Job Description

Job Title:

First Contact Dietitian

Hours of work:

37.5 hours

We are looking for a dietitian to work in primary care in Luton. This is an in?person role. Due to the needs of the patient population, the successful candidate will need to be fluent in English and a second language, such as Urdu, Bengali, or similar.

Please contact me for more information: suyin.chia@primarycaredietitians.co.uk.

Who we are

We are England's only national independent specialist first-contact dietitian provider

who is purely focused on supporting NHS Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and their GP practices to deliver high-quality and tech-enabled NHS primary care dietetic solutions.

Through our talented team, who are supported by experienced and Health Education England trained FCP clinical supervisors, we have been commissioned by NHS Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to deliver an integrated and local dietetic service.

You can find out more about our team here: https://www.primarycaredietitians.co.uk/about

We support dietitians through HEE's Roadmap to Practice, and advance your career to be a first contact dietitian.

Whether you are a Band 6 with 3 years post-graduate experience stepping up into this post or a seasoned Band 8a moving into primary care for the first time, we are proud to offer a supportive environment for all of our team members with 4 hours of protected CPD time every week.

Role Profile

First Contact Dietitians (FCDs) are qualified autonomous clinical practitioners working in GP practices who can assess, diagnose, treat, and manage dietetic problems and undifferentiated conditions, and where appropriate, to discharge a person without a medical referral. FCDs are a key multidisciplinary team member in primary care and support reducing GP workload. FCDs working in this role can be accessed directly by self-referral or staff in GP practices can direct patients to them to establish a rapid and accurate management plan to streamline pathways of care.

Key Clinical Responsibilities

The PCN is looking for a dietitian who can support their patients.

The PCN places priority on supporting their demographic with nutrition and lifestyle intervention to empower patients to take control of their health.

General Responsibilities

Clinical Practice

Asess, diagnose, triage, and manage patients, taking responsibility for the management of a caseload. Develop and make use of your full scope of clinical practice, including skills relating to supplementary prescribing and investigation when trained to do so. Manage complex interactions, including working with patients with psychosocial and mental health needs, referring to social prescribing when appropriate. Deliver programmes of supported patient self-management, in ways that facilitate behavioural change, optimise individuals' health, nutrition, fulfilment of personal goals and independence, and that minimise the need for pharmacological interventions. Provide care which is tailored to the individual needs. Support patients to set their own goals and be confident in their approach to self-management where appropriate
Evidence, Research and Development

Develop relationships and a collaborative working approach across the PCN supporting the integration of pathways in primary care. Work as part of an MDT in a patient facing role, using your expert knowledge of dietetics, to create stronger links for dietetic services through clinical leadership, teaching and evaluation skills. Support research and audit programmes to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of our service. Streamline the pathway of care by providing a responsive service so that patients receive timely access to care
Leadership

Lead, manage and contribute to service delivery. Implement all aspects of effective clinical governance for own practice, including undertaking regular audit and evaluation, supervision and training. Communicate effectively and appropriately, with patients and carers, complex and sensitive information regarding diagnosis, pathology, prognosis and treatment choices supporting personalised care.
Facilitating learning

Provide feedback and support to other PCN clinical team members on appropriate referral criteria. Critically reflect on own practice and continue to develop your skills
Key skills and attributes

Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced and changing environment. Strong clinical problem-solving and analytical skills, including ability to identify when to refer a patient to another service or for diagnostics. Ability to critically reflect on your own professional developmental needs and is motivated to progress your clinical development (with support). Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with an ability to work cohesively with a wider team. Able to follow legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies/procedures and codes of conduct. Office skills including the use of IT programmes, databases and other modern/ tech-based ways of working and collaborating.

Person Specification

Experience, knowledge and Qualifications

Undergraduate or postgraduate HCPC approved dietetic programme Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration Minimum 3 years of clinical experience in dietetics

This role profile is not exhaustive, and you may be directed to complete other tasks as required. These duties will always be reasonable and deemed within the expectations of your position.

General Terms (applicable to all Primary Care Dietitians posts)

Ensure that your conduct does not fall below the standards detailed in Primary Care Dietitian's Code of Conduct. To safeguard Children and Adults and to act on any concerns to ensure that each situation is appropriately assessed and investigated. Adhere to all Primary Care Dietitians's policies and procedures
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Benefits:

Company pension Cycle to work scheme Employee discount Referral programme 25 days A/L + Bank Holidays (improving to 33 days with years' of service) Sick pay
Schedule:

Monday to Friday
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: 38,742.00-51,056.00 per year

Benefits:

Employee discount Flexitime Health & wellbeing programme Referral programme Sick pay
Licence/Certification:

HCPC registration (required)
Work authorisation:

United Kingdom (preferred)
Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 21/07/2025