Highly Specialist Dietitian - Gastroenterology

Main area Highly Specialist Dietitian – Gastroenterology & Hepatology Grade Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time
• Job share
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week Job ref 287-AMED-177-25

Employer Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Aintree University Hospital Town Liverpool Salary £47,810 – £54,710 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 06/08/2025 23:59

Highly Specialist Dietitian – Gastroenterology

Band 7

Job overview

Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Aintree University Hospital – Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen

for an experienced and motivated dietitian to join our Gastroenterology and Hepatology team at Aintree.

This senior role involves delivering specialist dietetic care for patients with complex needs, including liver disease, IBD, pancreatitis, and intestinal failure. You will manage enteral and parenteral nutrition, including bespoke TPN, in close collaboration with the Nutrition Support Team and Pharmacy.

As part of a supportive MDT, you will also supervise junior staff and students, contribute to ward rounds, and lead on service development initiatives.

We are seeking a confident, proactive clinician with strong leadership and communication skills. Experience in complex nutrition support is essential; gastroenterology or hepatology experience is desirable.

Main duties of the job

Provide specialist advice to junior dietitians and other healthcare professionals while managing a complex caseload in Gastroenterology and Hepatology as an autonomous practitioner. Work closely with a multidisciplinary team—including consultants, nurses, pharmacists, AHPs, and psychologists—to ensure holistic nutritional care.

Use advanced clinical knowledge to support the strategic planning and development of the dietetic service, and lead on audits, evaluations, and quality improvement initiatives within the specialty.

Deliver specialist training to junior staff, students, and other health professionals, including supervision and support of clinical placements in partnership with local universities.

Contribute to the development and implementation of local guidelines, care pathways, and patient education resources for gastroenterology and hepatology nutrition care.

You will join a well-established, supportive department with specialist teams in Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Diabetes, and Nutrition Support. The team benefits from dedicated Dietetic Assistant support, structured peer supervision, and strong links with universities supporting BSc and MSc student training across all levels.

Working for our organisation

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital & Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients.

UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities – from birth and beyond.

For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West.

Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility.Broadgreen Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation.Liverpool Women’s Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK’s largest single site maternity hospital each year. TheRoyal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Philosophy of Nutrition & Dietetics

To provide factually accurate, unbiased, evidence-based nutritional advice appropriate to the needs of the individual. Advice will be delivered using a patient-centred approach, in the context of multidisciplinary and multi-agency care planning.

Job Purpose

To act as a clinical lead for the dietetic service in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Aintree. This post will work alongside an established senior dietitian within the specialty to deliver high-quality patient care and contribute to ongoing service development. This includes:

Providing a specialist dietetic service to inpatients and outpatients under the care of the gastroenterology and hepatology teams at Aintree University Hospital.

Educating and training other members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) in the management of complex nutritional needs relevant to this patient cohort.

Providing clinical supervision to newly qualified staff and rotational Band 5/6 dietitians.

Supporting the training and assessment of student dietitians on placement.

Leading the development and implementation of clinical protocols, guidelines, and nutrition pathways specific to hepatology and gastroenterology care.

Please see the full job description for further details.

Person specification

Qualifications

• BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics/PhD Nutrition and Dietetics
• Current registration with HCPC
• Membership of BDA or equivalent professional indemnity insurance
• Post registration validated training in specialist area – (BDA validated or MSc equivalent
• Supervisory Skills training, minimum introductory level
• Supervisory Skills training advanced level
• Member of specialist interest group
• Educated to masters level or equivalent
• Attended leadership/management training
• Non-Medical Prescribing

Experience

• Broad clinical experience, including post registration experience in speciality
• Evidence of multidisciplinary team working
• Experience of supporting learning of other healthcare professionals
• Experience and evidence of continuing personal and professional development in practice
• Experience in the training of student dietitians
• Previous experience of conducting audits and or research
• Evidence of service review/development
• Experience of clinical supervision of others
• Experience of influencing others to improve patient care

Knowledge

• Establish effective communication methods to convey specialist knowledge to patients individually and in groups in a variety of settings
• Post registration credited learning in enhanced communication skills

Skills

• Accurate anthropometry skills
• Implements behavioural/counselling techniques to constructively overcome barriers to change
• Able to work autonomously within area of specialism using critical thinking and expert practitioner level judgement
• Ability to meet deadlines, prioritise tasks and support others to do the same
• Demonstrates confidence and motivation to work autonomously using clinical judgement in environments with little direct support

Other

• Demonstrates holistic patient centred approach
• Commitment to maintain dietetic profile within the multidisciplinary team
• Self-reliant and self-motivated but willing to seek advice and support of others
• Supportive approach to learners
• Ability to respond to unpredictable work patterns
• Enhanced CRB Disclosure
• Collaborative and constructive

Please ensure you check the email account (including junk/spam boxes) from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.

Posts advertised to ‘internal staff’ are open to employees of hospitals within University Hospitals of Liverpool Group and you should confirm your employment within your application form.

Note: Under current Home Office Immigration Rules we are currently unable to offer right to work visa sponsorship for Band 2 and 3 roles with a salary of less than £25,000 pa as they do not meet the UK Visas & Immigration criteria.

Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.

We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Please ensure you apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.

Candidatesapplying for the role of Healthcare Assistant on the staff bank should note that due to the nature of the role, workers must be aged 18 or above when commencing in post. Applicants are therefore welcome from those aged over 18 or within 3 months’ of their 18 th birthday.

The Trust is committed to promoting a healthy work-life balance and achieve fair, equitable and consistent practice. We welcome flexible working requests and will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements from day one of your employment. Not all roles are suitable for every flexible working opportunity all of the time. Flexible working options may include reduced hours, compressed hours, fixed shifts, time back in lieu and home working.

The Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity; we value the contribution of individual talent, skills, knowledge and experience and aim for a workforce demography representative of the local community. We encourage applicants from the following groups that are currently under-represented in our workforce black, Asian and minority ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender (LGBTQ+), disabled, male and age 16-24.

Trust policy requires that the cost of submitting & processing the successful applicant/s DBS application be recovered via salary deduction following start in post. The amount of £23 (standard disclosure) or £43 (enhanced disclosure) will be deducted from salary, in manageable monthly instalments for up to 3 months following commencement of employment. Bank posts require upfront payment. DBS applications submitted from 2nd December will be subject to the new DBS fee of £26.50 (standard) and £54.50 (Enhanced).

From April 2017, Skilled visa applicants and their adult dependant(s) will be required to provide a criminal record certificate from each country they have lived in consecutively for 12 months or more in the past ten years.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website – https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

This organisation has a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All staff must ensure they adhere to the organisations safeguarding children and adults’ policy and comply with the Local Safeguarding Children and Adult Board procedures.

Staff should be mindful of their responsibility to safeguard children and adults in any activity performed on behalf of the organisation in line with the requirements of statutory guidance and legislation.

All employees (and volunteers)are expected maintain their safeguarding knowledge and skills by completing mandatory safeguarding training which includes understanding and recognising the signs of abuse and neglect and taking appropriate action.

As an organisation, we have adopted the Merseyside Domestic abuse workplace scheme which supports our staff who are experiencing Domestic Abuse /any forms of sexual violence.

If you have any personal requirements that will enable you to participate in our recruitment process please contact a member of the Recruitment Services by phone on 0151 706 4666 at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable your application for this post.

Please note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.

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.

Name Joanne Cope Job title Nutrition Team Dietitian ACP Email address Joanne.Cope@liverpoolft.nhs.uk Telephone number 0151 529 3473 Additional information

Lucy Leadbetter, Gastroenterology Dietitian

0151 529 3473

lucy.leadbetter@liverpoolft.nhs.uk

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