Highly Specialist dietitian - Adult Oral Nutrition Support and HEF

Job responsibilities

Highly Specialist dietitian - Adult Oral Nutrition Support and HEF

Hours: 40 (full time) Accountable to: Oviva UK Clinical Director Type of Contract: Permanent

About Oviva

We are looking for a highly skilled, enthusiastic dietitian with superb communication skills to deliver a service in Mid Essex supporting patients receiving nutrition support (oral and home enteral feeding). The service incorporates Ovivas technology in providing care face to face and remotely to increase patient access and outcomes.

Oviva is a type of dietetic healthcare services provider using technology to enhance the overall patient experience, improve clinical outcomes, and lower costs for the healthcare system. We provide a hybrid of face-to-face and remote care, the latter supported by the unique Oviva smartphone app that offers a secure communication channel between patient & dietitian.

Oviva started in Switzerland, and has expanded to the UK, Germany and France. In the UK we provide both NHS and private healthcare services, currently specialising in diabetes, weight management, medicines optimisation and paediatric allergy.

Job Summary

You will provide a specialist community dietetic service managing a caseload of HEF & ONS patients in care homes and their own homes. You will also deliver a remote rapid access clinic for patients requiring oral nutrition support. You must be confident working autonomously and be able to travel across Mid Essex as required.

This role will involve working alongside a team of Prescribing Support Dietitians to provide specialist nutrition support advice to patients and ensure cost-effective prescribing of adult oral nutritional supplements (ONS) in community settings. The post holder will provide specialist dietetic assessments and treatment programmes to patients in general practices and care homes.

The post holder will be working in partnership with local Medicines Optimisation and Dietetic teams to develop, to implement and support a care pathway to ensure effective malnutrition management and appropriate prescribing of ONS. The role aims to support local communities to achieve quality improvement relating to malnutrition management and cost savings relating to the appropriate prescription of ONS, the post holder will act as a source of expertise to provide training on malnutrition and ONS prescribing including nutritional screening and disseminating guidelines on its management.

The post holder will be required to develop and maintain effective working relationships with project stakeholders including secondary and tertiary care providers, medicines optimisation teams, GPs, care home staff and other members of the multidisciplinary team. The post holder will therefore need to demonstrate a flexible approach and excellent communication skills. The post holder will be required to collect outcome data to demonstrate achievement of the agreed project outcomes and regularly report back to commissioners.

Excellent communication skills, as well as organisational and time management skills, are essential. The post holder will have sufficient post-graduate training, experience and knowledge in dietetic practice to enable them to deliver project outcomes to a consistently high standard.

Our offer:

• An exciting role at a new type of dietetic healthcare provider that values high quality patient care, improved clinical outcomes, and flexible working for our dietitians

• Competitive rates of pay

• Option for part time working within this role

• Opportunity for clinical supervision and annual appraisal to be carried out by one of our lead dietitians

Principle Responsibilities

• To implement and deliver a clinically autonomous dietetic service to support patients requiring enteral tube feeding and/or oral nutritional support residing in care homes and their own homes. This will include supporting patients and their carers face to face and remotely through video/telephone calls and the Oviva smartphone app

• To undertake a comprehensive assessment of the patients nutritional needs. This will include understanding the clinical condition, clinical test results and drug treatments and advise on appropriate anthropometric and biochemical monitoring.

• To calculate and monitor and evaluate feeding regimens and treatment plans and to liaise with the home enteral feeding distributer and the patient's GP and any other members of the health care team when a regimen changes.

• To recommend appropriate ACBS listed nutritional products, feeding equipment, changes to medication, diagnostic tests and procedures

• To recognise and raise issues regarding the care of feeding devices and gastrostomy sites

• To be an active member of the multidisciplinary team and to liaise with other health professionals as required and provide training where needed

• Develop processes and patient pathways to ensure effective malnutrition management and appropriate prescribing of ONS.

• Audit and review patients prescribed oral nutritional supplements in general practices.

• To deliver a remote rapid access clinic for patients requiring oral nutrition support.

• Review the prescribing of oral nutritional supplements in care homes, making recommendations for food fortification where appropriate, and ensuring oral nutritional supplements are prescribed in line with local guidelines

• Develop care pathways for patients requiring oral nutritional support including an appropriate review and management plan

• Ensure appropriate dietetic advice is given to patients to support the use of ONS by the dietitian and members of the primary care teams

• Work with dietetic colleagues, community nursing staff and other members of the healthcare team when providing nutritional advice to patients

• Support the implementation of local malnutrition and ONS prescribing guidelines and resources, with a focus on supporting appropriate ONS prescribing practices in general practices, care homes.

• Be an accessible resource for members of the primary care teams, pharmacists and care home teams providing information to support the appropriate treatment and management of malnutrition and patients requiring tube feeding at home.

Education and Research

• Deliver education sessions for general practices, care home staff, dietitians and other health care professionals including:

• Nutritional screening

• Promotion of a food first approach to support in preventing and treating malnutrition

• Appropriate prescribing and use of oral nutritional supplements

• Support nursing managers, catering staff and healthcare assistants in implementing a food fortification plan. Facilitate a person-centred approach to food fortification

• Develop and implement evidence-based written resources and educational materials for use with care home staff, residents and other health care professionals

• Identify and undertake audit and research that will enhance patient care and present the results in a report or as appropriate

• Evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of interventions made

• Demonstrate effective communication skills with stakeholders including written reports and delivering presentations

• To be responsible for the production and review of clinical pathways, audit and specific projects to inform best practice / evidence-based practice

Professional:

• To work as an expert in identifying nutritional risk and identifying nutritional support strategies and inform / share local and national developments

• To promote and be responsible for appropriate and best practice / evidence-based advice on nutrition and dietetic issues and ensure this is received by patients, clients and health professionals

• To use advanced skills and clinical and biochemical knowledge to diagnose malnutrition and mineral and electrolyte abnormalities which require dietetic intervention and to provide and implement a nutritional care plan

• To carry out nutritional assessments involving the use of anthropometric equipment

• To provide nutritional and dietary counselling with patients/clients and to use behaviour change skills to overcome barriers to change, particularly where there is non-compliance.

• To promote safe caseload / workload management, using appropriate assessment, organisational, time management and reporting skills

Personal:

• To maintain and demonstrate a personal development plan to ensure continued professional development

• To meet targets agreed in personal development plan

• To identify training and development needs to ensure continued professional development

• To ensure that clinical supervision needs are met

• To demonstrate responsibility for managing workload and meeting Key Performance Indicators

• To ensure that practice complies with the professional code of conduct

• To maintain adequate CPD and continue to meet professional registration requirements with the Health Care Professional Council

• This job description and person specification are only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. The job holder will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by their line manager

Qualifications

Essential

• An appropriate degree recognised for registration with HCPC
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Membership of BDA or evidence of alternative professional indemnity insurance

Desirable

• Post graduate study in specialist area of nutrition support
• BDA Parenteral and enteral nutrition course completion
• Member of the BDA PENG specialist group

Experience

Essential

• Significant post registration clinical dietetic experience, including tube feeding.
• Working in the community/ primary care setting
• Evidence of service/project development
• Experience in providing education to health professionals
• Evidence of providing clinical supervision to junior members of staff
• Evidence of leading on recording outcomes and audit activities

Knowledge

Essential

• Experience in working remotely and utilising technology within care
• Ability to demonstrate sound and in depth knowledge and application of up to date evidence based, clinical trends and practices in nutrition support including home enteral feeding
• Evidence of problem solving and leadership skills
• Ability to plan and manage time effectively
• Ability to develop and maintain working relationships with other professionals
• Evidence of excellent verbal communication skills at all levels
• Emotional resilience and the ability to thrive in challenging situations
• Be able to prioritise when needed and work flexible hours to meet the needs of the service
• Ability to generate written communication which is relevant, concise, accurate and legible
• Competent user of IT equipment and basic software (email, word processing, data input)

Travel

Essential

• Car driver and be able to travel across Mid Essex

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.

UK Registration

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