Job overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us. 

Job Title: North Primary Care Network (PCN) Team Lead Dietitian 

Contract Type: Fixed Term 6 months

Purpose for Fixed Term: Career break or covering a secondment backfill 

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team as an  experienced dietitian in the well established PCN dietetic service in Southampton North PCN.  This post is for 6 months (January -July 2027) to cover the Lead Dietitian as they take a career break. If you are keen to explore dietetics in Primary care and gain valuable service lead experience then this is the opportunity for you ! 

The successful candidate will be a member of the large community dietetic team which is based at The Royal South Hants hospital in central Southampton.  This team has dietitians working in a range of specialities who meet regularly for support and CPD. There are internal CPD sessions across the wider dietetic department and there will be the  opportunity to work on service evaluation and improvement.  

The department of dietetics and speech and language therapy employs approximately 120 staff, with clinical experts working across the range of specialties, providing both acute and community services.

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

In this role, your key responsibilities will include:
•    Being a key member of Primary Care team and liaising with other health care professionals and support staff about all aspects of dietetic and nutritional management within the PCN
•    Holding  a dedicated clinical caseload and triaging all referrals into the service 
•    Line managing the other  dietitian working in the service
•    Supporting  and clinically supervising  other junior dietitians and participating  in student training
•    Participating in service development and evaluation and disseminating any  audit data to the dietetic department and PCN leads
•    Supporting health promotion activities on diet and health within the local area
•    Delivering group education sessions and training sessions to health and social care professionals as required and patients

We are looking for a dietitian who:
•    Has recent extensive experience in managing a general, varied dietetic caseload 
•    Has experience of supervision and line management
•    Has the skills and knowledge to deliver group and individual dietary education both in person and using “virtual” methods
•    Is confident in communicating in a variety of settings and with people from all backgrounds 
•    Can work as a team player and is able to prioritise their own work in order to meet deadlines and has a focused professional approach
•    Has recent NHS dietetic experience either in hospitals, community or Primary Care settings
•    Is able to occasionally cover our of hour commitments and can move between GP practices and hospital sites as required

The successful candidate will be expected to provide cover for a general dietetic caseload with a focus on weight management but the referrals could cover any condition. The PCN is based in Southampton university and many of the referrals are for support with disordered eating, weight management and gastrointestinal conditions.  The post holder will also provide line management and day to day support and supervision to the band 6 PCN dietitian working in the North Southampton PCN. The current postholders love the variety of the role and the ability to deliver holistic care. The job satisfaction is great as you really get to know your patients and they value your input.  The role is very flexible and you will work with great autonomy but have the support of a wide range of specialist dietitians.  You will be expected to participate in audit and lead on service development and report writing. 

The post is for 32 hours per week but fewer hours can be considered if necessary.  There is the flexibility to regularly work from home  and working hours and patterns can be discussed with the successful candidate.