Dietitian

Job responsibilities

Provide high-quality nutritional care to patients within the community setting.

Use agreed clinical pathways to assess nutritional status, create appropriate nutrition care plans, and set patient centred goals, for a designated caseload of patients.

Monitor and evaluate patient progression, making alterations (using agreed protocols and within their scope of practice) to nutrition care plans as required.

Undertake anthropometric measurements e.g. height, weight (using various weighing devises), body mass index (BMI), mid arm circumference (MAC), handgrip strength required for monitoring of the patients progress.

Use clinical reasoning and utilise a range of assessment and treatment options including the promotion of a food first approach and the use of oral nutritional supplements where appropriate.

Provide nutrition support to an agreed case load of patients; working within their scope of practice.

Have an understanding of acute conditions, long term conditions and common pathologies and the role of diet and nutrition in treating them.

Travel to Care Homes supported by Nimbuscare GP practices on a regular basis providing nutrition support and education to their residents and staff members.

Support Care Home staff to provide a food first approach, optimising nutrition in the Care Home setting via the provision of Nutrition and Hydration training.

Be responsible for developing, organising and delivering Nutrition and Hydration based activities to support community based nutritional care.

Be responsible for planning and prioritising own day-to-day allocated workload and resources.

Identify own limitations and seek advice from a senior dietetic colleagues when appropriate.

To recognise variances in expected clinical outcomes and to act appropriately by escalating to and seeking guidance from senior dietetic colleagues.

Liaise effectively with other services and members of the multidisciplinary team.

Support registered staff and carers to identify malnutrition.

Provide nutrition information and advice to patients and family/carers verbally and in writing.

Provide support and training to less experienced staff and students.

Participate in regular clinical and management supervision, and necessary training and education (including statutory and mandatory training).

Contribute towards team audit and projects, including the collection of relevant data to improve service provision.

Keep complete, clear, accurate and timely records, utilising digital platforms as required in accordance with department guidelines.

Communicate through a variety of methods, including the use of interpersonal, written and verbal and non-verbal skills.

Understand and overcome barriers to effective communication e.g. loss of hearing, expressive and receptive dysphasia, and language barriers.

Work effectively as a member of a team to undertake delegated tasks to contribute to the safe and smooth running of the service.

Other Responsibilities:

Be aware of and comply with all relevant policies/guidelines, e.g. prescribing, confidentiality, data protection, health and safety.

Commitment and contribution to achievement of the highest possible quality standards.

Commitment to life-long learning and audit to ensure evidence-based best practice.

Contribute to evaluation/audit and clinical standard setting within the organisation.

Assist with the training of other staff members.

Contribute to the development of computer-based patient records.

Take responsibility that any equipment either clinical or otherwise, used when working, is taken due care of and locked away at the end of every working session.

Business responsibilities:

Maintain ethos and culture of Nimbuscare.

Positively promote Nimbuscare.

Support Line Managers as required.

Adhere to Health & Safety and educate staff within your role.

Apply Nimbuscare policies, standards and guidance.

Safeguarding:

Everyone within Nimbuscare has a responsibility for, and is committed to, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Adults-at-risk (vulnerable adults), children and young people and for ensuring that they are protected from harm.

Be fully aware of and understand your duties and responsibilities arising from the Childrens Act 2004 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018, in relation to child protection and safeguarding children and young people.

Be fully aware of and understand your duties and responsibilities arising from the DOH Policy No Secrets (2000), and the principles of safeguarding as they apply to Adults-at-risk (vulnerable adults) in relation to your work.

Recognise the types and signs of abuse and neglect.

Ensure the Nimbuscare Safeguarding Lead is alerted to, and kept fully informed of, any concerns you may have in relation to safeguarding adults, children and young people.

Adhere to Nimbuscare and local Child Protection and Safeguarding Adult policies and procedures.

Professional Development and Education Responsibilities:

Participation in individual performance reviews, including maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.

Working in conjunction with management, assess own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate.

Develop and utilise a written Personal Development Plan.

Undertake mandatory and statutory training as required.

Team working:

Understand own role and scope in the organisation and identify how this may develop over time.

Work as an effective and responsible team member and leader, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working.

Accept delegation from senior staff, prioritise own workload and delegate as appropriate and ensure effective time management strategies are embedded in own practice.

Participate in team activities that create opportunities to improve patient care.

Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance.

Participate and support local projects as agreed with the management team.

Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence of those taking on delegated duties.

Confidentiality:

In the course of seeking treatment, customers entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that you will respect their privacy and act appropriately.

In the performance of your duties outlined in this Job Description, you may have access to confidential information relating to customers and their carers, Nimbuscare staff and other healthcare workers. You may also have access to information relating to Nimbuscare as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.

Information relating to customers, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of Nimbuscare may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with Nimbuscare policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

Be aware of your responsibilities under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

Health & Safety:

You will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Nimbuscare Health & Safety Policy, to include:

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to guidelines.

Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.

Making effective use of training to update your knowledge and skills.

Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.

Reporting potential risks identified.

Equality and Diversity:

You will support the equality, diversity and rights of customers, carers and colleagues, to include:

Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with Nimbuscare procedures and policies, and current legislation.

Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of customers, carers and colleagues.

Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Quality:

You will strive to maintain quality within Nimbuscare, and will:

Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.

Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under

Supervision:

Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Work within own limitations and experience.

Be aware of and co-operate with audit.

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.

Portray a professional image at all times.

Communication:

You should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

Communicate effectively with other team members.

Communicate effectively with customers and carers.

Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Strong communication skills with the ability to present information, both written and orally, in an accurate, clear and logical manner including within a group or 1-1 setting.
• Demonstrate appropriate engagement of others and ability to work as an effective member of an MDT.
• Ability to recognise when to escalate concerns to a qualified member of staff regarding patient care.
• Ability to keep up to date and accurate patient records.
• Able to work autonomously and as part of a team.
• Able to educate patients and colleagues within their scope of practice.
• Able to manage own workload and delegate work appropriately.
• Competent IT skills e.g. use Excel and PowerPoint.

Qualifications

Essential

• HCPC Registered Dietitian
• Evidence of relevant CPD activities

Knowledge and Awareness

Essential

• Evidence of competence in patient assessment skills including anthropometric measurements.
• Awareness of own skills and limitations.
• Evidence of regular updates and utilisation of specialist skills and competencies.
• Desire to develop knowledge through clinical supervision.

Desirable

• Knowledge of outcome measures to evaluate clinical practice.

Other

Essential

• Must have full driving licence and access to a car for work purposes

Experience

Essential

• Evidence of knowledge relevant to role; including an understanding of the management of a range of conditions including frailty, dysphagia and diabetes.
• Experience working in a healthcare setting.
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team

Desirable

• Experience of providing nutrition support within the community or care home setting
• Experience of gathering and interpreting audit data/information

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Caring and compassionate nature
• Empathetic
• Confident, honest and reliable
• Self-motivated and keen to learn
• Flexible and creative

Desirable

• Negotiation, persuasion, motivation and counselling skills

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).