Lead Dietitian for Obesity | North Bristol NHS Trust

Posting date:	29 July 2025
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	£55,690 - £62,682 pro-rata
Hours:	Part time
Closing date:	28 August 2025
Location:	Bristol, BS10 5NB
Company:	North Bristol NHS
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	7356825/339-ASCR6825-CCC

Summary

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced dietitian with good team working skills to join our expanding multidisciplinary specialist weight management team. This is a permanent post for 0.6WTE (22.5hours a week) Band 8a registered dietitian, based in Bristol, UK.


This post involves leading the dietetic weight management service through an exciting time as we expand to incorporate medical therapy (e.g. GLP-1 agonists) for our clients. This role will be integral in supporting thisand willinvolve both clinical and strategic working within ourestablishedspecialistmedical and surgicalweight management services.


You will work closely with psychologists, endocrinologists, surgeons,pharmacists,specialist nurses/ practitioners as well as non-clinical managers.Apassion for supporting people living with obesity is essential.


We have embraced hybrid working and are happy to accommodate flexible working patterns.


To discuss this post further please contact; Rachel Elliott, Specialist Weight Management Dietitian. Tel 0117 4140855 rachel.elliott@nbt.nhs.uk.

• Day-to-day managementand leadership of thebariatric dietetic team atNBTto support the tier 3 and 4 pathways.

• To actively contribute to service and policy development within theWeightManagement Team.

• To leadon strategicoversite on the rollout of weight management pathways.

• To support clinical and professional workregardingtheweight management service,to enable planning and implementation of service developments.

• Working within theteamdeveloping and extending partnership working with other health and social care professionalsboth locally and nationally

• Act as a clinicalWeight ManagementLead in own specialist area, working as an autonomous and highly skilled clinician, without supervision. Accountable for own professional actions, managing a caseload of patients with complex needs, using evidence-based principles and best practice to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.To deliver education and training, especially inweight management, to a range of health professionals,studentsandpatients.Thisjob will include clinical time in the bariatric service to support effective leadership.


North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.

Knowledge

• At least 5 years post-qualification experience as a dietitianwithexperienceatleastBand 7 second gateway

• Familiarity with principles of clinical governance and guidelines for best practice

• Post-graduate training in behaviourchangeskills

• Detailed knowledge of and adherence to Trust and departmental policies and procedures, national guidelines and professional standards and codes of conduct.

• Knowledge of research and auditmethodology.

• Computer literate with experience of using Microsoft Office applicationse.g.Word, Excel, Access,etc.


Training

• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

• Accredited management and/or obesity related qualification or working towards.e.g. maters/ diploma

• Evidence of continuing professional and personal development.


Experience

• Highly specialist knowledgeinweightmanagement,asevidencedby higher degree/diploma level qualification (or equivalent)

• Experience in team leader roles such as, operational management, professional leadership, recruitment andselection, induction, and appraisal

• Experience of service redesign and development, service evaluation and change management.

• Experience of applying audit and research to the provision ofevidence-basedservices.

• Experience of teaching and training.

• Able toidentifyown professional development needs andmaintaina professional portfolio.


ClinicalSkills

• Demonstrate highly specialist knowledge, underpinned by evidence-based practice to inform clinical judgements and decisions.

• Demonstrate advanced skills in dealing with a complex caseload and generating appropriate management strategies.

• Undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous highly skilled practitioner with advanced clinical reasoning skills.

• Accurate and timely completion of records and documentation.

• Organise and prioritise own workload, delegating as appropriate.

• Communicate effectively with patients, carers and healthcare professionals

• Be a source of clinical expertise for other Nutrition and Dietetics staff both within the Trust and externally.

• Collaboratively contribute to multidisciplinary discussions to ensure that a well co-ordinated care and management plan is developed.

• Comply with all core skills for dietetic practice.


Communication

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

• Counselling skills to communicate complex information

• Advanced communication and negotiation skills e.g. motivational interviewing,

• Supporting the implementation of training programmes dietitians and the wider multidisciplinary team.

• Access and evaluate complex information and data from a variety of sources to aid planning and service development.


Management and Professional Leadership


In conjunction with the head of service and non-clinical management team:

• Day to day management and leadership of thetier 3 and 4dietetic team to include organisation ofthe pathway workandoversite ofthedietetic team budget

• Proven leadership and managerial skills to lead a clinical team.

• Able toprovidespecialist advice tofacilitateorganisational change and service developments which support theobjectivesof the Trust andWeight management services.

• Toparticipatein service planning,reviewand evaluation to ensure a modern and clinically effective service. ToadvisetheClinical lead for weight managementof new or changing service needs.

• In conjunction with thehead of serviceand non-clinical managementteam toinitiateand support recruitmentto include advertising, short-listing, interviewing and induction of newpersonnel

• Experienced in supervision, mentoring and support of less experienced staff.

• Provide clinical advice to other practitioners as required.

• Conduct staff appraisals and identify continuing professional development needs.

• Demonstrate a good understanding of clinical research methods and outcomes, particularly in relation to own area of expertise.

• Apply the principles of clinical governance to professional practice.

• Managetime effectively and prioritise a complex workload independently.

• Excellent clinical reasoning skills.


Main responsibilities of the job:

Clinical

• Responsible for the management of a highly specialist and complex caseloadincludingtier 3 patients.

• Work as an autonomous advanced practitioner having professional and legal accountabilityin accordance withoccupational standards and codes of practice.

• Support thesetting up and reviewingofthepathways supporting weight medications.

• Support and attendgovernancemeetingsacross the service

• Prioritise workload and balance clinical, non-clinical and professional demands appropriately.

• Ensure thataccurateand comprehensive patient records are kept.

• Assesscapacityfor consent with patients and whenever possible ensure that valid informed consent is agreed with the patient working within the legal framework.

• • Communicate with patients who have complex emotional,physicaland psychological conditions.

• Maintain competency to practice through continuing professional development activities andmaintaina personal portfolio.

• Evaluate current Nutrition and Dietetics practice through the application ofevidence-basedoutcomes, audit, research, etc.

• Attend regular clinical supervision sessions.

• Attend meetings, multidisciplinary discussions and case conferences asrequired.

• Recognise potential breakdown or conflict and generate solutions.

• Deal with complaints sensitively andin accordance withthe Trust’s Complaints Procedure.

• Whereappropriate, refer clients to other services and agencies.

• Undertake advisory work and provide expert second opinion where necessary.


Professional Management and Leadership

• Day to day management and leadership of thebariatricdietetic team to includeorganisation ofclinicalcover, out-patient clinic cover and junior staff

• Toparticipatein service planning,reviewand evaluation to ensure a modern and clinically effectiveservice..

• Interpret national and local strategy and policy relevant to Nutrition and Dietetics and evaluate the implications to service delivery and development.

• Undertake appraisal (including KSF) and performance management of team members according to Trustguidelines

• Maintain continuing professional development in the areas of management and leadership.

• Ensure that all team members undertake mandatory training in line with the department post-qualification trainingpolicy

• Monitor and manage sickness absence in line with Trust policy.

• In conjunction with theclinicallead, tobe responsible forrecruitment to thebariatricteam to include advertising, short-listing, interviewing and induction of new personnel

• Promoteevidence-basedreflection, ensuring that clinical effectiveness is embedded into practice.

• Supportingpolicy development and implementation, ensuring compliance with legal and statutory requirements.

• Identifyand develop information technologyprovisionas necessary.

• Be accountable for own and others’ professional actions and recognise professional boundaries through the interpretation of clinical and professional policies.

• Work with otherAHPsto ensure seamless, co-ordinated care and contribute to the overall strategy for Therapy services.

• Tobe responsible forthe team’s compliance with Trust and Directorate policies, including Health and Safety and departmental policies.Identifyareas for development andreview

• Delegated management or deputy responsibilities as requested by the Head ofDietetics.


Service Evaluation and Planning

• To lead the development and introduction of best-practice nutritional policies and guidelines for theweight management servicesat NBT. This will require you to influence a wide range of health professionals includingpharmacists,nursesand medical staff.

• Torepresenttheweight management service at relevant working groups and committees at NBT and nationally and to make theclinical leadsaware of the issues under discussion and any implications for the service.

• To make theclinical leads awareofcapacityand demandissuesto ensure that serviceobjectivesare met.

• To incorporate feedback from service userstoimprove services.

• To support andparticipateintheweight managementservice clinical governance programme.


Education, Research and Development

• Identifytraining needs within theweight managementservice and co-ordinate the development of others to reflect organisational priorities.

• Supportthe development, implementation and evaluation of training provided by Nutrition and Dietetics staff.

• Develop and deliver training programmes asappropriate.

• Ensure that a robust programmeto supportstudent placements and assessments is in place.

• Provide clinical and management supervision as appropriate.

• To inspire dietetic team members to take part in R+D activities, leading by example and undertaking research and audit projects in line with the department R+D strategy.

• Todisseminatethe results at local and national levele.g.by poster or oral presentation or by submission to peer-reviewed journals.


Resource Management

• Identifyresources to support research and auditprojects.





This advert closes on Tuesday 12 Aug 2025