Specialist Renal Dietitian in Plymouth

Site Derriford Hospital Plymouth Town Plymouth Salary £32,073 - £48,117 NHS AfC: Band 5 or NHS AfC: Band 6 depending on experience PA Salary period Yearly Closing 26/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic dietitian to join our renal dietetic team at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust. This is a Band 6 post ideal for an established renal dietitian, but for the right applicant with extensive clinical experience and a keen interest in renal dietetics, a Band 5/6 development post will be considered, with full training and progression to Band 6 dependent on completion of competences after 6-12 months.

You will have a varied caseload across Derriford Hospital, Plymouth Dialysis Unit and satellite units and community clinics throughout the South Hams, North West Devon and East Cornwall areas, so substantial travel by car will be required. You will be involved in all aspects of renal dietetics, including CKD, dialysis, AKI and transplantation.

You will work as a valued member of an established and supportive renal MDT and our large friendly dietetics department. Plymouth is a vibrant waterfront city, close to Dartmoor National Park and the beautiful coastline of South Devon and East Cornwall.

Unsuccessful applicants from the last 6 months need not apply.

Interviews will be held in person.

Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.

Main duties of the job

• To provide expert evidence-based renal dietetic advice to patients, carers and health care professionals. This will involve nutritional diagnosis (including interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometrics, clinic condition and diet history) and the development and monitoring of treatment goals and plans.
• To provide complex nutritional counselling using motivational skills to overcome barriers to change particularly where there is non-adherence
• To provide renal nutrition education to groups of patients and staff
• To work closely with renal MDT members
• To be involved in all aspects of department activities and contribute to service evaluation and development projects
• To undertake significant travel by car to offsite locations such as Holsworthy, Launceston, Liskeard, Kingsbridge and Totnes (sites subject to change)

Working for our organisation

We are a people business – where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• · To work with the renal MDT and the dietetic team to provide dietetic care to kidney patients under the care of the UHP Renal Directorate. These may include pre-dialysis, haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and transplant patients, many of whom have multiple co-morbidities
• · To work autonomously to provide highly complex nutritional counselling to patients, carers and healthcare professionals. This will involve nutritional assessment (based on interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometry, dialysis adequacy, clinical condition and dietary history) and development of nutritional care plans which are both realistic, practical and evidence based (based on assessment of medical, social, economic, cultural and psychological factors)
• · To communicate with empathy and understanding where dietary change may be difficult to accept. To adapt communication methods and implement motivational interviewing skills where appropriate to overcome barriers to change
• · To monitor and review the outcomes of nutritional care plans and adjust to facilitate achievement of the desired goals in the light of changing medical treatment and personal circumstances
• · To act autonomously to assess risk and take appropriate action to ensure patient safety, for example, in patients with hyperkalaemia
• · To make recommendations to the medical team regarding adjustment of medications relating to management of CKD mineral bone disorder
• · To manage out-patient renal dietetic clinics and report on clinic activity statistics
• · To provide clinical support and cover for other staff as requested by the Renal Team Leader
• · To represent the renal dietetic service in multidisciplinary team meetings to ensure that dietetic expertise contributes to multi-professional decisions on care
• · To advise on appropriate use of prescribable nutritional products within the renal service and to general practitioners.

For further information please see attached job description

Person specification

Qualifications

• HCPC Registration
• Evidence of recent CPD
• Completion of a behaviour change/communication skills course
• Completion of Clinical Supervisory Skills course

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of working with renal patients
• Demonstrable evidence of significant relevant post-reg clinical dietetics experience in healthcare settings
• Demonstrable experience of working with patients with long term conditions
• Demonstrable experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
• Demonstratable experience of managing junior staff
• Demonstratable experience of clinical audit and service improvement

Other

• Car driver and able to travel between hospital sites
• Enthusiasm for renal dietetics

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY INCLUDING YOUR JUNK FOLDER.

We welcome and encourage applicants who identify with all protected characteristics to apply for our roles. We believe that diversity strengthens our teams and improves our patients' experience. At UHP we aim to create an inclusive workplace and hospital where everyone feels they belong and included .

It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted. Providing false information is an offence & could result in the application being rejected or summary dismissal/police action if an applicant is successful.

Please note that if you are successful in your application & accept the position you agree that the Staff Health and Wellbeing Department can access your health records from your current/previous employer in order to check the status of your inoculations & screening tests. This is an automated process & the information will only be used for these purposes prior to your taking up the position with us.

For Doctors Roles:

Unsolicited CVs and Candidate Profiles/Details University Hospitals Plymouth has a commitment to sourcing candidates directly and as such we do not accept speculative CVs from agencies.

We do, however, work with a defined list of preferred HTE Framework suppliers who may be invited to support us in sourcing candidates for particular roles.

In line with our preferred supplier list, we only pay agency fees where we have a signed agreement in place and an agency has been instructed by a member of the Trust’s Medical Workforce team.

We do not pay agency fees where speculative and unsolicited CVs are submitted to the Trust or Trust employees by any other means than the official route above. Where this is not observed the Trust reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and initiate discussions without payment of any agency fee.

Any candidate details (whether written or spoken) or CVs that are referred directly will not constitute an introduction. The Trust will under no circumstances be responsible for any recruitment fees in relation to these contacts.

Submission of any unsolicited CVs, candidate’s details and/or proposals to the Trust will not be considered further and will be deemed evidence of full and unlimited acceptance of this Agency Protocol.

In order to establish and maintain good working relationships with the Trust’s agency suppliers, we ask that this Protocol is adhered to and thank you for your co-operation.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

We’d love to hear from you if you feel you’re a great fit for the role - and that the role is right for you.Below, you’ll find more information about our recruitment process and what happens once you’ve submitted your application.

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