Dietitian

Job description

Job responsibilities

• Provide specialist advice to patients with eating disorders deemed to be at high risk of medical or physical complications, including re-feeding syndrome.
• Undertake comprehensive assessments of individual patients diets and lifestyle to formulate individualised management and treatment plans ensuring optimal outcomes whilst minimising risk. Assessment will include interpretation of anthropometric, biochemical and clinical indicators, weight history and dietary analysis.
• Prescribing replacement plans using supplements and overseeing NG feeding replacement plans.
• Be aware of patients at high psychiatric risk (for example, suicide) and liaise with the multidisciplinary team regarding the management of these patients.
• Communicate effectively with patients. This involves giving advice to patients with emotional, physical and psychological difficulties where acceptance can be challenging and patients can become distressed.
• This will also occasionally involve working in conditions requiring the ability to react sensitively where patients have a history of abuse.
• Provide a motivating force for patients, utilising high quality communication skills this would involve a behavioural therapy approach. Repeated explanation around a topic may be required.
• Communicate with referring agents and other agents as necessary, through personal, written, telephone or email contact.
• Develop and run group education sessions covering all relevant nutrition topics, to allow patients to use this information in their recovery.
• Work with an awareness of the Eating Disorders guidelines (NICE, MEED) for the treatment of eating disorders, using evidence-based practice and outcome measures to inform service development.
• Work with all disciplines and the catering department to prescribe dietary intake for each patient throughout their admission.
• Provide dietary advice to patients and their families to enable them to manage their leave breaks from the unit, and to accommodate changes made at multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings regarding exercise and dietary intake.
• Attend and contribute to MDT meetings and CPA review meetings, leading discussions about possible changes in diet.
• Develop and continually review the unit menus to reflect current nutrition recommendations, taking into account specific clinical problems that may be encountered such as reduced frequency of bowel opening and subsequent avoidance of pharmacotherapy where possible.
• Demonstrate awareness of safeguarding principles in all dealings with young people and their families.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Knowledge of current best practice in eating disorders.
• Knowledge of Safeguarding responsibilities and relevant legislation.
• Evidence of CPD.
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance.
• Ability to give and receive feedback constructively.
• Conflict resolution skills.
• Knowledge of equality and diversity issues.
• Experience of effective MDT working.
• Training and teaching skills, including presentation skills.
• Experience of audit and service development.
• Report writing 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.

Employer details

Employer name

Schoen Clinic

Address

Minster Grange Care Home

Haxby Road

York

YO31 8TA

Employer's website

https://www.schoen-clinic.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)