University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Community Dietetic team lead

The closing date is 14 January 2026

Job summary

We have an exciting opportunity for a Community Dietitian Team Leader role at University Hospitals NHS Plymouth, as the team provide a community dietetic service across different geographical areas.

We are looking for an innovative leader with excellent clinical, managerial and leadership skills to join our team and thus developing service provision to meet the changing landscapes within the NHS.

The community department is made up of a team of dietitians, administrative and assistant staff, for whom you will provide the daily operational management. You will also be required to be actively involved in the collation and reporting of service-level data to our internal teams and our commissioners. You will assist the Head of Nutrition and Dietetics in providing the clinical expertise for service development.

Post holder will be required to be a car driver with clean driving licence with the ability to travel between sites/patient's homes.

***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

You will spend approximately 70% of your time on clinical duties, the exact nature of this will be determined based on the service needs and skills of the successful candidate but will require expertise with adult Home Enteral Tube Feeding. The remaining 30% will be spent on operational management duties.

You will be based in Estover Health Centre but employed by Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust. The latter has a large dietetic department to which you will have access for professional support and training. The Trust has a Head of Nutrition and Dietetics to whom you will be professionally accountable. The department has close links with the Peninsula Medical School and the dietetics course at Plymouth University. All staff is involved in student dietitian training providing A, B and C placements and participate in the training of medical students and other health care professionals.

The ideal candidate will have a broad range of dietetic clinical experience to enable them to support all members of our team, as well as experience in the line management of staff. It is essential for the candidate to have community experience and experience of dealing with commissioners is desirable

About us

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. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment manager for this post who will put you in touch with the recruitment team. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. 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.

Details

Date posted

31 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year £47,810 - £54,710 Per Annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

216-AM-DA7586587

Job locations

Community Dietetic Dept, Estover Health Centre

Leypark Walk, Estover

Plymouth

PL6 8UE


Job description

Job responsibilities

A.

  1. Responsible for the professional organisation, delivery and management of the dietetic service relating to the Community dietetic team
  2. To undertake the appropriate assessment and treatment of patients referred for dietetic advice as necessary and ensure that correct medical ethics are always observed.
  3. To manage own clinical caseload of patients referred to the service as well as HETF patients in both inpatient and domiciliary setting.
  4. To lead on ensuring that patient nutrition outcomes are clearly completed and documented for the dietetic service, as directed by the Head of Nutrition & Dietetics
  5. Liaise with the stakeholders of other organisations concerning the provision of dietetic services relating to Community dietetic service provision.
  6. To support Head of Nutrition & Dietetics in providing excellent clinical leadership across the Community dietetic service.
  7. To set a high personal standard of work and facilitate other staff to do likewise.
  8. To liaise with staff of other disciplines, as and when necessary, to ensure that effective communication and reporting always takes place.
  9. Ensure continuing professional development of all staff by identifying training needs and in collaboration with others developing and implementing in-service and post registration training programmes.
  10. Be responsible for the collection of statistical data relevant to the service in line with Trust and departmental policies and procedures.

For further details please see attached JD&PS.

Job description

Job responsibilities

A.

  1. Responsible for the professional organisation, delivery and management of the dietetic service relating to the Community dietetic team
  2. To undertake the appropriate assessment and treatment of patients referred for dietetic advice as necessary and ensure that correct medical ethics are always observed.
  3. To manage own clinical caseload of patients referred to the service as well as HETF patients in both inpatient and domiciliary setting.
  4. To lead on ensuring that patient nutrition outcomes are clearly completed and documented for the dietetic service, as directed by the Head of Nutrition & Dietetics
  5. Liaise with the stakeholders of other organisations concerning the provision of dietetic services relating to Community dietetic service provision.
  6. To support Head of Nutrition & Dietetics in providing excellent clinical leadership across the Community dietetic service.
  7. To set a high personal standard of work and facilitate other staff to do likewise.
  8. To liaise with staff of other disciplines, as and when necessary, to ensure that effective communication and reporting always takes place.
  9. Ensure continuing professional development of all staff by identifying training needs and in collaboration with others developing and implementing in-service and post registration training programmes.
  10. Be responsible for the collection of statistical data relevant to the service in line with Trust and departmental policies and procedures.

For further details please see attached JD&PS.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • oBSc in Human Nutrition & Dietetics or equivalent qualification
  • oHCPC Registration

Desirable

  • Completion of Clinical Supervisory Skills training course

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

  • oProven and demonstrable leadership skills in managing a clinical team.
  • oProven evidence of extensive clinical practice post registration within a Community Dietetic setting.
  • oDemonstrable experience of nutrition support and Home Enteral feeding procedures/systems
  • oRecent, demonstrable, and extensive demonstrable experience in enteral feeding planning

Desirable

  • oComputer skills in database use and statistical packages

Aptitude and Abilities

Essential

  • oExcellent communication skills with an ability to communicate with all levels of healthcare personnel as well as patients and their carers
  • oProven evidence of clinical leadership skills
  • oDemonstrable expertise in the practical skills of nutritional support

Desirable

  • oResearch design/statistics skills

Disposition / Attitude / Motivation

Essential

  • oEffective team worker
  • oDemonstrates commitment to the development of others

Desirable

  • oAn enquiring mind with an enthusiasm for research and innovation

Other

Essential

  • oCar owner/driver with clean driving licence with ability to travel between sites
  • oFlexible regarding duties

Desirable

  • oBritish Dietetic Association (BDA) membership
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • oBSc in Human Nutrition & Dietetics or equivalent qualification
  • oHCPC Registration

Desirable

  • Completion of Clinical Supervisory Skills training course

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

  • oProven and demonstrable leadership skills in managing a clinical team.
  • oProven evidence of extensive clinical practice post registration within a Community Dietetic setting.
  • oDemonstrable experience of nutrition support and Home Enteral feeding procedures/systems
  • oRecent, demonstrable, and extensive demonstrable experience in enteral feeding planning

Desirable

  • oComputer skills in database use and statistical packages

Aptitude and Abilities

Essential

  • oExcellent communication skills with an ability to communicate with all levels of healthcare personnel as well as patients and their carers
  • oProven evidence of clinical leadership skills
  • oDemonstrable expertise in the practical skills of nutritional support

Desirable

  • oResearch design/statistics skills

Disposition / Attitude / Motivation

Essential

  • oEffective team worker
  • oDemonstrates commitment to the development of others

Desirable

  • oAn enquiring mind with an enthusiasm for research and innovation

Other

Essential

  • oCar owner/driver with clean driving licence with ability to travel between sites
  • oFlexible regarding duties

Desirable

  • oBritish Dietetic Association (BDA) membership

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Address

Community Dietetic Dept, Estover Health Centre

Leypark Walk, Estover

Plymouth

PL6 8UE


Employer's website

https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Address

Community Dietetic Dept, Estover Health Centre

Leypark Walk, Estover

Plymouth

PL6 8UE


Employer's website

https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Directorate Manager

Donna Pike

donna.pike@nhs.net

01752432230

Details

Date posted

31 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year £47,810 - £54,710 Per Annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

216-AM-DA7586587

Job locations

Community Dietetic Dept, Estover Health Centre

Leypark Walk, Estover

Plymouth

PL6 8UE


Supporting documents

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