged.

Main duties of the job

The successful applicant will join the intensive care dietetic team, providing care to adult cardiothoracic patients with complex medical and nutritional needs. This includes patients pre- and post-transplant alongside those requiring ECMO. You will undertake detailed nutritional assessments and implement oral, enteral and parenteral nutrition plans, supporting patients with complex needs. A strong knowledge of artificial nutrition support, including enteral and parenteral nutrition, with experience in an Intensive care setting, is essential.

You will work closely with the wider multidisciplinary team and have opportunities to attend weekly multidisciplinary team meetings. As a senior member of the team and wider dietetic department, you will be required to support service development, quality improvement, audit, projects and training within intensive care dietetics. The successful applicant will also contribute to the shared co-ordination, provision and development of the dietetic service to intensive care.

The role includes providing day to day leadership, 1:1 and appraisals to colleagues within the dietetic department. This will also include providing clinical advice and operational cover in the absence of the leadership team. We are committed to staff development through CPD, journal clubs and project development.

About us

Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is the UK's leading heart and lung hospital, delivering care to more than 50,000 patients a year in its new state-of-the-art hospital in Cambridge. We perform the most heart and/or lung transplants in the UK and carried out the UK's first successful heart transplant in 1979. It also offers emergency heart attack treatment, sleep centre care and is one of just five centres nationally for those in severe respiratory failure.

Based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe the Trust is at the heart of treatments of the future. Royal Papworth became the first hospital trust in the country to be rated outstanding in all five areas assessed by the Care Quality Commission - a rating it still holds today. The Trust holds its values of compassion, excellence & collaboration at its core, and all colleagues joining the team are expected to uphold these in their day-to-day roles & interactions. Royal Papworth is proud of its diverse workforce and encourages people to embrace their individuality.

The Trust values difference and welcomes all applications irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion & belief, sex and sexual orientation. Providing they meet the minimum post criteria, applicants with disabilities will be offered an interview.

For a street view tour: https://royalpapworth.nhs.uk/virtual-tour

Job responsibilities

On this page you will find a Role Profile which provides information about the hospital and full details about the role. We recommend that you review this and refer to it as you complete your application. Please include how you will meet the Trust Values Compassion, Excellence and Collaboration. If you would like more information about the role or working at Royal Papworth Hospital, please get in touch with the contact for this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc/Pre-Reg MSc/Grad. Dip. Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics.
• Current registration with HCPC.
• Evidence of CPD.
• Evidence of working at MSc level/undertaking relevant short courses related to advancing clinical expertise as a postgraduate.
• BDA member.
• Specialist interest group membership e.g. BDA Critical Care Specialist Group.

Experience

• Clinical pillar:
• Excellent communication skills, ability to liaise with professionals at all levels and discuss complex patient cases.
• Experience of working in an intensive care setting.
• Experience of working with patients with complex conditions with advanced knowledge of nutrition support, including short term and long-term enteral feeding.
• Demonstrates knowledge and interest in nutrition in intensive care.
• Organisational skills and ability to manage time effectively and prioritise own workload.
• Ability to work under own initiative.
• Ability to work independently and effectively as part of a team.
• Ability to work calmly under pressure.
• Ability to problem-solve and make complex decisions clinically and non-clinically.
• Experience of training student dietitians.
• Experience of supervision and mentorship of junior staff.
• Experience of teaching / presenting to groups, e.g. to peers, patients, and multi-professional colleagues within the Trust.
• Motivational interviewing/behaviour change skills.
• Experience of adapting communication to meet patient needs.
• Experience of leading on producing Dietetic resources such as diet sheets/posters/guidelines.
• Research pillar:
• Knowledge or experience of conducting audit or research or how principles might be applied in practice.
• Clinical pillar:
• Experience using electronic patient records.
• Leadership and line management experience.
• Research pillar:
• Working knowledge of NHS priorities/AHP issues and initiatives.
• Previous experience of presenting at a national or international level.

Additional Criteria

• Please provide evidence of your commitment to uphold the Trust's values: Compassion, Excellence, Collaboration
• Able to demonstrate professionalism, resilience and reflection.
• Flexible attitude to service delivery and ability to work in a team.
• Willing to seek advice where necessary.
• Ability to manage the emotional consequences of working with patients with long term conditions or distressing circumstances.

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.

Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust