Senior Specialist Dietitian for Oncology and Surgery
| Posting date: | 03 November 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £47,810 - £54,710 pa pro rata |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 03 December 2025 |
| Location: | Weston-super-Mare, BS23 4TQ |
| Company: | University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7592504/387-DT2495-NG-B |
Summary
A Vacancy at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.
Are you an experienced Dietitian ready to take the next steps in your career? Are you keen to develop your specialist knowledge, leadership & service development skills? Become a Senior Specialist Dietitian at UHBW where you will play a crucial role in leading, developing & delivering high-quality nutritional care to patients within Oncology & Surgery pathways at Weston General Hospital (WGH), working in conjunction with dietetic colleagues based at our Bristol site.
Why choose WGH? WGH is an integral part of UHBW, providing high-quality care to the vibrant community in the beautiful coastal town of Weston-super-Mare. With a commitment to innovation & strong links to leading specialist centres, Weston is an exciting place to advance your career. Enjoy a fantastic work-life balance with the stunning Somerset coastline on your doorstep, & excellent transport links to Bristol, Bath, & beyond.
Our friendly, multidisciplinary teams work closely together to deliver outstanding care, with a strong focus on professional development & pioneering clinical practice. Find out more, search YouTube UHBW Adult Therapies.
What we offer: CPD opportunities, specialist training, & leadership pathways. Dietetic Competencies. A supportive & collaborative environment with a team passionate about patient care & professional growth. Monthly one to ones. Flexi time working. Monthly protected time. A monthly team wellbeing breakfast.
What we’re looking for:
• HCPC registration and significant post-registration experience in dietetics.
• Specialist knowledge in oncology and/or surgery, with a passion for advancing nutritional care in these areas.
• Leadership skills to inspire and guide others.
• The ability to adapt quickly to established systems and contribute innovative ideas to enhance service delivery.
We shall support the successful candidate to develop in identified areas.
The role:
As a Senior Specialist Dietitian, you will be at the heart of nutritional care for oncology and surgical patients. You will:
• Provide expert dietetic assessment and intervention for complex oncology and surgical cases.
• Work closely with leading consultants, specialist nurses, and the wider MDT to optimise patient outcomes.
• • Lead and develop specialist dietetic services within oncology and surgery, influencing patient pathways and service delivery.
• Support the development of junior staff and students, sharing your expertise and passion for dietetics.
• Contribute to service improvement projects, and policy development
If you’re ready to take the next step in your career and excited to grow in this role, we’d love to hear from you!
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as ‘Good’ overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward- thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian provides a highly specialist clinical service for oncology outpatients and surgical inpatients.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian will lead oncology outpatients and surgery inpatient pathways providing direction for peers & colleagues.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian contributes to all relevant activities involved in pathway delivery e.g., ward rounds, meetings, audit, and research.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian will provide a comprehensive specialised service, which includes relevant education and/or training to all healthcare professionals, carers and other workers.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian will be committed to the maintenance of personal specialist expertise, which is current, relevant, and accessible.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian directly line manages junior staff members i.e. junior dietitians and support workers, including appraisal & supervision.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian participates in the training/development of junior dietitians, support workers, and dietetic students.
· The post holder will also provide clinical cover for other senior specialist dietitians’ duties in their absence.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian also undertakes any other reasonable duties, which may be identified in consultation with the Pathway Leads for Nutrition & Dietetics & Operational Lead for Adult Nutrition & Dietetic / Speech & Language Therapy Services.
Patient Care:
· Provide highly specialised comprehensive service to adult patients requiring oral, enteral or parenteral nutrition support, therapeutic diets, or nutritional advice.
· To practice as a core member of the oncology and surgical MDTs providing guidance and clinical expertise relating to nutritional care.
· Attend relevant oncology and surgical MDTs as a source of expert dietetic information, highlighting patients of nutritional concern and advising on appropriate treatment plans.
· Independently assesses individual patients’ nutritional status, formulates, and evaluates appropriate complex dietary treatment plans without direct peer support for the clinical decision-making process. This will require the ability to make decisions immediately and maintain concentration despite interruptions.
· Monitor and evaluate clinical effectiveness of nutritional therapy without direct access to peer support for the decision-making process
· Undertake day to day liaison with oncology and surgery teams, clinical nurse specialists, pharmacy & hotel service team to ensure delivery of effective nutritional care within oncology and surgery pathway.
· To deliver nutritional treatment plans effectively and safely to a range of clinically complex oncology and surgical patients using a variety of complex nutrition support interventions, including enteral nutrition support, parenteral nutrition, along with therapeutic diets.
· Routinely liaise, advise and make recommendations about prescription of ACBS products, vitamins and minerals to doctors and pharmacists relating to nutritional intake, and where competent on enzyme therapy.
· Recognise those patients that fall outside of your clinical expertise and to liaise/handover care to other specialist pathway dietitians.
· Contribute to the care planning of individual patients at ward rounds, multi-disciplinary meetings and case conferences. Providing expert input to discussions about artificial enteral nutrition support with a highly developed understanding and awareness of the ethical and legal implications.
· Draw on a wide range of communication skills, to effectively negotiate treatment plans between UHBW and community multidisciplinary teams and patients.
· To deliver dietitian led clinics, offering face to face, telephone and virtual outpatient consultations meeting trust & department standards.
· Providing regular feedback, reassurance and motivation to patients and/or carers.
· Direct care can be with patient & relatives who may be experiencing distressing situations at any stage of the pathway. This will require use of appropriate strategies to manage daily exposure to distressing and emotional circumstances. Additionally, you will provide supervision / support for other staff that are similarly exposed.
· Act as a source of evidence-based information, adding clarity to misconceptions related to the nutritional well-being and share with colleagues, healthcare professionals, staff, patients, and carers.
· To cross-cover within competency other clinical pathways as required.
Communication:
· To be inclusive in communications recognising diversity of patients & carers, this may require using interpreters or other communication aids as needed.
· To utilise advanced communication, behaviour change and motivational interviewing skills to empower patients & carers to self-manage dietary goals & compliance.
You will be required to use advanced communication and interpersonal skills to develop significant dynamic working relationships with (not exhaustive):
· Lead Professionals ie, Physio/OT Therapist, Pharmacist, Speech & Language, Nurses and Consultants in oncology, surgery and palliative care.
· Home enteral feeding services
· Specialist dietitians across the network ie Primary Care Network & Community
· Patients and their network including patient support groups
· UBHW Dietetic team
· Translate and support dissemination of nutritional concepts into practical everyday terms for patients, staff and professional colleagues, using various formats, enabling the patients & carers to self-manage their dietary care.
· Ensure that communications are carried out with sensitivity & empathy in difficult circumstances for patients & their carers.
· To deliver training and educational updates to multi-professionals & patients in a group setting, utilising presentation skills.
· Work in an advisory capacity and through others to ensure a consistent and comprehensive approach to delivery of nutritional information related to oncology and surgery.
· The dissemination & sharing of key nutrition information & messages for patients, carers, healthcare professionals & colleagues in electronic format will be expected, requiring competent electronic skills.
Organisation and Planning:
· Undertake planning of own workload and of junior staff to ensure safe clinical care for patients.
· Plan & manage onward referral to outpatient dietetic led clinics.
· Undertake own dietetic led out-patient clinics, reviewing demand and capacity.
· Teaching programs & timetabling of patient group education sessions will require planning and organisational skills at all levels ie for self, dietetic support workers & in partnerships with colleagues & peers.
· Plan & undertake the teaching of students, qualified dietitians and professionals within region and nationally on nutrition & dietetics in oncology and surgery.
· The role will require longer periods of concentration in order to devise, plan, implement, review protocols & similar documents.
Service Development and Research:
· To lead on the development of nutrition & dietetic practice for patients under oncology and surgery pathways, ensuring a clinically safe service.
· To lead on the development of nutritional resources relevant to your area of work and the wider dietetic service.
· Initiates and undertakes multi-professional practice-based audit and/or research projects into the clinical effectiveness of nutritional therapy and shares these at local, regional & national level.
· Research, interpret, evaluate and produce clinical guidelines/protocols on a collaborative basis for nutritional/dietetic advice and ensures that these are regularly updated.
· Builds and maintains relationships with other highly skilled dietitians working in the care of patients to develop resources and share pathway developments.
· To work collaboratively with dietetic colleagues nationally & regionally undertaking project work, resource development, audit and research for the advancement of dietetic practice in oncology and surgery.
Finance and Resources:
· Ensure the use of resources in a manner consistent with organisational objectives and policies, making the efficient & effective use of resources.
· There are no budgetary responsibilities associated with this post.
Leadership and Management:
· To directly line manage dietitians and support workers, including appraisal & routine supervision, delegating work deliverable within their capacity & competency meeting Trust & department standards.
· In collaboration with other band 7 dietitians provide day to day leadership to the acute dietetic service, monitoring staffing levels, reassigning work and escalating as required.
· Ensure own practice meets departmental, clinical care & record keeping standards for individual patients & review practice of junior team members.
• Supervises and undertakes the training of student dietitians as allocated.
• Provide clinical supervision and mentoring of junior dietitians as and when required.
· Ensure own practice meets departmental, clinical care & record keeping standards for individual patients & review practice of junior team members.
• Supervises and undertakes the training of student dietitians as allocated.
This advert closes on Sunday 30 Nov 2025
Are you an experienced Dietitian ready to take the next steps in your career? Are you keen to develop your specialist knowledge, leadership & service development skills? Become a Senior Specialist Dietitian at UHBW where you will play a crucial role in leading, developing & delivering high-quality nutritional care to patients within Oncology & Surgery pathways at Weston General Hospital (WGH), working in conjunction with dietetic colleagues based at our Bristol site.
Why choose WGH? WGH is an integral part of UHBW, providing high-quality care to the vibrant community in the beautiful coastal town of Weston-super-Mare. With a commitment to innovation & strong links to leading specialist centres, Weston is an exciting place to advance your career. Enjoy a fantastic work-life balance with the stunning Somerset coastline on your doorstep, & excellent transport links to Bristol, Bath, & beyond.
Our friendly, multidisciplinary teams work closely together to deliver outstanding care, with a strong focus on professional development & pioneering clinical practice. Find out more, search YouTube UHBW Adult Therapies.
What we offer: CPD opportunities, specialist training, & leadership pathways. Dietetic Competencies. A supportive & collaborative environment with a team passionate about patient care & professional growth. Monthly one to ones. Flexi time working. Monthly protected time. A monthly team wellbeing breakfast.
What we’re looking for:
• HCPC registration and significant post-registration experience in dietetics.
• Specialist knowledge in oncology and/or surgery, with a passion for advancing nutritional care in these areas.
• Leadership skills to inspire and guide others.
• The ability to adapt quickly to established systems and contribute innovative ideas to enhance service delivery.
We shall support the successful candidate to develop in identified areas.
The role:
As a Senior Specialist Dietitian, you will be at the heart of nutritional care for oncology and surgical patients. You will:
• Provide expert dietetic assessment and intervention for complex oncology and surgical cases.
• Work closely with leading consultants, specialist nurses, and the wider MDT to optimise patient outcomes.
• • Lead and develop specialist dietetic services within oncology and surgery, influencing patient pathways and service delivery.
• Support the development of junior staff and students, sharing your expertise and passion for dietetics.
• Contribute to service improvement projects, and policy development
If you’re ready to take the next step in your career and excited to grow in this role, we’d love to hear from you!
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as ‘Good’ overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward- thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian provides a highly specialist clinical service for oncology outpatients and surgical inpatients.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian will lead oncology outpatients and surgery inpatient pathways providing direction for peers & colleagues.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian contributes to all relevant activities involved in pathway delivery e.g., ward rounds, meetings, audit, and research.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian will provide a comprehensive specialised service, which includes relevant education and/or training to all healthcare professionals, carers and other workers.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian will be committed to the maintenance of personal specialist expertise, which is current, relevant, and accessible.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian directly line manages junior staff members i.e. junior dietitians and support workers, including appraisal & supervision.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian participates in the training/development of junior dietitians, support workers, and dietetic students.
· The post holder will also provide clinical cover for other senior specialist dietitians’ duties in their absence.
· The Senior Specialist Dietitian also undertakes any other reasonable duties, which may be identified in consultation with the Pathway Leads for Nutrition & Dietetics & Operational Lead for Adult Nutrition & Dietetic / Speech & Language Therapy Services.
Patient Care:
· Provide highly specialised comprehensive service to adult patients requiring oral, enteral or parenteral nutrition support, therapeutic diets, or nutritional advice.
· To practice as a core member of the oncology and surgical MDTs providing guidance and clinical expertise relating to nutritional care.
· Attend relevant oncology and surgical MDTs as a source of expert dietetic information, highlighting patients of nutritional concern and advising on appropriate treatment plans.
· Independently assesses individual patients’ nutritional status, formulates, and evaluates appropriate complex dietary treatment plans without direct peer support for the clinical decision-making process. This will require the ability to make decisions immediately and maintain concentration despite interruptions.
· Monitor and evaluate clinical effectiveness of nutritional therapy without direct access to peer support for the decision-making process
· Undertake day to day liaison with oncology and surgery teams, clinical nurse specialists, pharmacy & hotel service team to ensure delivery of effective nutritional care within oncology and surgery pathway.
· To deliver nutritional treatment plans effectively and safely to a range of clinically complex oncology and surgical patients using a variety of complex nutrition support interventions, including enteral nutrition support, parenteral nutrition, along with therapeutic diets.
· Routinely liaise, advise and make recommendations about prescription of ACBS products, vitamins and minerals to doctors and pharmacists relating to nutritional intake, and where competent on enzyme therapy.
· Recognise those patients that fall outside of your clinical expertise and to liaise/handover care to other specialist pathway dietitians.
· Contribute to the care planning of individual patients at ward rounds, multi-disciplinary meetings and case conferences. Providing expert input to discussions about artificial enteral nutrition support with a highly developed understanding and awareness of the ethical and legal implications.
· Draw on a wide range of communication skills, to effectively negotiate treatment plans between UHBW and community multidisciplinary teams and patients.
· To deliver dietitian led clinics, offering face to face, telephone and virtual outpatient consultations meeting trust & department standards.
· Providing regular feedback, reassurance and motivation to patients and/or carers.
· Direct care can be with patient & relatives who may be experiencing distressing situations at any stage of the pathway. This will require use of appropriate strategies to manage daily exposure to distressing and emotional circumstances. Additionally, you will provide supervision / support for other staff that are similarly exposed.
· Act as a source of evidence-based information, adding clarity to misconceptions related to the nutritional well-being and share with colleagues, healthcare professionals, staff, patients, and carers.
· To cross-cover within competency other clinical pathways as required.
Communication:
· To be inclusive in communications recognising diversity of patients & carers, this may require using interpreters or other communication aids as needed.
· To utilise advanced communication, behaviour change and motivational interviewing skills to empower patients & carers to self-manage dietary goals & compliance.
You will be required to use advanced communication and interpersonal skills to develop significant dynamic working relationships with (not exhaustive):
· Lead Professionals ie, Physio/OT Therapist, Pharmacist, Speech & Language, Nurses and Consultants in oncology, surgery and palliative care.
· Home enteral feeding services
· Specialist dietitians across the network ie Primary Care Network & Community
· Patients and their network including patient support groups
· UBHW Dietetic team
· Translate and support dissemination of nutritional concepts into practical everyday terms for patients, staff and professional colleagues, using various formats, enabling the patients & carers to self-manage their dietary care.
· Ensure that communications are carried out with sensitivity & empathy in difficult circumstances for patients & their carers.
· To deliver training and educational updates to multi-professionals & patients in a group setting, utilising presentation skills.
· Work in an advisory capacity and through others to ensure a consistent and comprehensive approach to delivery of nutritional information related to oncology and surgery.
· The dissemination & sharing of key nutrition information & messages for patients, carers, healthcare professionals & colleagues in electronic format will be expected, requiring competent electronic skills.
Organisation and Planning:
· Undertake planning of own workload and of junior staff to ensure safe clinical care for patients.
· Plan & manage onward referral to outpatient dietetic led clinics.
· Undertake own dietetic led out-patient clinics, reviewing demand and capacity.
· Teaching programs & timetabling of patient group education sessions will require planning and organisational skills at all levels ie for self, dietetic support workers & in partnerships with colleagues & peers.
· Plan & undertake the teaching of students, qualified dietitians and professionals within region and nationally on nutrition & dietetics in oncology and surgery.
· The role will require longer periods of concentration in order to devise, plan, implement, review protocols & similar documents.
Service Development and Research:
· To lead on the development of nutrition & dietetic practice for patients under oncology and surgery pathways, ensuring a clinically safe service.
· To lead on the development of nutritional resources relevant to your area of work and the wider dietetic service.
· Initiates and undertakes multi-professional practice-based audit and/or research projects into the clinical effectiveness of nutritional therapy and shares these at local, regional & national level.
· Research, interpret, evaluate and produce clinical guidelines/protocols on a collaborative basis for nutritional/dietetic advice and ensures that these are regularly updated.
· Builds and maintains relationships with other highly skilled dietitians working in the care of patients to develop resources and share pathway developments.
· To work collaboratively with dietetic colleagues nationally & regionally undertaking project work, resource development, audit and research for the advancement of dietetic practice in oncology and surgery.
Finance and Resources:
· Ensure the use of resources in a manner consistent with organisational objectives and policies, making the efficient & effective use of resources.
· There are no budgetary responsibilities associated with this post.
Leadership and Management:
· To directly line manage dietitians and support workers, including appraisal & routine supervision, delegating work deliverable within their capacity & competency meeting Trust & department standards.
· In collaboration with other band 7 dietitians provide day to day leadership to the acute dietetic service, monitoring staffing levels, reassigning work and escalating as required.
· Ensure own practice meets departmental, clinical care & record keeping standards for individual patients & review practice of junior team members.
• Supervises and undertakes the training of student dietitians as allocated.
• Provide clinical supervision and mentoring of junior dietitians as and when required.
· Ensure own practice meets departmental, clinical care & record keeping standards for individual patients & review practice of junior team members.
• Supervises and undertakes the training of student dietitians as allocated.
This advert closes on Sunday 30 Nov 2025
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