Job responsibilities
Clinical
Contribute to effective team working and capacity assessment within the multidisciplinary team for people with learning disabilities.
Offer easy-read and accessible information to communicatehighly complex patient-related information to promote dignity of choice regarding decisions affecting nutrition.
Provide complex nutritional counselling to patients and carers to ensurethorough understanding of clinical condition and dietary treatment plans, empathy, negotiation, persuasion, and motivational interviewing skills to gain consent in order to support short and long term behavioural change.
Effectively prioritise and review service users with learning disability requiring enteral feeding, andbe responsible for their
dietary assessment and correspondence with other professionals and services involved in their care.
Liaise with local care providers to share information effectively and assess based on medical and social records.
Manage the dietetic service, ensuring the caseload is monitored, safe and allocated.
Undertake Initial/Single Assessments utilising advanced clinical skills, knowledge and experience to provide a holistic assessment covering the psychological, social and health care needs of people with learning disabilities, including establishing eligibility for support
Use professional judgement todetermine a persons potential Learning Disability diagnosis, in conjunction with colleagues, as part of Eligibility Assessments.
Assess service users understanding and ability to consent to clinical interventions and the sharing of information with others, in line with the Mental Capacity Act.
Be aware of latestlegislation and guidance and learning around people with learning disabilities e.g. LeDeR, Transforming care, Mental Capacity Act.
Keep up to date with evidence-based practice, applying this to clinical work.
Undertake health promotion work with people with learning disabilities and their carers e.g. healthy eating.
Provide information and support to clients, theirfamilies and carers to enable access to primary and secondary health services.
Identify, assess and manage potential risks presented to clients, taking action to minimise and / or prevent risk through advice, consultation and referrals to appropriate services.
Identify, raise, advise and consult on safeguarding concerns in relation to Vulnerable Adults or Children in Need of Protection, within the framework of current guidelines and legislation.
Contribute to assessments for eligibility of NHS funded
Continuing Healthcare in conjunction with other professionals and make subsequent recommendations as to eligibility.
Work in a community setting without direct supervision, in line with Trust and Council Lone Working Policies.
Work with interpreters and health advocatesin order to remove barriers to communication within a multi-cultural environment, thus endeavouring to make health information accessible to all.
Administration
Be professionally and legally accountable and responsible for all aspects of own workload. This includes Health Care Professions Council of standards of proficiency, Health Care Professional Councils standards of conduct, performance and ethics, The British Dietetic Association professional standards and the British Dietetic Association Code of Conduct
Collect,analyse and provide data related to the learning disability dietetic function and workloads.
Take the lead in team development work whenrequired to improve practice, working with colleagues.
Participateon the broader community services dietetic clinical development meetings, participating in peer supervision with other members of the community dietetic services within ELFT.
Attend wider Learning Disability Dietetics network events within the BDA and advocate as a leader in the field while representing ELFT.
Management
To lead and/or participate in the drawing up and review of policies and procedures.
Promote and encourage positive workingas a result of leading by example.
Lead and support the development of the dietetic service withinILDS, developing links with colleagues across ELFT.
Contribute to and lead professional, clinical and management meetings as required.
Lead designated projects within the wider service.
Take a lead role in supervising dietetics students or supporting dietetic student placements.
Human Resources
Work within Trust and Council policies in the course of delivering their interventions.
Workin accordance with the Trusts Equality and Diversity policy to eliminate unlawful discrimination in relation to employment and service delivery.
Promote at all times equal opportunities for staff and patients in accordance with the Trusts policies to ensure that no person receives less favourable treatment than another on the grounds of: age; disability; marriage and
civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race (ethnicity); religion or belief; sex (gender); gender reassignment or sexual orientation
Ensure skills are up-to-date and relevant to the role, to follow relevant Trust policies and professional codes and to maintain registration where this is a requirement of the role
Undertake such duties as may be required from time to time as are consistent with the responsibilities of the grade and the needs of the service.
Performance and Quality
Regularly initiate and undertake clinical audit using the audit cycle and present results to promote evidence-based practice. Aiming to systematically review and improve patient care against explicit criteria and standards.
Participate in continuing professional development as identified through a performance development programme, and through maintaining contact and participating in CPD with local dietetics teams.
Plan and prioritise the dietetic case load balancing patient related activity and professional demands.
Record and report dietetic activityin accordance with organisational Key Performance Indicators.
Provide support and supervision for junior staff members.
Hold responsibility for the Health, Safety and Welfare of self and others and to comply at all times with the requirements of the Health and Safety Regulations.
Always ensure confidentiality, only releasing confidential information obtained during employment to those acting in an official capacity in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act and its amendments.
Develop and provide in service training for colleagues, students and new members of staff as part of the service development programme.
Arrange and participate in teaching & training and supervision of junior staff and students from other professional backgrounds.
Participate in Research / QI projects undertaken within the service and encourage a research / QI based approach to care.
Ensure dissemination of research / QI findings on the health of people with learning disabilities to others.
Implement research / QI findings in conjunction with other members of the service.
Financial and Physical Resources
Work within the wider team budgetary constraints, ensuring that any interventions delivered are of high quality and value of money.
