Dietitian Team Lead for the Patient Education Service

NHS; Stockport; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Stockport is seeking a Dietitian Team Lead for the Patient Education Service. You will be responsible for delivering diabetes education courses, managing a dedicated team, and ensuring high-quality dietetic care. The role requires collaboration with healthcare professionals and strong communication skills. Applicants should have a relevant degree and experience in dietetics. This position offers a competitive salary and benefits including annual leave, flexible working, and support for professional development.

Benefits

27-33 days of annual leave plus bank holidays

Salary sacrifice schemes

Cycle to work scheme

Qualifications

• Experience working with patients relevant to the specialist area.
• Experience supervising/mentoring junior staff, dietetic assistants, and students.
• Leadership experience relevant to the post.

Responsibilities

• Provide day to day management of the Patient Education Service.
• Act as a clinical expert and autonomous practitioner.
• Monitor departmental budget and ensure cost-effective ordering.

Skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Empathy

Education

BSc in Human Nutrition and Dietetics

Registered Dietitian - Health Professions Council

Job description

Dietitian Team Lead for the Patient Education Service

The Patient Education Service is recruiting an enthusiastic Dietitian Team Lead. The Patient Education Service is part of the Integrated Nutrition and Dietetic Service, within the Therapy directorate. The service provides group education for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, as well as delivering the Expert Patient Programme (EPP). The team receives positive feedback and strives to deliver the highest quality care.

The successful applicant will ensure courses are delivered, waiting lists managed and training is up to date, in line with national and local guidelines. The post holder will have line management responsibilities for the team, alongside coordinating and delivering both diabetes and EPP courses. The Lead will be responsible for promoting the structured education courses to GP practices and specialist nurses. Courses are delivered across Stockport in a variety of locations, both in person and virtually. The candidate is required to be flexible to meet the needs of the service, enabling courses to be delivered mornings, afternoons, with some evening courses which are offered throughout the year.

The role also requires collaboration and joint working with specialist nurses and volunteers. Experience and knowledge of working with long term conditions and diabetes is necessary for the role, alongside excellent communication and organisation skills. This recognised service is recruiting a dynamic, motivated and forward-thinking Dietitian.

Main duties of the job

To provide a safe, effective and consistently high quality Nutrition and Dietetic service at Stockport Foundation Trust.

To act as a clinical expert and autonomous practitioner to provide highly specialist dietetic care to patients. To assess, plan and implement patient centred, evidence-based interventions.

To provide evidence-based care, education and information to patients, carers and health care professionals. This will be in a range of outpatient and community settings.

Provide line management and supervision to Band 6 Dietitians. Contribute to the training and development of Dietetic Assistant/Support workers and lead on student training within the team.

To identify service needs and develop the service and act as clinical lead within the team.

• To support the Nutrition and Dietetic Service Lead with operational and strategic planning, deputising, as required. To participate in creation and implementation of pathways for the efficient and effective delivery of the nutrition and dietetic service.

About us

We hold a unique position in the Stockport community as the provider of healthcare and we are one of its largest employers.

We believe that the best organisations are those that reflect the communities they serve. We are therefore seeking to improve the diversity of our workforce to make it truly representative of our local population.

We actively encourage applications irrespective of race, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage & civil partnership, or pregnancy or maternity. Recognising those communities that are underrepresented within our workforce, we would particularly welcome applications from you.

If you require support with your application please contact a member of the recruitment team, who can discuss alternative application methods.

We recognise that flexible working is important. We take requests for flexible working seriously, consider any request we receive and try to work with you, so we can explore if your request may fit with the needs of the service.

Benefits we offer to you:

• Between 27-33 days of annual leave plus bank holidays
• Salary sacrifice schemes for lease cars, home electronics and more, to make your salary go further
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salary finance - for loans, savings, budget planning and tips on managing debt
• Stockport Credit Union- for local financial advice

Job responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities

To provide day to day management of the Patient Education Service including human resource activities such as recruitment and selection, induction, monitoring sickness and absence.

To be responsible for planning and service development

To complete one to one meetings and the performance and development reviews and identify any training needs within the team

To monitor the departmental budget, ensuring cost effective ordering

To maintain a clinical caseload in a specialist area and provide advice on diabetes management, nutrition support, dietary advice for a range of clinical conditions and long term condition management.

Act as an independent practitioner and be professionally accountable and responsible for aspects of own work. Decide priorities for own work, balance patient related and professional demands in consultation with other Dietitian team leaders and Service Lead

The provide evidence for CQC for the team and update quarterly

To monitor key performance indicators

To be a source of clinical expertise for the team providing supervision and mentorship

To implement policies and procedures in line with the organisations standards

The lead on the development and implementation of guidelines and protocols relevant to key clinical areas.

To act as clinical lead within the service and offer professional leadership

• To identify service needs and maximise the efficiency of the team within the resource available.
• To work alongside Service Lead and Dietetic Team leads to integrate service and pathways and implement any changes within the team
• To attend patient meetings as needed, promoting an understanding of the role of diet and nutrition in achieving the best outcome for each patient.
• Provide training to healthcare professionals regarding nutritional care and interventions, including presentations.
• Develop and implement pathways, diet sheets, and teaching materials in relation to nutrition and dietetics for use by the department and other professions.
• Collect all data necessary to meet local requirements for service monitoring
• Work in conjunction with colleagues on development and implementation of local policies based on national nutritional guidance
• To identify and undertake clinical audit
• Maintain professional competence and expertise, keeping up-to-date with current research, working practices and models of working.
• Participate in personal and professional development through objective setting and regular job review.
• Work as a committed and effective member of the Inpatient Dietitian, Integrated Nutrition and Dietetic, Therapy and wider MDT Teams in order to maximise the potential of the service and profession
• Support other specialist dietitians with caseloads in their absence. As required to offer support to other clinical areas to ensure all patients are seen in a timely manner.
• Observe the provisions of, and adhere to, all Trust policies and procedures.
• Comply with professional guidelines and Code of Practice.
• Promote the service to the wider health care community

Please see attached job description for further details.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and promote safeguarding by implementing the Trusts policies and procedures, acting promptly on concerns, communicating effectively and sharing information appropriately.

If successful this vacancy will require an enhanced DBS check at a cost of £54.90. This cost will be deducted from your first Trust salary

In addition to this it will be a condition of your employment that you will join the DBS update service and pay the annual subscription fee of £16.

Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

• BSc in Human Nutrition and Dietetics (or equivalent qualification)
• Registered Dietitian - Health Professions Council
• Evidence of relevant post registration learning
• Masters level or equivalent courses, or experience in relevant speciality.
• Evidence of leadership courses relevant to the post
• Member of the British Dietetic Association (BDA)
• Member of BDA sub-group
• X-PERT Diabetes educator or equivalent
• DAFNE educator or equivalent

Knowledge

• Working knowledge of evidence based / best practice interventions
• Knowledge of clinical governance and the implications for this specific post
• Knowledge on the ACBS criteria for nutritional supplements and tube feeds
• Awareness of validated diabetes management courses available
• Specialist level of knowledge, understanding and clinical reasoning skills to support experience clinical practice in management of diabetes
• Knowledge of the roles of other professionals and the principles of partnership working with key stakeholders across diabetes pathways
• Knowledge of insulin and diabetes medications
• Knowledge of the Expert Patient Programme

Experience

• Experience working with a patients relevant to the specialist area
• Experience of working with patients who have long term conditions
• Significant post registration experience in an area relevant to the post
• Experience of carbohydrate counting
• Experience of working in a community or outpatient setting
• Evidence of leadership
• Experience of supervising / mentoring junior staff, dietetic assistants and students
• Evidence of working in a multi-disciplinary team
• Participation in audit / research
• Experience of Nutrition Support
• Use of insulin pump
• Working with young adults with diabetes

Skills & Abilities

• Good listening skills and an ability to offer empathy.
• Organisational skills and ability to manage time effectively, prioritise own and staff caseloads and meet deadlines
• Able to use judgement and clinical expertise to interpret and analyse information.
• Able to assess a situation holistically
• Documented evidence of CPD
• Engagement service improvement within clinical areas / services including policy development
• Confident and self-motivated being able to work independently and communicate effectively at all levels
• Flexible, able to work under pressure
• Training and Group work skills
• Behaviour change skills/Motivational interviewing

Work Related Circumstances

• Must maintain patient confidentiality at all times
• Ability to transport equipment e.g. portable weight scales, patient notes, resources
• Able to work flexibly to meet the needs of the Service
• Due to the nature of the role, it is essential that applicants are able to travel independently across Stockport and have access to a suitable vehicle for business purposes. Where possible, adjustments can be considered in accordance with the Equality Act.

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.

Integrated Nutrition and Dietetic Service Lead

£47,810 to £54,710 a yearpro rata per annum