Bariatric Dietitian

Whittington Health NHS Trust; London; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in London is seeking a Registered Dietitian to join their multidisciplinary team as a Bariatric Dietitian. The ideal candidate will support patients in acute and outpatient settings, focusing on complex obesity. Applicants should have strong clinical skills and experience working with adults. This is a band 6 role, with opportunities for band 5 candidates with relevant experience.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with adult outpatients and carrying out dietetic assessments.
• Ability to create and devise nutritional care plans.
• Understanding of adult inpatient clinical nutrition.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist nutritional care to bariatric surgery patients.
• Counsel and educate patients on complex dietary interventions.
• Monitor patients' blood results for nutritional deficiencies.

Skills

Excellent clinical knowledge

Strong communication skills

Ability to work independently

Education

HCPC Registration

Behavioural therapy management course Level 1

Job description

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We have an exciting opportunity for a Registered Dietitian to join our friendly department as a Bariatric Dietitian with the North London Obesity Surgery Service (NLOSS).

This is a band 6 position, however we welcome applications from band 5 candidates with strong prior work experience with adult populations.

The NLOSS comprises a close-working and dynamic multidisciplinary team of surgeons, registrars, dietitians and nurses, supporting patients in acute and outpatient settings.

The ideal candidate will have a keen interest in developing expertise in complex obesity and supporting patients living with obesity looking for a surgical intervention. Whilst prior work experience in weight management would be helpful, we are happy to consider a passionate self-starter with an acute interest in the field. You will need excellent clinical knowledge, communication skills and experience of working with adults in acute or community settings.

Main duties of the job

To work as a member of the Clinical Nutrition department and the Bariatric Surgery MDT, providing highly specialist advice, education and support to patients, carers and other health professionals within the Bariatric Surgery Service.

To be responsible for providing specialist nutritional care, including assessment, nutrition therapy and monitoring to bariatric surgery patients and their carers.

To act as an expert resource for the management of bariatric surgical patients for the Trust and to educate and train dietetic studens and other healthcare professionals within the Trust.

Working for our organisation

Whittington Health NHS Trust provides a wide range of health and care services.

We lead the way in the provision of integrated community and hospital services.

We provide hospital and community care services to 500,000 people living in Islington and Haringey as well as other London boroughs including Barnet, Enfield, Camden and Hackney.

Our priority is to provide the right care, at the right time and in the right place for our patients. We provide a large range of services from the hospital, including accident and emergency (A&E), maternity, diagnostic, therapy and elderly care. We also run services from 30 community locations in Islington and Haringey.

As an integrated care organisation we bring high quality services closer to home and speed up communication between community and hospital services, improving our patients’ experience. Key to our approach is partnering with patients, carers, GPs, social care, mental health and other healthcare providers.

Our organisation has a highly-regarded educational role. We teach undergraduate medical students (as part of UCL Medical School) and nurses and therapists throughout the year, alongside providing a range of educational packages for postgraduate doctors and other healthcare professionals.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To counsel and educate patients and their carers on complex dietary interventions for pre and post bariatric surgery as required, ensuring compliance with dietary treatment. This will involve active participation in the group education sessions run jointly with the bariatric surgery specialist nurse.

To provide a specialist in-patient service for all bariatric surgery patients. This will involve the education of patients and relatives on the dietary recommendations immediately post-surgery. This could also involve nutritional assessment of patients, including the calculation of nutritional requirements based on the interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometry and clinical condition and will result in the formulation of a dietetic treatment plan.

To provide life-long specialist in-patient service to all bariatric patients when admitted with complications surrounding bariatric surgery. This may include nutrition support, and enteral feeding.

To carry out outpatient clinics alongside the consultants and bariatric Nurse Specialist. Ongoing monitoring of these patients will be required in liaison with the Band 7 Bariatric Dietitian.

To attend and participate in the bariatric surgery multi-disciplinary team meeting.

To be competent in the use of behavioural therapy when counselling patients.

To communicate with medical and nursing staff concerning the dietary requirements of patients after completing nutritional assessment.

To monitor patient’s blood results and biochemistry, post outpatient dietetic clinic visits, for nutritional deficiencies, and liaise with GPs regarding their appropriate correction.

To directly prescribe and modify nutritional supplements/vitamin and mineral preparations based on the nutritional status of the patient and to review regularly discussing with other members of the MDT.

To cover for other colleagues during times of absence, this may involve educating patients and carers on various aspects on dietetics, liaising with the medical and dietetic team as appropriate.

To contribute to the development of protocols/guidelines for the nutritional care of patients undergoing gastric banding and gastric bypass surgery.

To be able to develop and use communications and teaching skills to educate the diverse and multicultural population.

To contribute and update the patient databases (excel) with patient details and statistics.

To be competent in the use of information technology including the formulation of databases for research and audit purposes, as well as the use of nutritional packages for assessment of patients nutritional requirements and dietary adequacy.

To provide nutrition education sessions to other members of the multi-disciplinary team including allied health professionals, nursing, medical and catering staff. This includes the delivery of regular group education sessions to patients, to nursing staff and medical staff as appropriate and when required

To organise, develop and deliver nutrition teaching sessions regionally/nationally for dietitians, medical staff, other health care professionals and members of the public. This may include giving lectures to university students when required.

To act as a resource for specialist dietary information relating to bariatric surgery to the community health care teams and interest groups.

To develop evidence based written resources and education material for use with patients and other health care professionals.

To be responsible for the clinical supervision, both theoretical and practical, of dietetic students as part of the departments national accreditation. Postgraduate training in clinical supervisory skills is required.

To identify and undertake audit and research projects that will enhance patient care.

Person specification

Education / Qualifications

• HCPC Registration
• Attended Behavioural therapy management course Level 1

Knowledge & Experience

• Experience of working with adult outpatients and carrying out dietetic assessments and devising nutritional care plans
• Knowledge and experience of adult inpatient clinical nutrition and dietetics, including complex enteral nutrition intervention
• Knowledge of nutritional deficiencies and their management

Skills & Abilities

• Able to work independently.

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS

To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:

• Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with theLondon Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
• Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
• Participate in required training and supervision.
• Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct

Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.