Dietetic Assistant Practitioner - Acute / Community

We are looking for an enthusiastic Dietetic Assistant Practitioner to join our friendly team to support the delivery of nutrition advice to patients on wards at George Eliot Hospital and in the community for patients in their own homes and care homes. The role will be split 50:50 between acute and community.

You should have experience of working with people, ideally in a healthcare setting. As well as delivering advice to patients, you will set up and deliver training to staff to help meet the nutrition and hydration needs of inpatients and care‑home residents. You will be supported and trained to meet competencies to enable you to provide care plans for patients on the wards and in care homes.

Please note – this role will be reimbursed at band 3 level until the necessary competencies and qualifications are obtained.

We Want To Hear From You If You:

• Have experience of presenting information to groups of people
• Have good communication skills
• Are able to manage your own time and work independently
• Have good administration and IT skills
• Have previously pursued a Dietetic apprenticeship to become a registered Dietitian (or are interested in doing so)

Main Duties of the Job:

• Assess, plan and deliver nutrition treatment plans and undertake reviews for inpatients at George Eliot Hospital (GEH) within the remit of the role.
• Assist in the planning and delivery of training to ward staff, both virtually and in person.
• Work closely with catering, nursing and dietetic staff at GEH to support them with meeting the CQC Regulation 14 and the Warwickshire Nutrition & Hydration Standards 2018.
• Undertake administrative duties as required.
• Work independently (support and guidance accessible) in the acute setting.
• Be involved in development work within the Acute Team, including resource development, newsletters and updates.

About Us:

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust has been rated Outstanding by the CQC and is recruiting new staff to help us improve even further. We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond, ranging from hospitals in Warwick, Stratford‑Upon‑Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston‑on‑Stour to community services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.

Essential Qualifications:

• GCSE level A‑C in English and Maths or equivalent
• Minimum Foundation Degree or Higher National Diploma in nutrition or food science
• Care Certificate or willingness to work toward attaining it

Essential Experience:

• Experience working with the general public in a people‑centred environment or a healthcare setting (hospital, care home or community).
• Experience working as part of a team.

Desirable Experience:

• Previous experience in a role that delivers nutrition & hydration or working in a dietetic department.
• Experience delivering group training or teaching others a new skill.
• Experience completing nutrition screening such as MUST and implementing nutrition action plans.

Essential Skills:

• Good written, verbal and non‑verbal communication skills
• Able to communicate information in an understandable form to patients and their carers using motivational and negotiation skills
• Aware of own limitations
• Able to recognise when escalation to a registered professional is required
• Able to delegate work appropriately
• Proficient in computer use, basic word processing, e‑mail, dietary analysis, presentation preparation and electronic patient records.
• Ability to present information, written and orally, in an accurate, clear and logical manner
• Ability to organise and prioritise workload
• Able to work autonomously
• Understanding of malnutrition and dehydration and how these might be managed

Desirable Skills:

• Able to complete nutrition assessments including taking anthropometric measurements
• Able to plan, implement and evaluate treatment

Essential Personal Attributes:

• Teamworking
• Compassionate and caring nature
• Ability to demonstrate empathy and motivate health and social care workers
• Confidence to deliver training to groups of staff
• Reliability

Other Essentials:

• Passes pre‑employment checks
• Able to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service
• Able to carry out moderate physical effort throughout the working day and concurrent activities
• Able to occasionally be exposed to unpleasant working conditions
• Able, with appropriate support, to work in an emotionally demanding environment
• Ability to cope with unpredictable events and varying work pressures
• Must have independent means of transport

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a Disclosure and Barring Service check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled Worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.