Job responsibilities
To work as the sole/ lead dietitian for Livewell's Adult Mental Health Units, with support from the wider AMH team and the MDT on the individual units. The post sits within the Adult Speech and Language Therapy and Inpatient Dietetics Service, which is part of the Adult Frailty, and Specialist Services Directorate. The post will also operate within the Mental Health and Wellbeing Service.
This post will involve the line management of a band 6 dietitian working in a different clinical area, which will also allow for a small amount of cross cover between the Adult Mental Health service and Plym Neuro Rehab Unit, to enable line management, supervision, and cross cover of annual leave/ sickness etc.
5.1Responsibility for People Management
To develop own and others skills, knowledge, expertise, ensuring continuous professional development by various methods (e.g., in-service training, workshops, shadowing, 1:1, training courses, peer facilitation) when relevant and appropriate to the needs of the service and funding.
To be the lead dietitian for the inpatient dietetics service, providing line management and actively contributing to the staff appraisal process as an appraisee, and appraiser as appropriate.
To support the learning programme of student dietitians on clinical placement
Actively participate in peer supervision and clinical development opportunities with peer clinicians.
Actively participate in clinical and operational supervision with senior clinicians and managers.
Undertakes appraisal and supervision of staff where applicable.
Provides training for peers and staff regularly as a routine part of staff and service development as required (as often as daily for new staff)
Assess and record competency of less experienced staff, colleagues from other professions, unqualified staff and students, and carers to carry out any delegated tasks.
To supervise junior members of the department if the department expands to enable them to prioritise their workload.
5.2Responsibility for financial and/or physical resources
Prescribe appropriate oral nutritional supplements where applicable and liaise with medical teams and nursing staff on appropriate and ongoing use as an inpatient and on discharge.
To ensure any dietetic equipment is safely stored, maintained, cleaned and is fit for patient/staff use.
To support and deputise for senior staff with regard to finance and budget as required. To authorise overtime shifts/ payments if required.
5.3Responsibility for administration
Contribute to the clinical discharge planning process and onward referral as required.
Prioritise urgent or unexpected or unplanned referrals, adjusting caseloads and allocations to meet revised needs.
Liaise with hotel services with regards to special dietary needs, texture modification diets and new nutritional products available.
Maintain accurate and timely electronic and paper records of activity and contacts to support contractual requirements.
Be able to use a keyboard to enter client data and access information, and use the PCH website, email system and electronic notes system.
Clinically and professional responsible for maintaining client records (paper based or electronic).
5.4Responsibility for people who use our services
Ability to manage and communicate about issues, which can be complex and distressing.
Must be able to maintain professionalism when dealing with occasional aggressive, abusive, or distressed patients and families.
Obtain and record informed consent from clients at each contact in accordance with Livewell SW policy.
Negotiate with clients and carers to identify and formulate client-centred goals and demonstrate ongoing evaluation of client progress using agreed outcome measures.
Carry out comprehensive specialist assessments for clients with complex AMH presentations, including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi-pathologies, and /or disordered eating, to identify their problems and needs and ensure that patients medical, biochemical, pharmacological, psychological, social and cultural factors are taken into account. This may include increased mental and emotional effort in supporting complex and challenging patients. This may also include exposure to unpleasant smells and bodily fluids.
Interpret treatment regimens, blood test results, fluid balance and stool charts for a range of disease states and monitor changes, adjusting dietary treatment if necessary to prevent under/over-nutrition. This will involve nutritional assessment and calculation of nutritional requirements based on the interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometry, clinical condition and diet history.
To assess, manage and advise on the safe use of prescribed nutritional supplementary feeds and enteral feeding regimes where needed.
To provide education and training to support clients with weight management and healthy eating.
Use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication tools e.g., instructions, motivation, diagrams, and pictures.
Formulate and deliver individual treatment programmes based on specialist knowledge, evidence-based practice, national and local guidelines using profession-specific clinical skills and techniques. (e.g. 1:1s, group activities, patient education, carer education)
To be able to adapt style of communication if the patient has communication, cognitive or other problems that may create a barrier to communication affecting ultimate treatment outcomes eg using appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication tools e.g. instructions, motivation, diagrams, and pictures.
Have direct face to face responsibility for client contact when assessing or treating.
Dealing with clients daily who may be verbally or physically aggressive. To treat clients who are upset and distressed e.g., when clients and families are coming to terms with a complex mental health condition or dealing with advanced dementia. This may occur on at least a weekly, if not daily, basis as the post holder covers a range of wards. Unpleasant smells/body fluids/feeding tubes.
Assess and plan therapeutic interventions from initial referral to discharge, and onward management, which may include very long-term plans, and contribute to care packages for clients with chronic, complex conditions.
Be responsible for the therapy element of ongoing treatment packages. Provide specialist advice via written or verbal instruction to clients, carers and relatives. This may be exercise programmes, health education, preventative or condition- specific advice.
5.5Responsibility for implementation of policy and/or service developments
To plan and develop a robust and multidisciplinary approach to managing patients with dietetic needs across three mental health units with the potential to increase the service to other areas in future.
Identify and manage clinical and other risks. Record near misses and actual events through the incident reporting process.
Undertake measurement, evaluation, and audit of the service to improve quality, standards and contribute to the evidence base. Promptly act on feedback from clients to improve their experience.
Continuously develop depth of knowledge in own field and support others to do so.
Proactively promote services and seek opportunities for service development or business opportunities.
To contribute to the development and implementation of local/team/departmental policies and standards with support from senior staff and to educate other team members in their implementation.
Work within the multi-disciplinary to team to ensure consistent and equitable application of all Livewell SW policies.
Provide timely data about team performance and client outcome measures related to activity and contract monitoring regularly or as required.
Carry out audit to improve service and compliance with local and national standards, to facilitate best practice and enhance service delivery e.g., audit of the completion of nutrition screening tools on all wards.
To contribute to the development and updating of the nutrition-related policies e.g., enteral feeding policy which is evidence-based and has Clinical Governance implications, and policies relating to Government initiatives.
To be responsible for producing and updating dietetic resources in line with current research.
To be responsible for disseminating and implementing British Dietetic Association specialist group consensus statements and policies.
To attend and contribute to relevant team/service meetings.
To co-ordinate, monitor and maintain up-to-date standards of practice.
5.6Other Responsibilities
Ability to be flexible and change work plan within agreed working time.
Be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including caseload management and direct clinical care. To work within the professional bodys code of conduct and scope of practice.
Undertake other duties when requested by professional or operational managers.
To exhibit a committed attitude to all aspects of work
Be an autonomous practitioner, working within appropriate professional guidelines and code of conduct.
Triage, prioritise and manage own clinical caseload. To advise less experienced staff on managing their caseload.
To be responsible for independently organising and planning own caseload to meet service and patients priorities, readjusting plans as situations change.
Manage often competing clinical and non-clinical demands and prioritise appropriately to meet the overall service need.
Concentrate during assessments, client report preparation and documenting clinical activity. These activities are carried out every day, in busy clinical areas with frequent interruptions.
Be frequently exposed to emotionally demanding or distressing circumstances when dealing with clients with emotional needs or challenging behaviours, carers or relatives. This may be highly distressing on occasions.
Please see attached documents for the full job description and person specification
