Job summary
We are looking for a Dietetic Support Worker to work alongside the Community Clinical Dietitians to support patients living in the community in Torbay and South Devon . The clinical team provides a dietetic service and nutritional care to patients in their own homes, in care homes and other community settings. Patients require nutritional support orally or via feeding tubes (Home Enteral Feeding) and include frailty and older people with multiple long-term conditions. The HEF service covers adults and children.
This is an ideal post for someone with an interest in nutrition or has experience working in a care environment.
You will be a highly valued member of the team who is passionate about patient care, with excellent communication and administration skills, whilst working flexibly to support patients and each other within the team.
A proportion of your time will be spent in rural areas, and you must be able to travel independently and have access to a car on a daily basis.
For further information please contact Liz Wardle, Head of Nutrition and Dietetics elizabeth.wardle@nhs.net or Julie Kemmner, Clinical Community Dietitian and Team Lead julie.kemmner1@nhs.net Tel 01803 654380/654396. Mobile 07768640217
Main duties of the job
To support the day-to-day care of patients in the community who are tube fed or who are at risk of malnutrition (for example, unintentional weight loss, poor food intake). The adult patient caseload includes those who are housebound or who live in care homes. Patients have a wide range of clinical problems including dementia, frailty, pressure damage, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), stroke, Motor Neurone Disease (MND), neurological problems, learning disability etc.
To provide administrative support to the team of Community Clinical Dietitians and to help coordinate patient referrals received by the team.
About us
Why Work With Us
About your new team and department
This post is supervised and supported by the HEF and Community Clinical Dietitians and the Clinical Community Dietetic Team Lead.
The team is based at Torbay Hospital with the Community Clinical team of Dietitians. The team work in a variety of community locations including schools and care homes.
The Community Clinical Dietitians are a friendly, supportive, proactive, and professional team, which has increased in size over recent years following investment in a number of areas.
The Community Clinical team is part of the wider dietetic team including Acute, Diabetes, Paediatrics, Lifestyles, and Cancer Services. The team has over 40 staff members - dietitians, dietetic support workers and admin support.
The team is actively involved with training of student Dietitians from Plymouth University.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Communication and working relationships
Verbal and written skills to be able to communicate effectively on a daily basis with:
Head of Nutrition & Dietetic Services and Dietetic Team Leads
Dietitians, Dietetic Support Workers and student dietitians
Multi-disciplinary team members including Nutrition Team
Nutrition Nurse Specialists and HEF Multidisciplinary team (MDT)
Paediatric MDT and Schools
HEF Contract Provider and Nurses, Company Representatives and Managers
Adult and Paediatric HEF Dietitians
MND Coordinator, Palliative Care Teams and other Specialist Clinicians.
Patients, parents and carers
Care Homes
Care Home residents and carers
Community teams including intermediate care and community nursing.
Primary care teams
Nursing staff
Admin and Clerical staff
Other staff across the Trust, health and social care community.
Nutrition Company Representatives
Feed Manufacturers and Providers, included contracted HEF service provider
Planning and organisation
- To provide administrative, clinical and project management support to the HEF and Community Dietitians.
- To manage own caseload of selected patients with nutritional care plans and feeding regimens with support and supervision from the Dietitians.
- To co-ordinate patient referrals to the community clinical team. These are received through a number of routes, including via team email and post
- To register and upload referrals which are triaged by Dietitians, and maintain up to date patient electronic notes using SystmOne
- To communicate and liase with referrers about individual patients
- To plan and organise own workload efficiently and to highlight any concerns to the Team Lead/ Head of Service.
- To manage own time and organise diary, including agile working.
- To organise meetings include the collation and distribution of agendas, taking and transcribing formal minutes, and room bookings.
- To manage team diaries and appointments including meetings with outside nutrition company representatives.
Responsibility and accountability
- To exercise judgement when dealing with enquiries from patients, carers, care homes and health professionals, understanding own limitations and when to seek support from other members of the team.
- To cross cover some duties for other DSW with the Nutrition and Dietetics department or members of the Administration Team, when required.
- To demonstrate initiative and motivation as a team player and be flexible in understanding the need to prioritise individual workloads and the workloads of colleagues.
- To report any accident/incident/equipment defects/malfunction, or complaints to the Head of Service or one of the Team Leads as soon as possible.
Responsibility for patients and client care
- To liaise regularly with the HEF and Community dietitians about patients under the care of the team
- To respond to queries and phone calls to the team, and respond to requests for information in a sensitive and supportive manner.
- Carry out initial screening and information gathering using a standard template reporting back to the relevant clinician for further action if necessary. Directing to sources of first line advice.
- To use an agreed pro-forma to undertake telephone reviews for patients under the care of the team.
- To support patients, who are on tube feeds and discharged from hospital to home, with support from the Dietitians.
- Meet weekly with Dietitians, Specialist Nutrition Nursing team and Enteral Nutrition Clinical Nurse Advisor to discuss issues with current patients, planned feeding tubes, training needs etc. To actively contribute to MDT discussions
- Visit patients at home to review and monitor weight as requested by a Dietitian.
- To monitor and accurately record patient intake of food, fluid, nutritional supplements and enteral feeds, and take diet histories.
- To liaise with dietitians and catering staff (e.g. care homes) regarding patients progress, the provision of therapeutic diets and snacks.
- Use nutritional screening tools, such as Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and promote the use of these tools where appropriate.
- Organise, attend and support outpatient clinics, and community visits including school visits for the paediatric HEF patients with the Dietitian.
- To be a patient advocate and support the most nutritionally vulnerable and frail members of the community.
- Support/provide training for other healthcare professions and patient groups
- To contribute to the education of multidisciplinary groups, patients, families, carers and general public as appropriate.
- To liaise with enteral feed company representatives regarding nutritional products, enteral feeds and feed deliveries as required.
- To maintain up to date and accurate patient records.
- To be aware of, identify and escalate any safeguarding concerns observed to the Team Lead or Head of Nutrition and Dietetics.
- To provide support to care homes where quality or safeguarding issues have been identified, with the support of the Dietitian.
- Organise outpatient and school clinics for the paediatric HEF children, including attending and supporting the dietitian at the outpatient HEF clinics.
Policy and service responsibility
- To maintain up to date knowledge of Trust policies and procedures as found on the intranet as well as those specific to the Dietetic Department .e.g. lone working.
- To comply with Health and Safety regulations and ensure a safe working environment
- Book and maintain own annual mandatory training
- To maintain standards of confidentiality
- To contribute to audit projects which will include clinical data collection and collation to demonstrate outcomes of care and satisfaction survey, such as HEF audits.
- To contribute to the writing of policies, resources and guidelines relevant to this role, led by the Community Dietetic team.
- To provide resources such as patient information leaflets, feeding regimens, recipes and menu plans.
- To contribute to the wider service development of the Dietetic Community Clinical Team.
- To promote the role and value of Community Dietetics in all aspects of nutritional care.
Responsibility for equipment and other resources
- No budgetary control but responsible for the effective and appropriate use of resources
- To be responsible for anthropometric and body composition equipment such as weighing scales (e.g. oversee annual calibration and maintenance)
- To ensure equipment under his/her control is maintained in good working order and report any malfunction to the Team Lead /Head of Service.
- Monitor and report HEF spend using invoices as part of the Enteral Feed Contract, with support from the Dietitians.
- To maintain and update the internal and external department website with support about content from the Dietitians.
Responsibility for supervision, leadership and management
- To assist, if required, in the training of students on clinical placement and of other dietetic support workers
- No other supervision or leadership responsibilities
- To actively support own wellbeing, as well as to support the wellbeing of the other members of the team.
Information technology and administrative duties
- To complete general office administration such as typing clinical and non-clinical correspondence, and emailing letters, filing, booking in visits/appointments, opening post, arranging appointments/sending Microsoft teams invites, putting together training packs, sending written information to patients, care homes and GP practices
- Use Microsoft Teams software to arrange and attend meetings.To organise meetings and take meeting notes.
- To use SystmOne and other Trust IT systems
- Register patients and upload referral details onto Systm One
- To communicate via email, social media and other internal IT systems.
- To register and make amendments to tube feeds and feeding equipment on electronic ordering systems. To undertake any other clinical support and administrative duties that may be required by the Dietitians or team lead.
Responsibility for research and development
- To be responsible for own continued development and be proactive within annual Achievement Reviews and monthly 121s with supervising Dietitian.
- To identify areas of service improvement and development, with support from project lead, for example, audit or project work
- Produce reports/summaries to monitor, evaluate and provide feedback about the service, with support from the team.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Communication and working relationships
Verbal and written skills to be able to communicate effectively on a daily basis with:
Head of Nutrition & Dietetic Services and Dietetic Team Leads
Dietitians, Dietetic Support Workers and student dietitians
Multi-disciplinary team members including Nutrition Team
Nutrition Nurse Specialists and HEF Multidisciplinary team (MDT)
Paediatric MDT and Schools
HEF Contract Provider and Nurses, Company Representatives and Managers
Adult and Paediatric HEF Dietitians
MND Coordinator, Palliative Care Teams and other Specialist Clinicians.
Patients, parents and carers
Care Homes
Care Home residents and carers
Community teams including intermediate care and community nursing.
Primary care teams
Nursing staff
Admin and Clerical staff
Other staff across the Trust, health and social care community.
Nutrition Company Representatives
Feed Manufacturers and Providers, included contracted HEF service provider
Planning and organisation
- To provide administrative, clinical and project management support to the HEF and Community Dietitians.
- To manage own caseload of selected patients with nutritional care plans and feeding regimens with support and supervision from the Dietitians.
- To co-ordinate patient referrals to the community clinical team. These are received through a number of routes, including via team email and post
- To register and upload referrals which are triaged by Dietitians, and maintain up to date patient electronic notes using SystmOne
- To communicate and liase with referrers about individual patients
- To plan and organise own workload efficiently and to highlight any concerns to the Team Lead/ Head of Service.
- To manage own time and organise diary, including agile working.
- To organise meetings include the collation and distribution of agendas, taking and transcribing formal minutes, and room bookings.
- To manage team diaries and appointments including meetings with outside nutrition company representatives.
Responsibility and accountability
- To exercise judgement when dealing with enquiries from patients, carers, care homes and health professionals, understanding own limitations and when to seek support from other members of the team.
- To cross cover some duties for other DSW with the Nutrition and Dietetics department or members of the Administration Team, when required.
- To demonstrate initiative and motivation as a team player and be flexible in understanding the need to prioritise individual workloads and the workloads of colleagues.
- To report any accident/incident/equipment defects/malfunction, or complaints to the Head of Service or one of the Team Leads as soon as possible.
Responsibility for patients and client care
- To liaise regularly with the HEF and Community dietitians about patients under the care of the team
- To respond to queries and phone calls to the team, and respond to requests for information in a sensitive and supportive manner.
- Carry out initial screening and information gathering using a standard template reporting back to the relevant clinician for further action if necessary. Directing to sources of first line advice.
- To use an agreed pro-forma to undertake telephone reviews for patients under the care of the team.
- To support patients, who are on tube feeds and discharged from hospital to home, with support from the Dietitians.
- Meet weekly with Dietitians, Specialist Nutrition Nursing team and Enteral Nutrition Clinical Nurse Advisor to discuss issues with current patients, planned feeding tubes, training needs etc. To actively contribute to MDT discussions
- Visit patients at home to review and monitor weight as requested by a Dietitian.
- To monitor and accurately record patient intake of food, fluid, nutritional supplements and enteral feeds, and take diet histories.
- To liaise with dietitians and catering staff (e.g. care homes) regarding patients progress, the provision of therapeutic diets and snacks.
- Use nutritional screening tools, such as Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and promote the use of these tools where appropriate.
- Organise, attend and support outpatient clinics, and community visits including school visits for the paediatric HEF patients with the Dietitian.
- To be a patient advocate and support the most nutritionally vulnerable and frail members of the community.
- Support/provide training for other healthcare professions and patient groups
- To contribute to the education of multidisciplinary groups, patients, families, carers and general public as appropriate.
- To liaise with enteral feed company representatives regarding nutritional products, enteral feeds and feed deliveries as required.
- To maintain up to date and accurate patient records.
- To be aware of, identify and escalate any safeguarding concerns observed to the Team Lead or Head of Nutrition and Dietetics.
- To provide support to care homes where quality or safeguarding issues have been identified, with the support of the Dietitian.
- Organise outpatient and school clinics for the paediatric HEF children, including attending and supporting the dietitian at the outpatient HEF clinics.
Policy and service responsibility
- To maintain up to date knowledge of Trust policies and procedures as found on the intranet as well as those specific to the Dietetic Department .e.g. lone working.
- To comply with Health and Safety regulations and ensure a safe working environment
- Book and maintain own annual mandatory training
- To maintain standards of confidentiality
- To contribute to audit projects which will include clinical data collection and collation to demonstrate outcomes of care and satisfaction survey, such as HEF audits.
- To contribute to the writing of policies, resources and guidelines relevant to this role, led by the Community Dietetic team.
- To provide resources such as patient information leaflets, feeding regimens, recipes and menu plans.
- To contribute to the wider service development of the Dietetic Community Clinical Team.
- To promote the role and value of Community Dietetics in all aspects of nutritional care.
Responsibility for equipment and other resources
- No budgetary control but responsible for the effective and appropriate use of resources
- To be responsible for anthropometric and body composition equipment such as weighing scales (e.g. oversee annual calibration and maintenance)
- To ensure equipment under his/her control is maintained in good working order and report any malfunction to the Team Lead /Head of Service.
- Monitor and report HEF spend using invoices as part of the Enteral Feed Contract, with support from the Dietitians.
- To maintain and update the internal and external department website with support about content from the Dietitians.
Responsibility for supervision, leadership and management
- To assist, if required, in the training of students on clinical placement and of other dietetic support workers
- No other supervision or leadership responsibilities
- To actively support own wellbeing, as well as to support the wellbeing of the other members of the team.
Information technology and administrative duties
- To complete general office administration such as typing clinical and non-clinical correspondence, and emailing letters, filing, booking in visits/appointments, opening post, arranging appointments/sending Microsoft teams invites, putting together training packs, sending written information to patients, care homes and GP practices
- Use Microsoft Teams software to arrange and attend meetings.To organise meetings and take meeting notes.
- To use SystmOne and other Trust IT systems
- Register patients and upload referral details onto Systm One
- To communicate via email, social media and other internal IT systems.
- To register and make amendments to tube feeds and feeding equipment on electronic ordering systems. To undertake any other clinical support and administrative duties that may be required by the Dietitians or team lead.
Responsibility for research and development
- To be responsible for own continued development and be proactive within annual Achievement Reviews and monthly 121s with supervising Dietitian.
- To identify areas of service improvement and development, with support from project lead, for example, audit or project work
- Produce reports/summaries to monitor, evaluate and provide feedback about the service, with support from the team.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Level 3 education or equivalent (NVQ3, A level, diploma etc)
- Good standard of education to include GCSE or equivalent in Maths and English
Desirable
- Health care or science subjects
- Current Food Hygiene Level 2 certificate
- Relevant IT qualifications
- Medical terminology qualification
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Experience of dealing with the general public
- Experience of training, teaching and supporting others
- Proven administrative experience
- Ability to work autonomously
- Proficient in the use of Internet/Intranet and email
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office software
- Able to communicate effectively with patients/care homes, all grades of staff and external contacts, both verbally and in writing
Desirable
- Teaching qualifications
- Some knowledge/experience working with NHS systems
- Experience of working with HEF and/or nutrition support
- Teaching qualifications
- Knowledge of Trust policies and procedures
Specific skills
Essential
- Excellent communication skills at all levels
- Highly organised and good time management
- Good team working skills
Desirable
- Teaching and presenting skills
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Level 3 education or equivalent (NVQ3, A level, diploma etc)
- Good standard of education to include GCSE or equivalent in Maths and English
Desirable
- Health care or science subjects
- Current Food Hygiene Level 2 certificate
- Relevant IT qualifications
- Medical terminology qualification
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Experience of dealing with the general public
- Experience of training, teaching and supporting others
- Proven administrative experience
- Ability to work autonomously
- Proficient in the use of Internet/Intranet and email
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office software
- Able to communicate effectively with patients/care homes, all grades of staff and external contacts, both verbally and in writing
Desirable
- Teaching qualifications
- Some knowledge/experience working with NHS systems
- Experience of working with HEF and/or nutrition support
- Teaching qualifications
- Knowledge of Trust policies and procedures
Specific skills
Essential
- Excellent communication skills at all levels
- Highly organised and good time management
- Good team working skills
Desirable
- Teaching and presenting 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.
