Dietitian (Band 6)

Job description

Job responsibilities

Knowledge, Education & Skills

1. Programme of study leading to successful registration with the HCPC as a Registered Dietitian.

1. Experience working in a variety of clinical areas

1. Experience in using word processing, spreadsheet, database and powerpoint programmes together with specialist dietetic computer applications.

1. Training and experience in delivering teaching sessions and presentations to both health professional and patient groups

1. Clinical Supervisory Skills course or equivalent student supervisory training course

1. Detailed knowledge of a range of common clinical conditions and current best practice for dietetic management

1. Familiarity with principles of clinical governance and with professional and national guidelines for best practice

1. Ability to act as an independent practitioner and be professionally and legally accountable and responsible for all aspects of own work, including a defined clinical caseload

1. Problem solving skills and clinical reasoning skills to analyse the conflicting requirements of multiple medical pathologies, identify priorities for treatment and formulate a workable nutritional or behaviour change plan

1. Ability to communicate successfully, both verbally and in writing, with a wide spectrum of health professionals and patients, to gain their co-operation and establish and maintain successful working relationships

1. (The post-holders duties will require daily contact with staff at all levels on designated wards including nursing staff, medical staff, AHPs, pharmacists and housekeeping staff. In addition, regular contact with the catering services is required. Liaison with services outside the hospital (primary care staff, Avon home feeding service, social services, community groups and disease-specific patient self-help groups) is necessary to facilitate safe and timely discharge and to aid patients in continuing and maintaining their treatment in the community)

1. Ability to communicate successfully with patients who may be deaf, have impaired speech or dysphasia, learning difficulties, for whom English is not their first language or where there are other limitations

1. Ability to engage quickly with patients, to assess their educational level and their understanding of their condition and to judge the appropriate level of explanation and amount of information to convey

1. Ability to explain complex dietary plans, medical terms and the different options for treatment clearly in terms that the patient can understand

1. Ability to use accurate empathy to communicate unpleasant news sensitively, acknowledge the fears of patients who are worried and upset and offer reassurance where appropriate

1. Developed ability (beyond basic level) to use counselling skills, motivational approaches and cognitive behaviour therapy strategies to assist the patient making changes

1. Ability to deliver teaching sessions and presentations to a wide variety of health professional groups and patient groups

1. Competent keyboard skills

1. Physical dexterity to undertake anthropometric measurements

1. Ability to use own initiative but to recognise the limits of experience and competence.

1. Ability to manage own time, deciding priorities for work and balancing other patient-related and professional demands

1. Ability to complete allocated projects and to meet deadlines

1. Ability to seek out information and evidence (for example using the Internet, library information systems or human resources)

1. Ability to write clear patient dietary resources, taking into account best practice guidelines for patient information.

1. Numerical skills to accurately calculate nutrient requirements and composition of artificial feeds.

Clinical

To provide and develop an effective and evidence-based dietetic service to designated wards, outpatient clinics and dialysis units

This means;

1. Providing expert advice to patients, carers and clinicians (both within NBT and areas served by the specialist units) about the most effective nutritional treatment

1. Ensuring special diets and artificial nutrition meet or exceed all nutrient requirements despite significant dietary or medical restrictions

1. Liaising with members of the health care team in hospital and in the community to ensure they are fully informed and able to support the patient in implementing the appropriate nutritional prescription / management for their condition

1. To be responsible for and manage a defined clinical caseload. The caseload will include some complex cases which the post-holder will manage with supervision from a more senior dietitian

1. To undertake nutritional assessment of patients based on history taking and interpretation of biochemistry and other diagnostic tests, anthropometry and clinical condition

1. To develop nutritional care plans which are both realistic and practical for the patient and carers, taking into account medical, social, cultural and psychological factors

1. To ensure that patients and their carers understand their condition / diagnosis, the options for nutritional treatment and the implications of compliance or non-compliance. To discuss and agree dietary and medical targets

1. To assess suitability of patients current medical treatment in relation to their symptoms and dietary patterns and recommend changes in treatment to physician or GP.

1. To facilitate behaviour change and negotiate dietary and lifestyle changes with patients, enabling them to achieve agreed dietary and medical targets even where there are significant psychological, social or cultural hurdles to overcome.

1. To monitor and review the outcomes of nutritional and behaviour change interventions and adjust care plans to facilitate achievement of required goals

1. To act on the findings of dietetic assessment and planning, liaising as necessary with members of the health care team in hospital and in the community to support the client in implementing appropriate nutritional prescription / management for their condition.

1. To attend and actively participate in ward rounds and MDT meetings to provide expert nutrition and dietetic opinion and communicate with other health professionals to contribute to the most effective treatment and safe discharge of patients.

1. Take steps to develop and maintain effective working relationships with other members of the MDT and wider care teams

1. To supervise and co-ordinate, on behalf of the MDT, all aspects of the safe and timely discharge of patients on artificial nutrition support including liaison with the Avon Home Management Service and social services.

1. To maintain adequate written records and statistics of all assessments and interventions in line with local and national standards. To ensure that all records are stored securely.

1. To record and submit clinical and professional activity data according to departmental and national standards

1. To prescribe nutritional items from the Dietetic Formulary and to advise on their safe usage. To take responsibility for the monitoring of patients who are prescribed specialist non-Formulary nutritional products.

1. In conjunction with colleagues, to review, update, produce or procure educational resources which are acceptable to users of the service and their carers. To evaluate resources to ensure they are effective. To use all resources efficiently and with care.

1. To be trained (to green card level) to advise and deliver training on safe usage of enteral feeding pumps to ward-based staff, patients and carers (daily event).

1. To be able to state Trust enteral nutrition policy. To be able to set up an enteral feed and advise medical and nursing staff, patients and carers about safe placement of enteral feeding tubes (NG, PEG, jejunal)

1. To act as the link person for catering to ensure the provision of suitable food choices for renal patients

1. To provide cover for colleagues during periods of absence, in particular to provide cover during the week for absence of colleagues due to annual leave, weekend working.

1. To provide a dietetic service to the evening twilight dialysis patients on a rotational basis with other renal dietitians (sole Dietitian on site).

1. To provide a dietetic service to the dialysis satellite units which are based away from the Southmead Hospital site (access to a car may be required to travel to and from satellite units where public transport may not be possible)

Management

1. Attend and contribute to dietetic team meetings being responsible both for chairing and for taking minutes on a rotational basis (this may be done remotely on video conferencing)

1. To inform practice, providing experienced opinion on appropriate practice and facilitating the development of new ways of working. This will include reviewing current literature in the area, actively seeking out better ways of working and disseminating the findings to both dietetic and medical colleagues.

For further info pelase see main JD

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Have attained second gateway of Band 5 and have attained or be working towards first gateway of Band 6.
• Experience of a wide range of clinical conditions including renal

Desirable

• Experience of support to renal pts

Knowledge

Essential

• Detailed knowledge of common clinical conditions and best dietetic management.
• Evidence of professional development plan and commitment to lifelong learning

Desirable

• Experience of participating in audit or a research project

Personal Skills

Essential

• Evidence of ability to keep things in perspective and deal with unpredictable work patterns
• Self-motivating and willing to seek out learning opportunities.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

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

Employer details

Employer name

North Bristol NHS Trust

Address

Brunel, Southmead Hospital

Bristol

BS10 5NB

Employer's website

https://www.nbt.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)