# Lead Dietitian, Food First > NHS job listing from Job Clerk for Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. ## Canonical URLs - **HTML:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/lead-dietitian-food-first/5e7e851f-9f01-4b43-a629-11c12d65221f - **Markdown:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/lead-dietitian-food-first/5e7e851f-9f01-4b43-a629-11c12d65221f.md ## Summary - **Status:** Live - **Employer:** Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - **Location:** Dietetics (Dept) - **Workplace type:** onsite - **Profession:** Estates and facilities - **Grade:** Band 7 - **Salary:** £49,387 - £56,515 Per annum pro rata - **Contract type:** Permanent - **Employment type:** Part time - 15 hours per week - **Closing date:** 2026-09-06T22:59:00.000Z - **Posted:** 2026-08-24T16:40:51.286Z - **Source information URL:** https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/-v8251595 - **Application URL:** https://apps.trac.jobs/job-advert/8251595?ShowJobAdvert=&feedid=9002 - **Employer website:** https://www.mkuh.nhs.uk ## Job Content ### Job overview Food First Lead Dietitian Department: Nutrition & Dietetics Band 7, £49,387 - £56,515 Per annum pro rata Hours: Part time, 15 per week, all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working Are you an experienced Community Dietitian ready to take the next step in your career? We have an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and motivated individual to become joint lead of our Food First and Prescribing Support Dietetic Service in Milton Keynes. 'We care We communicate We collaborate We contribute' Please note: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. Interview date: 16 September 2026 ### Main duties of the job You will jointly lead (with another B7 Dietitian) a small, dedicated team comprising a Dietitian and a Dietetic Assistant Practitioner, collaborating closely with colleagues across Bedfordshire and Luton. This role is ideal for a dietitian with substantial community experience and a passion for service development and leadership. You’ll bring strong communication, time management, and teamworking skills, along with the flexibility to adapt in a fast-paced environment. You’ll be part of a vibrant department based at Milton Keynes University Hospital, home to over 30 registered dietitians, dietetic support workers, and admin staff. Our service spans acute, community, paediatric, and learning disability care. We pride ourselves on our collaborative culture, excellent support systems, and commitment to professional development. We also host student placements from the University of Surrey, Oxford Brookes University and University of Hertfordshire What we offer: A forward-thinking, friendly team environment Strong admin and assistant support Access to CPD and leadership development opportunities Support from a dedicated Therapy Practice Education Team ### Detailed job description and main responsibilities NHS Staff Survey: Allied Health Professionals experience a high diverse and equal work environment, supporting this with 8.33 out of 10. . To provide clinical and managerial leadership to the Food First team by working collaboratively with other Lead Dietitians and the Dietetic Service Lead. To plan and co-ordinate the day-to-day provision of Food First team To provide leadership and oversight for the care home programme which works with all care homes for older people to meet and maintain the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) regulation 14 (meeting nutritional and hydration needs) and Enhanced Health in Care Homes (EHCH) priorities. Please refer to attached Job description for further information. We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity, and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us. MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and as such we offer a range of flexible working practices. We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once enough applications have been received. MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology. By applying for this role, you accept if successful, that information from your application will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system. Your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers. Upon commencing employment with the Trust, all employees (except Medical & Dental Staff on national terms and conditions) are subject to a probationary period lasting a period of six months with an option to extend for a further six months to a total of 12 months. ### Applicant requirements This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service. ## Person Specification ### Skills **Essential** - Proven time management skills - Ability to remain flexible when organising and prioritising own clinical and non-clinical caseload - High level of written and verbal communication including report writing skills - Advanced skills in the assessment and treatment of patients in relevant clinical area - Ability to present and teach information to junior and assistant staff and students as part of an in-service programme - Ability to maintain accurate, comprehensive, and up to date documentation, in line with legal and Trust standards. - Ability to appropriately apply a range of treatment approaches - Ability to problem-solve and to demonstrate clinical reasoning based on experience and knowledge. - Skills in planning, delivering and evaluating dietetic services - Ability to work with and understand complex data sets to support evaluation and service development. ### Experience **Essential** - Significant experience in applying therapeutic processes include assessment, interpretation, individual care planning, motivation, monitoring and evaluation of highly specialised treatment in area of specialty - Experience of working with patients in relevant specialist area - Active member of multi-disciplinary team (MDT) including liaison with clinical specialists, GP, specialist nurses, community teams etc. - Supervision, appraisal and training of junior members of staff and students - Ability to autonomously manage a caseload of highly complex patients - Ability to undertake projects within specialist area e.g. using NICE guidance, benchmarking and clinical audit - Ability to lead and participate in departmental audits and review of Trust Policy - Proven leadership experience in relevant clinical specialty or similar clinical field - Experience in service development /improvement, including project planning from objective setting to evaluating outcomes - Experience of organising and providing training for other health professionals - Experience of developing and implementing clinical guidance - Knowledge and understanding of wider issues facing the NHS - Understanding of national strategies and policies relating to nutrition, health and social care as relevant to the post. ### Communication **Essential** - Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to influence others - Competent in the use of IT including proficiency with emails - Ability to deliver sensitive information in a tactful and empathetic manner ### Qualifications and knowledge **Essential** - Registered as a Dietitian with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) - Evidence of a range of specialist continuing professional development - Member of relevant specialist interest group (Relevant to area of specialty) - Student Supervisory Skills training - Level 7 Qualification in Nutrition Support or equivalent experience - Awareness of NHS and Trust systems, policies, procedures and current changes - Sound therapeutic and clinical knowledge - Ability to demonstrate knowledge and awareness of national guidelines relevant to specialist area - Ability to demonstrate knowledge of evidence based clinical practice for a range of conditions relevant to area of specialty **Desirable** - Membership of relevant professional association i.e. British Dietetic Association (BDA) - Management or leadership training or qualification ### Personal and people development **Essential** - Experience of managing and developing junior and assistant staff **Desirable** - Experience of using HR policy and procedure including sickness absences and performance management - Knowledge of change management principles ## Documents - [job description (pdf, 472.4kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10564041) - [person specification (pdf, 288.6kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10564042) ## Agent Notes - This Markdown page is generated from the same Job Clerk job record as the HTML job detail page. - Use the canonical HTML URL for user-facing references. - Use the application URL when the user wants to apply on the source NHS site.