Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
Specialist Surgical Dietitian
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Specialist Surgical Dietitian
NHS Trust Dietitian (Surgical & Intestinal Failure) – Band 6
Company Description
Here at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, we provide expert, compassionate care for our local population. Ranked as the third in the country for research, we embed education and training across our organisation, with our main hub—the Queen Alexandra Hospital, one of the largest on the south coast, employing over 8,700 staff.
Our patients—and our teams—come from all walks of life. We hired great people from diverse backgrounds because it makes our hospital even better. If you share our values and passion for delivering the very best care for patients, colleagues, and our community, you’ll find your home here.
Job Description
Salary: £39,959 – £48,117 per annum (Band 6) Hours: Full-time (37.5/hw) Type: Permanent
Role Title: Band 5/6 Dietitian (Surgical & Intestinal Failure)
Portsmouth’s Dietitians are seeking an experienced or newly qualified Dietitian passionate about surgery and intestinal failure. This shared caseload role requires expertise in complex nutrition support—including parenteral nutrition—alongside a second Band 6 surgical dietitian, covering:
- Inpatient surgical wards
- Surgical follow-up clinics
- A caseload of patients with intestinal failure, including those on home parenteral nutrition
You’ll work alongside senior Band 7 nutrition support staff, joining a multidisciplinary nutrition team to support ward rounds and the nutrition support MDT clinic.
About the Team
Our 30-strong dietetic department spans acute, renal, paediatric, and community services. We value a friendly, supportive culture, offer robust internal career progression, provide student placements, and encourage supervision/mentorship to help develop younger colleagues.
Job Purpose
To deliver high-quality specialist dietetic care to:
- Patients requiring gastrointestinal surgery (inpatient and community support)
- Individuals with intestinal failure, managing complex hydration and parenteral nutrition at home
As a core member of the nutrition support team, you’ll represent dietetics, promoting nutrition’s vital role in patient care, and act as a clinical knowledge resource for surgical and dietetic teams—partnering with patients, carers, and other healthcare professionals.
Key responsibilities include:
- Collaborating in the shared specialist surgical dietetic service, joining routinely scheduled ward rounds.
- Supporting intestinal failure patients, coordinating with MDT teams.
- Representing dietetics and nutrition in wider surgical services and multidisciplinary settings.
- Actively contributing to education of students, nurses, and colleagues through on-the-job teaching and sessions.
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You’ll benefit from structured support:
- Competency frameworks
- Specialist training (e.g. St Mark’s Gastrointestinal Surgery Course)
- Access to initiatives like SHIFNet (Surgery & Hidden Intestinal Failure Network)
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree/Diploma in Dietetics registered with HCPC (please include registration number in application).
Desirable
- Membership of the British Dietetic Association.
Experience
Essential
-
1–2 years’ experience in acute hospital dietetics.
-
Evidence of professional development (e.g. postgraduate study commitment).
-
Clear record of audit/service evaluation/project work.
-
Experience in teaching/education.
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Familiarity with nutrition support, including oral, enteral, and liquid nutrition.
Desirable
- At least 2 years’ in medical and surgical specialties (e.g. gastrointestinal surgery, intestinal failure, oncology).
- Exposure or hands-on experience in parenteral nutrition and intestinal failure management.
- Simultaneous experience in inpatient and outpatient dietetic care.
- Health promotion experience (including community work/education).
- Student training support (supervision or mentoring).
Skills & Requirements
Essential
- Professional, polite, earnest demeanour.
- Skilled in advocating for nutrition in clinical and health-promotion settings.
- Excellent organisational and time-management abilities.
- Strong communication—rapport-building with patients, carers, and colleagues.
- Ability to work under pressure, prioritise workload, and absorb feedback.
- Independently recognise your clinical boundaries and seek timely support.
- Exceptional teamwork, especially in multidisciplinary contextual roles.
- Adaptable to wartime disruptions while maintaining excellence.
- Proactively handles flexible workload demands, pivoting as service needs evolve.
clinical-skills:
- Developing clinical reasoning with growing expertise.
- Use of initiative, preclinical problem-solving—knowing when to escalate concerns.
- Commitment to student and peer education.
- Timely assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, modifications to patient care, and documentation.
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Professional:
- Up-to-date insight into dietetic best practice and best-current-care guideline.
- Competent standard office and presentation IT skills.
Desirable
- Deep understanding of NHS/dietetic resource efficiency techniques.
- Prior role in contributing to protocols, guidelines, audit reports.
Benefits & Culture
| Benefit | Additional Notes |
|---|---|
| On-site Nursery | Flexible childcare support |
| Free Beach Hut | Longer quality breaks at peacetime |
| Wellness Centre | Access to gym, swimming pool, health services |
| Awards & Recognition ceremonies | Formal opportunities to celebrate achievement |
| Staff Networks | Safe spaces and amplification for: |
| - LGBTQ+, Race Equality, & DisAbility advocacy | |
| Supportive Leadership | Culture of tailormade wellbeing support, mirroring our NHS Values traditions |
Diversity & Inclusion
We believe unique voices—education, life experiences, culture, and lived identities—add to a robust and responsive health service. Supported communities include contributions from:
- Education & diverse opinions |
- Culture, ethnicity, race, sex/gender | | National origin, age, language spoken | | Veteran status | | Religion/belief, disability | | Sexual orientation |
For full details, explore University NHS Trust People & 2026 OD Strategy.
Notes: For the full formal job description, please refer to enclosed documentation.
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