Job summary
We have an exciting new role for an experienced Dietitian to join our adult team as lead for Critical care and respiratory wards. This role also involves some team lead duties, requiring an ability to manage operationally a small team and offering the opportunity to develop your non-clinical skills.
You will join an established, supportive and progressive team who encourage staff and service development. Over the coming year the new critical care building will be opened offering an opportunity to work with the MDT to shape the service in this expanded, fresh new space.
Excellent opportunities for CPD and supervision are provided and audit and research is actively encouraged.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will provide a highly specialist nutrition and dietetic service managing a highly complex caseload of Critical Care and Respiratory service users. They will provide clinical leadership and undertake team lead duties for the adult Dietetic service to ensure delivery of effective, high quality evidenced based care.
They will work as a member of the critical care multi-disciplinary team (MDT) providing expert dietetic advice to ensure optimal outcomes for patients.
About us
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics.
You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career.
We have state-of-the art facilities placing us at the heart of cutting edge health care. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. Please ensure that you make your application as soon as possible.
All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required.
Please review all documents attached to this advert to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key clinical responsibilities
- To manage a highly complex caseload of patients on the critical care unit and support outpatient clinics as appropriate, act as clinical lead and co-ordinate service improvement projects in this area.
- To manage a highly complex caseload of patients requiring parenteral nutrition, assisting in service improvement projects in this area.
- To provide leadership across the critical care and medical team working to ensure the delivery of an effective, high quality, evidence based dietetics service. This will involve working collaboratively with the gastroenterology and surgical dietetics team lead.
- To have an in-depth understanding of and provide leadership to ensure the effective running of the critical care and medical dietetics service.
- To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients within your own scope of practice and organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.
- To work as an autonomous practitioner by planning and prioritising own workload according to locally agreed priority coding and supporting dietetic assistant practitioners and less experienced dietitians to do the same.
- To undertake a comprehensive assessment (interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometrics, clinical condition and diet history) of patients including those with highly complex presentations/multi pathologies and use advanced clinical reasoning skills to set nutritional goals for each patient.
- Develop individual treatment plans for patients by calculating the nutritional requirements and support the prescription of feeds where required.
- To give expert opinion on highly complex nutrition related issues where numerous social, ethical, psychological and medical factors have to be considered and where there may be conflicting ideas from the multidisciplinary team.
- To negotiate and agree dietary interventions with patients and their carers, using appropriate counselling and motivational skills to optimise their nutritional status.
- To make recommendations for appropriate prescription of nutritional products according to local guidelines regarding the use of nutritional supplements and enteral feeding products.
- To ensure adequate monitoring and review of patients.
- To assess the suitability of incoming referrals according to the agreed referral criteria and liaise with the dietetic assistant practitioner if further information is required prior to acceptance.
- To co-ordinate appropriate follow up, discharge arrangements and outward referrals to other services in order to facilitate the safe and timely discharge/transfer of care.
- To be responsible for safe discharge planning including co-ordination of patients requiring home enteral feeding.
- To have insight to recognise and act appropriately if vulnerable patients are at risk or deemed to be in need.
- To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient records in line with BDA, HCPC, Trust and department standards.
- To take appropriate action using highly advanced problem solving skills to assist patients, health and social care professionals and members of the public with queries relating to your own clinical areas.
- To work flexibly to support the critical care and medicine dietetics team.
- To provide cover for other Dietetic teams at short notice to cover unplanned and planned absences within the post holders competency and skill level.
Please see attached job description for further details
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key clinical responsibilities
- To manage a highly complex caseload of patients on the critical care unit and support outpatient clinics as appropriate, act as clinical lead and co-ordinate service improvement projects in this area.
- To manage a highly complex caseload of patients requiring parenteral nutrition, assisting in service improvement projects in this area.
- To provide leadership across the critical care and medical team working to ensure the delivery of an effective, high quality, evidence based dietetics service. This will involve working collaboratively with the gastroenterology and surgical dietetics team lead.
- To have an in-depth understanding of and provide leadership to ensure the effective running of the critical care and medical dietetics service.
- To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients within your own scope of practice and organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.
- To work as an autonomous practitioner by planning and prioritising own workload according to locally agreed priority coding and supporting dietetic assistant practitioners and less experienced dietitians to do the same.
- To undertake a comprehensive assessment (interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometrics, clinical condition and diet history) of patients including those with highly complex presentations/multi pathologies and use advanced clinical reasoning skills to set nutritional goals for each patient.
- Develop individual treatment plans for patients by calculating the nutritional requirements and support the prescription of feeds where required.
- To give expert opinion on highly complex nutrition related issues where numerous social, ethical, psychological and medical factors have to be considered and where there may be conflicting ideas from the multidisciplinary team.
- To negotiate and agree dietary interventions with patients and their carers, using appropriate counselling and motivational skills to optimise their nutritional status.
- To make recommendations for appropriate prescription of nutritional products according to local guidelines regarding the use of nutritional supplements and enteral feeding products.
- To ensure adequate monitoring and review of patients.
- To assess the suitability of incoming referrals according to the agreed referral criteria and liaise with the dietetic assistant practitioner if further information is required prior to acceptance.
- To co-ordinate appropriate follow up, discharge arrangements and outward referrals to other services in order to facilitate the safe and timely discharge/transfer of care.
- To be responsible for safe discharge planning including co-ordination of patients requiring home enteral feeding.
- To have insight to recognise and act appropriately if vulnerable patients are at risk or deemed to be in need.
- To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient records in line with BDA, HCPC, Trust and department standards.
- To take appropriate action using highly advanced problem solving skills to assist patients, health and social care professionals and members of the public with queries relating to your own clinical areas.
- To work flexibly to support the critical care and medicine dietetics team.
- To provide cover for other Dietetic teams at short notice to cover unplanned and planned absences within the post holders competency and skill level.
Please see attached job description for further details
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree or post graduate qualification in nutrition and/ or dietetics
- HCPC
- Evidence of post graduate CPD linked to critical care speciality
Desirable
- Post graduate PN courses
- Member of BDA
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in a variety of clinical settings including critical care
- Competent in the independent assessment and management of highly complex patients
- Experience of supervising staff e.g. support workers, dietetic students
Desirable
- Experience of working in the NHS
- Experience in providing parenteral nutrition care
Knowledge
Essential
- Sound clinical knowledge of dietetic treatment of adult service users and able to use this to clinically reason independently
- Understanding of clinical governance and audit
Skills
Essential
- Time management skills with ability to prioritise and manage own caseload and delegate to others
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to communicate effectively with service users in one to one and group situations
- Excellent negotiation and problem solving skills for management of complex cases and challenging situations.
Desirable
- IT skills using MS Office
- Data collection & analysis skills
- Service improvement skills
- Project management skills
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree or post graduate qualification in nutrition and/ or dietetics
- HCPC
- Evidence of post graduate CPD linked to critical care speciality
Desirable
- Post graduate PN courses
- Member of BDA
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in a variety of clinical settings including critical care
- Competent in the independent assessment and management of highly complex patients
- Experience of supervising staff e.g. support workers, dietetic students
Desirable
- Experience of working in the NHS
- Experience in providing parenteral nutrition care
Knowledge
Essential
- Sound clinical knowledge of dietetic treatment of adult service users and able to use this to clinically reason independently
- Understanding of clinical governance and audit
Skills
Essential
- Time management skills with ability to prioritise and manage own caseload and delegate to others
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to communicate effectively with service users in one to one and group situations
- Excellent negotiation and problem solving skills for management of complex cases and challenging situations.
Desirable
- IT skills using MS Office
- Data collection & analysis skills
- Service improvement skills
- Project management 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.
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).
Additional information
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).
