Lead Dietitian for Acute Adult Services

An opportunity has arisen to join the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust. We are looking to recruit a Lead Dietitian for Acute Adult Services to jointly manage the leadership within our acute team. The post holder will work alongside another lead to operationally and clinically support the team.

The post holder will have a clinical caseload of complex nutritional support patients which will include enteral and parenteral feeding across multiple medical and surgical specialties. The post holder will have clinical and operational leadership within the team and support pathway development. You will play a key role in improving corporate nutrition and hydration practices as part of our Nutrition Ambition and Harm Free care delivery plans. You will be a key member of our Nutrition Steering Group and support the Non-oral Feeding Group. You will have opportunities to further develop your leadership and management skills as a deputy to the UHNM Chief Dietitian. You will join a department of over 70 dietitians, dietetic assistants and a supportive admin team.

Main duties of the job:

• The post holder will carry a complex acute caseload, clinically and operationally leading a designated workforce of registered Dietitians, Dietetic Assistants and Dietetic learners. This will include aspects of recruitment, professional development, and absence management, ensuring team practice is in line with HCPC and organisational standards of practice.
• The post holder will have responsibility for guiding and supporting the development of the team, ensuring safe clinical practice, including initiating and supporting continuous service improvement.
• Act as Deputy to Chief Dietitian UHNM as required at Trust Corporate and system level.
• Key stakeholder in Nutrition Steering Group and Non-oral Feeding Group, supporting the Enteral Feed contract, procurement and monitoring.
• Work closely with peer Chief Dietitian adopting best, safe, efficient working practices across the adult acute team services.

Working for our organisation:

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust is one of the largest and most modern in the country. Based across two sites, Royal Stoke in Stoke-on-Trent and County Hospital in Stafford, we are proud to serve around three million people and we're highly regarded for our facilities, teaching and research. We are the specialist centre for major trauma for the North Midlands and North Wales.

All of our employees make a valuable contribution regardless of role here at UHNM and we are proud of our wide range of development packages aimed at ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their true potential. UHNM creates and encourages a culture of inclusion, providing equal opportunities for career development that are fair and transparent. We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer and foster a culture in which all staff feel valued and respected. In return, we ask all of our employees to make a commitment to the values, co-created by our staff, patients and carers, that unite us as a Trust.

At University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, we know that investing in, supporting and developing our staff has a direct impact on the quality of care that we deliver. Our employees are as important as our patients and the population that we serve.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities:

• To provide advanced dietetic clinical services across adult specialties, including highly complex patients.
• To operationally and clinically lead dietitians and dietetic assistants within acute adult services.
• Act as deputy to UHNM Chief Dietitian.
• Support and deliver initiatives in Nutrition and Hydration harm-free care.

Person specification:

Knowledge, Skills, Training and Experience:

• Demonstrate relevant work experience at an advanced level of working with acute patients with nutrition support requirements including Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition.
• Experience of team leadership within a dietetic setting.
• Demonstrate excellent organisational, time management, planning, leadership and supervisory skills.

Essential Qualifications:

• Registered Dietitian (with relevant BSc, postgraduate diploma or Masters).
• Health Care Professions Council registration.
• Evidence of Leadership Training.
• Evidence of clinical supervisory skills training.

Personal Qualities:

• Demonstrate an ability to adapt and respond to an unpredictable work pattern and frequent interruptions.
• Demonstrate an ability to be flexible, self-motivated, adaptive, creative, innovative and open to change and modernisation.
• Keen to promote and publish work in collaboration with lead Dietitians and consultants.

Important information about your application:

All correspondence will be sent to you via the email address you applied from. Please ensure you check your emails regularly. References - please ensure you provide email addresses for all referees for the last three years of employment. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from everyone regardless of ethnicity, disability, gender, age, faith or sexual orientation. Appointment will be based on merit alone. Flexible working will be considered in line with Trust policies.

New recruits are required to pay for their Disclosure and Barring Service check (and admin fee) prior to starting if the role requires a DBS check.

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has been awarded the Gold Award for proudly supporting those who serve. We actively encourage applications from the Armed Forces community.

We will communicate with you regarding your job application via email. Please be aware that we cannot guarantee the security of any emails sent/received via non-encrypted format.

If you obtained your qualifications overseas, you will be required to provide an official government translation through ECCTIS (formerly known as NARIC). Please note, this is in addition to any professional registration requirements and not a replacement for your qualifications.

If you are currently in the UK on a visa, you must have at least six months remaining on your visa at the time of your start date to ensure sufficient time for the operational and training process associated with the role. The requirement of at least six months remaining on your visa does not apply to a Skilled Worker Visa, as a new Skilled Worker Visa would be required for a new role.

In line with the change of Immigration rules on 8th January 2026, if you require Sponsorship through the Skilled Worker Visa, you must be able to provide B2 English evidence before a Certificate of Sponsorship can be issued.

Visa eligibility notice: The UK Home Office has imposed an emergency brake on specific visa routes. Skilled Worker visas cannot currently be issued to Afghan nationals. Study visas cannot currently be issued to nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar or Sudan. As a result, we are unable to progress applications requiring sponsorship under these routes.

UHNM supports the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist in preparing your supporting statement. However, we reserve the right to reject applications where AI has been used in a misleading manner, for example, by implying experience or understanding that the applicant does not possess or where its use is excessive or unfair. If AI has been used to support your application, you must declare this within your submission.

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.