Dietitian

North West Borough Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Dietitian to join the Mental Health Care Division Dietetic Team. Based across In-Patient mental health care services, you will manage a complex caseload in Weight Management with co-morbidity and nutrition support, delivering evidence-based care.

You will run daily in-patient ward clinics, participate in MDTs, and provide nutritional screening training.

Qualifications

• BSc Nutrition and Dietetics or relevant degree with post graduate diploma in Dietetics
• Health and Care Professions Council registration for Dietetics
• Experience in Health and Social Care, preferably NHS
• Experience of clinical audit, service development or quality improvement
• Enteral feeding or nutrition support experience
• Experience working as part of a MDT
• Knowledge of NICE, BDA guidelines and reporting of patient safety incidents
• Training or mentoring others and commitment to CPD

Responsibilities

• Deliver clinical care to a defined population
• Provide daily in-patient ward based clinics to assess and review patients
• Attend MDTs to communicate treatment care plan and monitoring
• Develop and implement dietary intervention plans and provide advice
• Support audit and the Nutrition and hydration Strategy objectives

Skills

Caseload management

Time management

Anthropometric measurements

Dietetic assessment

Autonomous practitioner

Clinical governance

Interprofessional collaboration

CPD portfolio

Education

BSc Nutrition & Dietetics

HCPC registration

Tools

EMIS

Job description

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust celebrates diversity and promotes equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from ethnically diverse, disabled and LGBTQIA+ people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces personnel as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.

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Job overview

The post is an exciting opportunity to be based across In-Patient mental health care services. You will manage a diverse case load of complex patients in Weight Management with co-morbidity and Nutritional support patients. Regular supervision and support as you gain your confidence and competencies in these areas will be provided.

You will provide daily in-patient ward based clinics to assess and review patients. You will attend MDT's to communicate your treatment care plan and monitoring, this will involve frequent networking with all health-professionals. You will deliver Nutritional Screening training to a variety of staff and will support audit and the objectives in the Nutrition and hydration Strategy.

Using evidence based practice and working within the British Dietetic Association Professional code of conduct is paramount. You will be encouraged to attend training and courses to support and enhance Learning and development and apply skills in your practice.

Experience within mental health care setting and NHS settings would be desirable to support candidates in practice.

Main duties of the job

The post holder is responsible for the delivery of clinical care to a defined population.

Supported by senior practitioners, they will deliver care within the boundaries of their role.

They will work effectively and collaboratively within the team to meet the needs of patients, support the delivery of policy and procedures and provide clinical leadership.

Ensure the delivery of the quality strategy within the designated area incorporating establishment of systems and processes.

Staff will be required to travel across multiple sites within the Mersey Care footprint to support our service users and team in their current location.

Working for our organisation

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Mental Health Care Division Dietetic Team is an ever developing specialist Mental Health team and has strong links with all professions including Nursing, Allied health, Dr's and local Dietetics including The British Dietetic Association (BDA) and Mental Health Specialist Group of the BDA. Our dynamic dietetic team is supported by the Lead Dietitian and highly skilled dietitian.

You will work as part of the team and will be professionally accountable for your own caseload of patients, working autonomously in a variety of complex mental health settings including liaising with the service users families and when they transition to other areas. You will develop and implement dietary intervention plans and provide advice to people with a variety of dietetic needs and a range of learning disabilities and/or mental health conditions.

There are regular specialty dietetic team meetings to develop your skills in Mental Health and to provide peer support. The post holder will have access to both formal and informal training. We have a robust clinical supervision structure and, if you are newly qualified, we are able to offer a preceptorship programme.

Dietitians work closely with other health care professionals and Multi-disciplinary team work is integral to dietetic care. Our Trust is committed to providing regular opportunities to participate in first class Continuous Professional Development (CPD), policy development, audit, research activities, pathway development, staff and student training. There are regular opportunities to network with colleagues; to share best practice; and to celebrate our successes as a profession working within Mental Health and Learning Disabilities.

**Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for further details**

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• BSc Nutrition and Dietetics or relevant degree with post graduate diploma in Dietetics
• Health and Care Professions Council registration for Dietetics

Desirable criteria

• Full member of British Dietetic Association
• Mentorship and/or Student Training qualification e.g., SAS training
• Any postgraduate study or qualifications relevant to role

Experience

Essential criteria

• Health and Social Care experience, preferably within the NHS
• Experience of clinical audit, service development or quality improvement
• Enteral feeding or nutrition support experience
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team (MDT)

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience working as a Dietitian either in the inpatient or outpatient setting
• Experience delivering patient education or health promotion
• Experience using e-registration systems for home enteral feed discharges

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of the trust vision, goals and values
• Knowledge or experience in the reporting of patient safety incidents
• Knowledge of current best practice in Dietetics

Desirable criteria

• Providing training or shadowing for other health professionals or trainees
• Motivational interviewing and behavioural change training

Skills

Essential criteria

• Able to prioritise a defined clinical caseload
• Time management and organisational skills
• Ability to carry out anthropometric measurements
• Able to undertake a nutritional assessment considering all relevant factors to formulate a Dietetic diagnosis and care plan and setting goal-based outcomes with service users
• Autonomous practitioner
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
• Awareness of local and national guidelines relevant to Dietetics e.g., NICE, BDA
• Awareness of research methods and audit skills to inform and evaluate practice
• Basic knowledge of the principles of clinical governance and health and safety and risk awareness
• Understanding of professional conduct and confidentiality
• Ability to build effective working relationships
• Effective personal organisational skills
• Keep an up to date CPD portfolio
• Written and oral communication skills in English sufficient to communicate effectively with patients to gain consent, explain treatment interventions and gain information required for the patient's medical/social history relevant to Dietetics
• Basic computer skills e.g., word processing, MS Teams, email, internet skills
• Ability to comply with Trust Policy
• Willingness to be flexible to deliver unexpected or unusual circumstances relating to patient care
• A commitment to continuous learning and personal development of self
• Support the learning and development of others including Dietetic Assistants, Assistant Practitioners, Student Dietitians, Apprentice Dietitians and other AHPs
• Satisfactory DBS clearance
• Satisfactory references

Desirable criteria

• Accurate anthropometric skills
• Presentation skills
• Experience taking minutes or chairing meetings
• Experience using electronic documentation systems e.g., EMIS