Ashford & St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Dietetic Assistant
The closing date is 21 April 2026
We have a fantastic opportunity for a compassionate, motivated, and flexible individual with excellent communication skills to join our Inpatient Dietetic Team as a Dietetic Assistant. This role offers the chance to develop your knowledge and skills within a busy acute hospital environment, supporting inpatients across a range of specialties.
Working alongside Registered Dietitians and multidisciplinary colleagues, you will help ensure patients receive high‑quality nutritional care during their hospital stay and develop skills in nutrition support, patient education, and nutrition screening.
Main duties of the job
* Support nutrition screening and nutrition support plans
* Assist with patient reviews on inpatient wards
* Deliver health promotion activities
* Contribute to teaching sessions for staff groups
* Help update resources and liaise with catering teams where required
* Carry out administrative duties related to the clinical role (e.g., IT processes for patients on home enteral nutrition)
Job responsibilities
* Support adult inpatient teams by identifying patients at nutritional risk, documenting food and drink preferences, and monitoring nutritional intake.
* Maintain delegated caseload of patients at risk of malnutrition, malnourished or enterally fed, and keep associated records.
* Carry out assessments and reviews as requested by qualified dietetic staff, including inpatient and telephone reviews.
* Document assessments, reviews and care plans in patients’ medical notes and upload supporting documents onto electronic record systems.
* Support high quality feeding practice at ward level and optimise oral nutrition through multidisciplinary teamwork.
* Participate in caseload supervision and huddles.
* Provide and receive sensitive or contentious information with appropriate information governance awareness.
* Use alternative and appropriate methods of communication when barriers exist.
* Communicate clinical information accurately and promptly to qualified staff.
* Initiate and contribute to individual and service quality objectives, collate data, and support audit activities.
* Perform routine office duties such as filing, photocopying, room bookings, telephone answering and message taking.
* Monitor department supplies and resources, and use the Oracle system for ordering via the Therapy Lead for Dietetics.
* Prepare complex documents using Word, PowerPoint and Excel as requested, e.g., education sheets and presentation slides/handouts.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Foundation degree in Health and Social Care or equivalent level 5 qualification
* A-Levels or equivalent
* English Language and Maths GCSE (or Functional Skills level 2)
* Care certificate or willing to obtain within 6 months of joining
* Nutrition or Health qualification
Experience
* Substantial experience in healthcare (NHS or clinical setting)
* Experience working within an inpatient service
* Evidence of direct patient care alongside therapists and other clinicians
* Experience in a relevant field
Knowledge
* Familiarity with the NHS Constitution
* Knowledge of Trust vision, values and strategic objectives
* Knowledge of oral nutrition national guidance
Skills
* Computer literacy including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Microsoft Teams
* Ability to maintain confidentiality
* Ability to manage own caseload day to day
* Ability to respond to changes in a working day
* Ability to understand individual communication, physical and emotional needs; recognise their needs and preferences
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975. A Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service will be required to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Benefits
* Full range of NHS benefits and discounts
* Excellent pension scheme and annual leave entitlement
* On‑site nurseries, staff cafes and parking
* Salary Sacrifice schemes including wage stream, lease cars, Cycle to Work schemes and home electronics
* Salary: £29,812 to £32,715 a year inc. HCAS
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