Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic band 6 nurse to join the Nutrition Specialist Nurse team within the vibrant and busy Gastroenterology department at the Royal United Hospital, Bath. We are looking for a highly motivated, reliable and enthusiastic nurse who is looking to consolidate knowledge and expand their skills in the field of enteral and parenteral nutrition.

The successful candidate will demonstrate an interest and developing knowledge and skills in nutritional support for patients with varied and complex clinical needs within the acute setting. You will be involved in the management of many different patient groups including and not limited to patients with mental health needs, patients with learning disability as well as elderly and oncology patients who require artificial support. Appropriate communication strategies will be required to facilitate care for this diverse patient group.

You will make clinical decisions and contribute to complex treatment plans managing nutrition in both acute and chronic illnesses and will respond to actual and potential health concerns appropriately, this will require interpretation of local guidelines and protocols.

Main duties of the job

• Act as an expert advisor regarding nutrition support to all health care professionals within the acute Trust
• Assess complex patients and communicate effectively to support decision making and planning regarding the placement of enteral feeding tubes.
• Develop advanced specialist skills to effectively communicate highly complex information with patients, carers, relatives and health care professionals 
• Deliver evidence based, holistic patient centred nutrition support for a wide range of complex patients
• Act as a patient advocate and support patients and their families/carers with decision making regarding ethical feeding dilemmas
• Use highly developed communication skills in sensitive situations and future care and management planning 
• Develop and maintain competent safe practice of advanced skills to place and maintain enteral feeding tubes such as the insertion of nasogastric tubes and nasal  bridles, and changing balloon gastrostomy tubes
• Offer expert advice and support to facilitate best practice nutrition support for patients receiving artificial nutrition both within the Trust, and for patients being discharged into the community. This includes leading on ensuring the appropriate use of nasal bridles, enteral feeding tube care, and safe administration of parenteral  nutrition.
• Use a variety of teaching methods to promote best practice nutritional care 
• Deliver ad hoc teaching on wards as and when required on parenteral nutrition and nutrition support.

Working for our organisation

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group - a formal partnership between the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

By working together, we make a real difference for our patients, each other, and our community. Every role matters in delivering the exceptional, person‑centred care we’re proud of.

We’re committed to a compassionate, inclusive culture where kindness is championed, differences are valued, and diversity makes us stronger.

We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential. We prioritise staff wellbeing  – and yes, we even have a pool! 

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