Community Dietitian

Main area Dietetics Grade Band 5 Contract Permanent Hours Full time – 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday, flexible working available) Job ref 839-7455011-BM

Employer Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust
Employer type NHS
Site Thorpe Health Centre
Town Norwich
Salary £31,049 – £37,796 pa
Salary period Yearly
Closing 15/09/2025 23:59
Interview date 25/09/2025

Community Dietitian

Band 5

NCH&C is proud to be the first standalone NHS community trust in the UK to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Our focus is on continually improving the quality of care we offer to local people and on improving access to that care, helping people to move seamlessly from one service to another. Praising NCH&C’s “compassionate, inclusive and effective leadership at all levels”, the CQC observed that our staff are well supported to make positive changes and innovations.

Norfolk Community Health & Care NHS Trust is committed to continuing to create a modern and inclusive work environment. As part of this commitment we actively promote flexible working opportunities where possible, to meet the needs and wishes of our workforce to maintain and improve their wellbeing. The trust offers a range of flexibility, including flexible working patterns, and we would encourage you to discuss this with the recruiting manager before or during the application process if this would interest you.

We welcome applications from people who share our values and can help us deliver outstanding care in our local community.

Before applying for this vacancy, please make sure you’re familiar with ongoing GOV.uk sponsorship eligibility criteria which will impact the organisations ability to provide sponsorship, whether this is currently or in the future.

Specifically for band 3 roles within healthcare please be aware of the salary threshold required for a certificate of sponsorship to be granted, and that unfortunately overseas applicants who are new to care will not reach the minimum salary threshold to obtain a certificate of sponsorship and therefore your application will be withdrawn.

Job overview

We are offering a rewarding and challenging role within our Community Dietetic Service. This experienced, friendly and supportive team includes 21 Dietitians and Dietetic Support workers. Our clinical areas covered includes home enteral feeds, community hospital inpatients and outpatients. Within this role you will be based initially in the outpatients team.

Newly qualified dietitians will be supported to complete a preceptorship programme. We also work closely with the acute dietetic team at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, providing the opportunity for shadowing and learning from our specialist colleagues.

Main duties of the job

You will provide a flexible and comprehensive dietetic service in a variety of areas, which may include:

• Home visits
• Group education for patients and staff

You must have the ability to travel to clinics and peoples homes in remote locations around the county. There will also be an element of home working and virtual/telephone consultations. Alongside this, you will have opportunities to partake in service development projects, research and audit.

The department is involved in the training of student dietitians and assistant practitioners and you will play an important role in this once appropriate training has been completed.

Applications are welcomed from newly qualifying dietitians awaiting HCPC registration.

Working for our organisation

Apply now to join an organisation that has been awarded an ‘Outstanding’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the highest possible rating and the first stand-alone NHS community trust in the country to be awarded the title.

Find out more about working for our organisation here:

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

• To provide a dietetic service to general outpatient clinics and to see patients in their own homes or in Nursing/ Residential homes if needed.
• To provide dietetic advice to patients and/or carers whilst taking into account their social, emotional, psychological and cultural needs.
• To provide nutritional assessment and dietetic intervention, on an individual basis, incorporating biochemical and pharmacological review, anthropometry, clinical condition and other physical parameters.
• To ensure appropriate treatment, monitoring and review of patient’s dietary needs, involving other agencies when indicated.
• To communicate effectively with the multidisciplinary team through attendance at ward rounds, case conferences, discharge planning meetings and team meetings as appropriate.
• To recommend to Doctors the prescription of nutritional supplements and enteral feeds, and arrange monitoring.
• To prescribe nutritional supplements for inpatients within the specific guidelines agreed by the Trust.
• To be trained in the use of enteral feeding pumps and equipment, to be confident to advise nursing staff, patients and carers.

Professional Responsibilities

• To undertake an annual appraisal and personal development review.
• To ensure own practice is up to date and evidence-based. Able to demonstrate an awareness of current relevant research through teaching and peer review.
• To produce evidence-based literature and resources for patients and healthcare professionals.
• To provide teaching and education sessions to medical, nursing and catering staff.
• To participate in the training of student Dietitians (after an initial settling in period – to be agreed).
• To maintain accurate and comprehensive patient records in line with legal and departmental requirements, and to communicate outcomes to the appropriate disciplines in the form of letters and reports.
• To work in accordance with the standards set by the British Dietetic Association and the Health Professionals Council.
• To be legally and professionally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients within own care.
• To participate in departmental and clinical audit.
• To advise and liaise with catering staff concerning the dietary needs of patients.
• To support other members of the team and provide cover in their absence.
• To assist in the induction of new staff and act as a mentor supporting and teaching other members of trained and untrained staff as required.
• To contribute to the education and assessment of student Dietitians.
• To attend and participate in department meetings and study days.
• To undertake regular (i.e. weekly – monthly depending on needs) clinical supervision with Band 6/7 Dietitian.
• To input data onto the in-house dietetic management system and collate reports, in accordance with department guidelines.

Person specification

Qualifications

• BSc Nutrition & Dietetics or equivalent
• Member of the British Dietetic Association

Skills, abilities and knowledge

• Good organisation skills
• Good time management and ability to prioritise workload
• Ability to reflect and appraise own performance
• Good teaching and presentation skills
• Ability to deal with distressed patients, relatives, carers and staff

Personal attributes / behaviours

• Evidence of commitment to lifelong learning
• Effective role model, demonstrating NCHC’s Trust Behaviour Framework
• Ability to use own initiative

Other

• Ability to work flexibly with the Dietetic department
• Holds a full UK driving licence and has access to a car

Equal Opportunities – We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome all applications irrespective of age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race or religion. Additionally, people with disabilities that fall under the Disability Confident Scheme will be offered an interview providing they meet the minimum criteria for the post (outlined in the Person Specification). All sites are Smoke Free.

If you need this application in an offline format, please let us know.

Immigration Status– Norfolk Community Health & Care NHS Trust is a diverse employer and welcomes all job applications. However, potential applicants should note that although the Trust is registered with the Home Office as a sponsor organisation for migrant workers, sponsorship can only be offered against Skilled Worker visas. If you are an applicant from outside the UK and do not already hold a self-gained right to work, we recommend you check the Home Office eligibility requirements before making an application.

Please note: Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for some job roles, and this will be identified through filtering questions at the start of any job application on the Trac recruitment system.

Redeployment – Please note that in the first instance priority for this vacancy will be given to NCH&C staff who are on the Trusts Redeployment Register.

DBS – If this post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and you are not a current employee of Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust or being recruited as an Apprentice then the cost of the DBS check will be automatically removed from your first month’s salary. However if you are registered with the update service this may not be required.

Closing and Interview Dates -This vacancy may close early if sufficient applicants are received.

Data Protection – A privacy notice detailing how we will handle your data is attached to this advert as a document. Your application will be transferred to our recruitment management system (Trac) once the advert has closed and you will receive notification then detailing how Trac will handle your data.

On April 1st 2025, the Boards of Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust and Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust will come together to deliver services as a group, with a singular board operating across both organisations. Both trusts are high performing specialist community health and care providers working in the East of England. Both have a strong track record, with the highest ratings from the Care Quality Commission, best in class NHS staff survey outcomes, and a decade of experience in innovation and clinical development.

The group model provides health and care services to a population of 3.2 million in their homes and neighbourhoods. We provide care that supports people from the very beginning to the very end of their lives.

We will remain two separate employers until further notice, and this role being advertised will be employed by Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.