Highly Specialist Dietitian

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust; Knowsley; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the UK is looking for exceptional dietitians to enhance nutrition-related prescribing and pathway optimisation across various care settings. You will analyze clinical data, develop sustainable strategies, and deliver training to healthcare professionals, making a significant impact on patient care. The role requires flexibility and can involve remote working as you engage with multiple hubs. If you have a relevant degree and leadership skills, we encourage you to apply.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience optimizing nutrition prescribing projects is advantageous.
• Proven ability to work independently and manage a complex caseload.
• Membership of British Dietetic Association (BDA) required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct individual patient assessments within your scope of practice.
• Deliver education sessions to stakeholders on nutritional care.
• Analyze clinical data to identify cost drivers in nutrition products.

Skills

Analytical skills

Leadership skills

Communication skills

Patient care

Adaptability

Education

BSc Nutrition and Dietetics or relevant degree

Postgraduate diploma in dietetics

Masters or postgraduate qualification in relevant clinical area

Job description

We are excited to offer opportunities for highly skilled dietitians to join our collaborative team, leading nutrition related prescribing interventions and pathway optimisation across primary, community and secondary care.

The initial focus will be on optimising malnutrition management across the ICB, with plans to expand into other areas of nutrition related prescribing.

This post will cover the Cheshire and Merseyside area.

There will be three hubs across the patch:

Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral

East and West Cheshire

Halton, Warrington, St Helens and Knowsley

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to preference which hub they would like to be based in. However, remote/hybrid working will mean staff will be expected to support across all areas

Main duties of the job

Key responsibilities

Data driven analysis: Analyse clinical and prescribing data to identify drivers of high costs in nutrition related products

Strategy development: Co-develop sustainable, long term strategies for nutrition related prescribing and dietetic clinical pathways, including system wide formularies, policies, procedures, guidelines and pathways

Education and training: Deliver education sessions to stakeholders - dietetic teams, medicines optimisation teams, GP practices, care homes and patients to implement best practices for nutritional care

Patient care: Conduct individual patient assessments within your scope of practice

Leadership and collaboration: Work closely with stakeholders across the care interface, linking with dietetic teams, medicines optimisation teams and other partners

Adaptability: Thrive in a rapidly changing health care environment, demonstrating flexibility and a proactive approach

Workforce development: Play a key role in educating future health care professionals, including dietetic and other health care students.

About us

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.

Job responsibilities

Enthusiastic, forward thinking professionals with exceptional communication, leadership and analytical skills

Specialist knowledge in one or more areas: adults, paediatrics, nutrition support, diabetes, obesity, gastroenterology

Experience in optimising nutrition prescribing projects is advantageous

Flexible and adaptable, comfortable working in a dynamic health care environment.

• Provide care, advice, and guidance in the treatment of others, when dealing with complex highly specialist conditions.
• Responsible for the delivery of identified training.
• Work in partnership with the other services/stakeholder partnership agencies to enable patients/clients to be treated in the appropriate setting. This may include procurement and enteral feed contract reviews.
• Ensure that the team provides a high-quality service to its patients/clients by providing caseload and clinical supervision.
• Ensure that team work proactively in order to deliver anticipatory and maintenance care, providing a responsive service to patients with both planned and unplanned care needs.
• Develop partnerships and joint working with service users and stakeholders to improve patient/client care.
• Work in partnership with other organisations to support the effective and co‑ordinated provision of health and social care services.
• Participate in the development of caseload management across the local health economy.
• Provide leadership and mentoring to those staff developing into a caseload management role.
• Challenge professional and organisational boundaries to ensure that the role is focused on meeting the needs of service users.
• Act as an advocate and champion for patients/clients in a variety of forums and professional groups and challenge attitudes and behaviour.
Act as a role model to others ensuring that patients receive the most effective care possible.
• Contribute to the development of policy and services to reflect the needs of the target population.

Please refer to attached Job Description for full list of duties and responsibilities.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc Nutrition and Dietetics or relevant degree with post graduate diploma in dietetics professional Registration
• Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses up to Masters level or equivalent
• Experiential training which demonstrates highly specialist skills in specialist area
• Evidence of management training
• Membership of relevant special interest groups
• Evidence of leadership training
• Full member of British Dietetic Association (BDA)
• Member of Specialist Group of BDA
• Masters or postgraduate qualification in relevant clinical area

Knowledge/Experience

• Evidence of service development and project management
• Proven ability to work independently, prioritise and manage own complex caseload
• Experience of carrying out specialist assessments and interventions
• Advanced knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions relevant to the client group and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits.
• In depth knowledge of the principles of clinical governance/audit
• Awareness of HR and other relevant policies relating to staff management
• Advanced knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions relevant to the client group and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits
• In depth knowledge of the principles of clinical governance/audit
• Understands the roles of other professionals relevant to the client group
• Understands the standards of record keeping
• Understands confidentiality as relating to the NHS
• Non-medical supplementary or if applicable independent prescriber
• Evidence of quality improvement or research
• Experience of delivering/ developing training to staff / carers.
• Experience of providing supervision to staff members
• Experience of being a clinical educator

Values

• Accountability
• Support
• High professional standards
• Responsive to service users
• Engaging leadership style
• Discreet
• Change oriented
• Transparency and honesty

Skills

• Ability to work under pressure and manage a diverse caseload.
• Analytical and report writing skills.
• Highly developed communication and clinical skills
• Ability to facilitate and lead discussions in professional/multi‑agency meetings.
• Evidence of professional development.
• Presentation skills with the ability to present to large groups.
• Ability to monitor competing commitments to reflect service priorities
• Ability to respond to unpredictable work patterns and frequent interruptions
• Proficient at time management, working to deadlines and good organisational skills.
• Self‑motivated and committed to best practice
• Evidence of gastrostomy tube care/tube replacement competency

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.