Job summary
- Main area
- Allied Health Professions
- Grade
- 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 30 hours per week
- Job ref
- 351-FYL622-SRP
- Employer
- Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- The Harbour
- Town
- Blackpool
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 25/09/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Principal Dietitian
8a
Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.
As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:
• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
• Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.
The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.
For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.
Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them.
Job overview
Are you an enthusiastic and driven professional ready to lead and shape the future of dietetic services?
We are excited to offer a rare and rewarding opportunity for an experienced Dietitian to take on a pivotal leadership role within our newly established network of Dietitians. This role provides professional leadership to a dedicated team delivering dietetic care to patients on our mental health inpatient wards.
We are seeking a self-motivated, forward-thinking individual with a passion for improving care standards and fostering cross-system collaboration. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in delivering safe, effective services, championing a culture of research, and leading transformational change.
In this role, you will:
• Provide professional leadership for dietitians across our mental health inpatient services.
• Ensure the highest standards of dietetic practice, patient experience, and clinical outcomes.
• Hold a clinical caseload at The Harbour in Blackpool and offer clinical support to dietitians across the Trust, including in-person support as needed.
• Mentor a Band 6 Dietitian based in the Fylde network, requiring regular travel to the area.
• Lead on the delivery of person-centred, evidence-based assessments and interventions.
• Develop and support educational and research initiatives to enhance clinical practice.
Main duties of the job
To act as a Principal Dietitian and professional Lead for Mental Health In-patient Services with responsibility for advancing evidence-based clinical practice in this speciality, particularly across the multi-disciplinary team within the service.
To exercise advanced clinical expertise, levels of judgement, discretion and decision making in clinical care demonstrated through the four pillars of Advanced Clinical Practice: Clinical skills, Leadership & Management, Research, and Education. This will be done in collaboration with AHP, medical and nursing colleagues.
Working for our organisation
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.
The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.
Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.
For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- HCPC
- Significant post qualification experience in the relevant field.
- Clinical based Post-graduate qualification.
- Validated postgraduate qualifications/courses in relevant areas.
Knowledge & Skills
Essential criteria
- Extensive specialist knowledge of the care and management of patients in area of speciality.
- Evidence of clinical leadership skills including influencing and achieving change and professional development of others.
- Evidence of managing individual staff/teams and managing performance, including undertaking appraisals.
- Manage change and contain conflict, ensuring resolution with positive outcomes.
- Knowledge & awareness of diversity and human rights and the competencies appropriate to your role to support patients’ diverse needs and human rights.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant post registration experience in the speciality area including having worked as a clinical specialist (band 7) in area of speciality
- Experience of collaborative working with a range of multi-agency and inter professional resources.
- Experience of developing and implementing care pathways and protocols, policies and procedures.
- Involvement with appropriate clinical interest groups.
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Margaret Michael
- Job title
- Associate Director for AHP
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
For further information, contact:
Tracey Dean – [email protected]
Margaret Michael – [email protected]
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