Newly qualified | soon to graduate | band 5 dietitian | band 6 dietitian Is this you?

We have opportunities for dietitians at all stages of their career to join our teams in west Cumbria, on the edge of the beautiful Lake District. The Nutrition and Dietetic Department at West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven are looking for motivated, enthusiastic dietitians to join their friendly team. The posts involve busy caseloads working across acute and community services, giving a unique opportunity to develop a wide range of skills.

View full details for each vacancy on NHS Jobs:

• Band 5 Dietitian (job ref: 262-A-18-50005)
• Band 5 Bank Dietitian  (job ref: 262-A-19-51931)
• Band 6 Senior Dietitian (job ref: 262-A-18-51899)

Talk to the team

Hear from current dietitians Orla and Sophie for more about living and working in west Cumbria and the kind of things they do each day:

• Orla, Community and Acute Dietitian 
• Sophie, Community Paediatric Dietitian 

Why Cumbria?

With some big changes underway, it’s an exciting time to join us and make a difference. North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust and Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are in the process of formally joining together to provide more seamless patient care. Cumbria is at the forefront of national plans to deliver integrated health and care services and has been recognised nationally for the progress that has been made. With a focus on innovation you can join us and help shape the future of services in Cumbria.

But we know it’s not all about work. You won’t find a stronger community spirit or a more resilient, welcoming bunch of people than in Cumbria. Cumbria is the perfect place to raise a family or begin an adventure, especially in the Lake District – now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you prefer city living, Carlisle has plenty of shops and restaurants and is well connected by road, rail and air. We have lots of smaller towns with independent shops, restaurants and entertainment too. There are food and music festivals, arts and entertainment venues, affordable housing and excellent schools.

A Day in the life of… an acute and community dietitian

Hello my name is Orla and I’m a dietitian at West Cumberland Hospital.  I work across the acute and community and have been in my current role for over a year.

I cover the busy medical and surgical wards and love the clinical aspect, learning about different medical conditions. Studies show that more than a quarter of patients admitted to hospital are at risk of malnutrition. It affects every system in the body and results in increased risk of infections and longer hospital stays therefore nutrition plays an important role in recovery and rehabilitation.

Patients often have poor appetites and need advice to help them increase their energy intake. As dietitians we estimate a patients’ nutritional requirements and decide on how best to meet them.

If I’m not in the hospital then I’m usually in the community at an outpatient clinic, care home or visiting a patient. I often follow up patients that I’ve seen in the hospital and I’m always grateful to be a part of their recovery. Visiting patients in their own homes often gives a better representation of their situation and usually allows me to provide more in depth dietary advice.

My caseload is very varied and I see adults of all ages and backgrounds. I provide dietary advice for those with chronic conditions or those on long-term tube feeding. Another aspect of my role is delivering healthy eating education sessions as part of cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation and providing staff training sessions.

I have very good relationship with my team and work closely with them to develop training and patient information. I take turns to represent the department at events such as health and wellbeing days where we provide general nutritional related advice to the public.

Working across the acute and community setting means that my days can very busy and often don’t go as planned. Although this can be challenging there are so many rewards: I love that no two days are ever the same and I’m excited to learn new things and meet new people every day.

I enjoy being outdoors and visiting new places; the area is very close to the Lake District which is beautiful all year round. The staff and local people are very friendly, warm and welcoming.

A Day in the life of… a Community Paediatric Dietitian

Hello, my name is Sophie and I’m a Community Paediatric Dietitian. I’ve worked as a dietitian for two years now and in paediatrics for the past year.

I see a variety of different cases, patients are referred by their GP, Health Visitor or Consultant. The majority of my case load is babies who have been diagnosed with cows’ milk protein allergy (CMPA). Other cases include; multiple allergies, faltering growth, restrictive diets, constipation and weight management.

The majority of the time I see families in an outpatient clinic. These can be very busy but it’s a great feeling at the end of the appointment to know that you have helped. I also do school or home visits and I have been working on different ways to review patients which fit around busy family lifestyles, for example, setting up telephone clinics.

I thoroughly enjoy holding group education sessions, for example, CMPA group sessions which I run alongside a Health Visitor. These allow parents to discuss their experiences and give us time to go over allergy management, alternative dairy products and a tasting session. I also organise training sessions for other AHPs on a topic of their choice. This year I have presented on portion sizes and healthy eating, fussy eating and feeding development with a Speech and Language Therapist.

When I’m not busy in clinic I am based at West Cumberland Hospital where I can get on with the administration side; responding to e-mails, updating protocols, developing resources and writing up any clinic notes/letters.

Living so close to both the coast and the lakes means there is always a new place to explore at the weekend!