Job summary
We are delighted to announce that an opportunity has become available for a band 5 Dietitian to join our well established and friendly team.

We are an innovative dietetic department covering a wide range of specialities. This is a fantastic opportunity for a dietitian to gain invaluable experience within an experienced Adult Dietetic Team. We welcome applications from either newly qualified or experienced dietitians.

We provide in-patient dietetic services to a range of medical and surgical wards at Southport and Formby District General Hospital and at Ormskirk District General Hospital.

You will also be involved in activities such as cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation groups and MUST training. This will involve interacting with staff, patients, and relevant others utilising numerous communication techniques.

We will offer you robust supervision and opportunities to participate in wider service development projects and audits.

Main duties of the job

• To provide a dietetic service to in-patients in Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals.
• The post-holder will manage their own clinical caseload of adult patients.
• To provide assistance for the Therapy and Rehabilitation Services in delivering the required range of therapeutic interventions and support to the client group
• As part of the dietetic team, the post-holder will cover and support the clinical workload of other dietitians e.g. during annual leave. They will have support from more experienced dietitians within the team.
• To participate in audit and service development.
• To accurately record, obtain, collate and maintain patient records both manually and electronically
• To educate and train other health professionals including nurses and doctors with support from more senior Dietitians.
• To participate in the supervision of student dietitians on clinical placement and for work experience students.

Southport & Formby District General Hospital is a small and vibrant place to work with lots of forward-thinking initiatives and projects. The Dietetic Team mirrors that ethos. We are a positive team who embrace a challenge.

About us
The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.

From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.

The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.

Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:

• CAREthat is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
• SAFETY that is of the highest standards
• COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
• SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
• PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients

Our achievements include:

• Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Please see our Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our staff benefits. Accessible version available.

Details
Date posted: 13 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 5
Salary: £32,073 to £39,043 a year
per annum, pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 409-8196588
Job locations: Southport and Ormskirk Hospital, Town Lane, Southport, PR8 6PN, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Successful Candidates must have:
Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics (BSc Hons or equivalent) Be HCPC registered (or due to register this Summer on completion of relevant course)

If you believe you have the skills that we are looking for and are ready for a challenge, then we want to hear from you

Please see job description and person specification for full details of role responsibilities.

Person Specification
Our Values
Essential

• We are Kind
• We are Open
• We are Inclusive

Qualifications
Essential

• BSc (Hons) Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics or equivalent
• HCPC registered Dietitian

Desirable

• Member of British Dietetic Association

Other
Essential

• The post includes a combination of walking and sitting with duties being carried out in a variety of settings across the hospital sites
• The post will be based at Southport Hospital but postholder would be required to work across sites and attend meetings held in community buildings and ODGH
• To be able physically carry equipment (e.g. ward folders, teaching materials, audio-visual aids)
• The post holder will be required to use frequent concentration in assessing patients and devising care plans
• Conveying complex nutritional information in a comprehensible and practical way to clients, families and carers where there may be significant barriers to understanding
• Prioritising clinical work responding to unpredictable demands on time e.g. responding to bleeps for urgent referrals
• The post holder will often have to overcome barriers to communication such as illiteracy, learning difficulties, hearing and sight impairment, language and may have to work with interpreters.
• Communication with and have direct contact with a wide variety of people, including health, social care and education professionals, patients, carers, the public.
• Daily involvement with chronically and terminally ill patients and their carers
• The post holder will be exposed to sensitive, emotional and distressing circumstances, including terminally ill patients and abusive patients/carers
• The post holder will be exposed to the working conditions associated with clinical environment
• Routinely encounters unpleasant smells and sights, with possible exposure to bodily fluids including blood and sputum
• Ability to fulfil the travel requirements of the post

Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Previous demonstrable experience working in a health or social care setting
• Awareness of current NHS issues, National Policies and relevant frameworks/quality indicators
• Knowledge of evidence-based practice and importance within clinical area
• Experience of taking an active role within the Multidisciplinary Team
• Awareness of health and safety issues and reporting mechanisms
• Demonstrate an awareness of clinical governance and its application within Therapy
• Demonstrates a more advanced knowledge of computer packages
• Commitment to your and others ongoing Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and maintenance of professional portfolio.

Desirable

• Experience of facilitating dietetic student training

Skills
Essential

• Ability to manage own time within clinical and non-clinical activity and to guide others using problem solving and decision-making skills
• Ability to maintain records, statistical and activity data according to service standards.
• Effective teaching and presentation skills
• Ability to encourage and motivate others by providing sound practical and realistic advice
• Ability to manage own stress and awareness of stress in others
• To demonstrate tact/diplomacy and empathy within clinical/team settings
• Good interpersonal skills with effective written and verbal communication- replaces one that mentions communication in MDT
• Ability to demonstrate assertiveness within the clinical settings
• Ability to positively represent the Dietetic Team within the Organisation
• Ability to demonstrate reflective practice

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.

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.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

Employer details
Employer name: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Address: Southport and Ormskirk Hospital, Town Lane, Southport, PR8 6PN, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Clinical Therapy Manager
Liz Gemmell
elizabeth.gemmell@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk
01704705115