Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team as a  Band 6 Dietitian with a keen interest in complex nutrition support to join our acute adult dietetic team at University Hospital Southampton.

The post will work across the intestinal failure and colorectal teams providing oral, enteral and parenteral nutrition support and advice on high output stoma management.

The post will cover primarily type 1 intestinal failure patients requiring parenteral nutrition and work as part of our Nutrition Support and Intestinal Failure multidisciplinary team. In addition, the post holder will be the dietetic lead for colorectal surgery, following patients throughout their journey as inpatients and outpatients with a weekly colorectal outpatient clinic part of the role. 

The department of dietetics and speech and language therapy is a large and friendly team, employing approximately 130 staff. We have clinical experts working in a range of specialties, providing acute and community services in adults and paediatrics. We are a tertiary referral centre for many specialisms, and have a commitment to providing clinical excellence. 

Working for our organisation

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care. 

 We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

 Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

 We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

The successful candidate will be responsible for; 
• Specialist provision of a dietetic service to intestinal failure and colorectal surgery patients, providing complex nutritional support pre and post operatively.
•    Work in a variety of clinical settings including acute wards and outpatient clinic. 
•    Attend and provide input to intestinal failure and colorectal multidisciplinary clinics and meetings as required.
•    Attend nutrition support ward rounds reviewing and planning the parenteral nutrition support to inpatients.
•    Provide complex nutritional support to colorectal surgery patients including management of enteral feeding, home enteral feeding discharges, and nutritional management of high output stomas.
•    Work with an experienced team of intestinal failure and surgical dietitians covering intestinal failure, upper GI, hepatobiliary, and general surgery patients.
•    Be a key member of the multidisciplinary teams working closely with gastroenterologists, surgeons, clinical nurse specialists, nutrition support team and ward nurses. You will also be required to liaise closely with teams at other hospitals.
•    Provide educational talks on the importance of nutrition in intestinal failure/surgery to inform patients, nurses and doctors.
•    Continued professional development is actively encouraged, there will be the opportunity to be involved in service development and regular audit. 
•    Be involved with the supervision and support of junior dietitians and dietetic assistants as well as student training placements.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
 
We are looking for someone who has a keen interest in nutrition support, with evidence of relevant, strong clinical skills.  Flexibility, ability to prioritise and manage a busy, complex caseload is essential.  

You must have excellent communication skills as well as an empathic nature to help patients manage their long-term condition and be aware of the psychological impact this may have.

You should have experience of working with patients requiring enteral nutrition in the acute setting. Experience of parenteral nutrition or surgical dietetics is highly desirable but full training and support will be provided.

For an overview of the position, please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification document. This includes a detailed breakdown of the key responsibilities, role expectations, and the qualifications we are looking for.