Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

Specialist Paediatric Dietitian

The closing date is 09 July 2025

Job summary

Are you a paediatric dietitian passionate about working with children and young people?

Would you like to build your experience in a rewarding and supportive senior role?

We have a flexible, fixed-term opportunity to join our small, friendly and experienced community team supporting children and young people with complex feeding needs across West Berkshire.

You'll work with children who are enterally fed or have feeding difficulties with a designated caseload so post qualified paediatric and enteral feeding experience is essential.

The role includes:

  • Working with children in community settings including home visits, schools and hospitals
  • A variety of face-to-face and telephone clinics across West Berkshire with some home working available
  • Being part of a friendly, experienced and supportive team, meeting regularly at our attractive University of Reading base to collaborate and share learning.

Perhaps you're an experienced Band 6 ready to build your Band 7 experience, or you might be an established Band 7 dietitian who will appreciate this varied, flexible role in a welcoming team.

Your working pattern will be 22.5 hrs/week within our core Monday - Friday hours.

Applications for this role will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as vacancies may close early

Main duties of the job

  • Provide expert clinical dietary and nutritional assessment, management, and education for children and young people (CYP) with complex needs requiring enteral feeding.
  • Manage and balance nutritional requirements alongside co-morbidities, including calculating nutritional needs through interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometry, and clinical conditions.
  • Deliver specialist skills and knowledge to support CYP with disabilities and/or complex needs who are at risk of nutritional imbalance.
  • Offer specialist supervision and support to newly qualified dietitians and students within the team, sharing expertise to promote best practice.
  • Set up and manage feeding delivery accounts and equipment for enterally fed CYP through home delivery companies, ensuring financial prudence and effective resource use.
  • Collaborate with Community Children's Nurses, Specialist School Nurses, Special Needs Schools, Primary Care, Short Break settings, Children's Services, and other relevant agencies to develop, plan, and implement individualised care plans.
  • Work within the policies and procedures of Berkshire Safeguarding Children's Board and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BHFT), prioritising attendance at case conferences, reviews, and planning meetings. Responsible for preparing case conference and court reports as required, contributing to safeguarding all children.

About us

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

  • Caring for and about you is our top priority
  • Committed to providing good quality, safe services
  • Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

  • Flexible working options to support work-life balance
  • 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
  • Generous NHS pension scheme
  • Excellent learning and career development opportunities
  • 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
  • Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
  • Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
  • Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
  • Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
  • Free parking across Trust sites

Details

Date posted

19 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£48,270 to £54,931 a year per annum, pro rata ( Incl of HCAS)

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

371-TAP-CFS4821

Job locations

Erlegh House

University of Reading, Earley Gate

Reading

RG6 6BZ


Job description

Job responsibilities

The must haves for this role:

  • Qualified Dietician registered with the HCPC
  • Member of the British Dietetic Association
  • Paediatric and enteral feeding experience
  • Ability and willingness to travel between multiple community sites efficiently

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please dont hesitate to call: Claire Thompson on 07760 415776 wholl be delighted to help.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The must haves for this role:

  • Qualified Dietician registered with the HCPC
  • Member of the British Dietetic Association
  • Paediatric and enteral feeding experience
  • Ability and willingness to travel between multiple community sites efficiently

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please dont hesitate to call: Claire Thompson on 07760 415776 wholl be delighted to help.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

Essential

  • A four-year undergraduate first or a two year post graduate degree in Nutrition & Dietetics
  • UK registered with Health Professional Council
  • Member of the British Dietetic Association
  • Evidence of post graduate training at Master's level, in paediatric nutrition and/ or enteral feeding such as BDA Paediatric module 2 and experience suitable for area of Paediatric enteral feeding.
  • Post graduate training Dietetics

Desirable

  • Attended a clinical/non-clinical Teaching Skills course

Continuous Professional Development

Essential

  • Documented evidence of continuous professional development.
  • Willingness to undertake relevant training and development.

Previous Experience

Essential

  • Minimum 2 years' experience as a Dietitian
  • Experience in working with Paediatric and / or enteral feeding in complex patients' caseloads

Desirable

  • Experience of enteral feeding

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Essential

  • Is able to demonstrate a good understanding of general dietetics and in particular Paediatric issues Knowledge and understanding of current government policies relating to health care.
  • Effective oral and written communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to use data to support caseload management
  • Able to facilitate and manage change
  • Experience of quantitative and qualitative audit methodology.
  • Ability to develop service development and improvement plans
  • Ability to present analyse and present data in report format for a wide range of audience.
  • Excellent organisational skills

Additional Requirements

Essential

  • Demonstrates motivation, reliability and innovative outlook to self-development and team working.
Person Specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

Essential

  • A four-year undergraduate first or a two year post graduate degree in Nutrition & Dietetics
  • UK registered with Health Professional Council
  • Member of the British Dietetic Association
  • Evidence of post graduate training at Master's level, in paediatric nutrition and/ or enteral feeding such as BDA Paediatric module 2 and experience suitable for area of Paediatric enteral feeding.
  • Post graduate training Dietetics

Desirable

  • Attended a clinical/non-clinical Teaching Skills course

Continuous Professional Development

Essential

  • Documented evidence of continuous professional development.
  • Willingness to undertake relevant training and development.

Previous Experience

Essential

  • Minimum 2 years' experience as a Dietitian
  • Experience in working with Paediatric and / or enteral feeding in complex patients' caseloads

Desirable

  • Experience of enteral feeding

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Essential

  • Is able to demonstrate a good understanding of general dietetics and in particular Paediatric issues Knowledge and understanding of current government policies relating to health care.
  • Effective oral and written communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to use data to support caseload management
  • Able to facilitate and manage change
  • Experience of quantitative and qualitative audit methodology.
  • Ability to develop service development and improvement plans
  • Ability to present analyse and present data in report format for a wide range of audience.
  • Excellent organisational skills

Additional Requirements

Essential

  • Demonstrates motivation, reliability and innovative outlook to self-development and team working.

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

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

Address

Erlegh House

University of Reading, Earley Gate

Reading

RG6 6BZ


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

Address

Erlegh House

University of Reading, Earley Gate

Reading

RG6 6BZ


Employer's website

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

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Talent Acquisition Partner

Catherine Moulds

catherine.moulds@berkshire.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

19 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£48,270 to £54,931 a year per annum, pro rata ( Incl of HCAS)

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

371-TAP-CFS4821

Job locations

Erlegh House

University of Reading, Earley Gate

Reading

RG6 6BZ


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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