Senior Specialist Oncology Dietitian

The Christie NHS FT; Manchester; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cancer treatment center in Manchester is searching for an experienced Band 7 Dietitian to join their surgical nutrition team on a 12-month fixed contract. In this role, you will provide nutritional care to surgical oncology patients, educate healthcare professionals, and work closely with a multidisciplinary team. Candidates should have a relevant degree, HCPC registration, and experience in nutritional management within an acute setting. This position offers a competitive salary, and the opportunity to impact patient care significantly.

Qualifications

• HCPC registered Dietitian with experience in oncology nutrition.
• Experience in acute surgical settings and enteral nutrition.
• Recent participation in multidisciplinary team working.

Responsibilities

• Oversee nutritional care for surgical oncology patients.
• Provide education and training to healthcare professionals.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams for patient care.
• Diagnose malnutrition and optimize treatment plans.

Skills

Excellent oral and written communication skills

Good organisational and time management skills

Accurate anthropometrics measurement skills

Ability to interpret complex information

Presentation skills

Leadership skills

Education

BSc Nutrition & Dietetics or relevant science

HCPC registration

Clinical supervision training

Masters level course in nutritional support

Teaching qualification course

Job description

Overview

Are you an experienced dietitian looking for a rewarding new challenge? The Christie Nutrition and Dietetic Team is seeking a driven Band 7 Dietitian to join our specialist surgical service on a 12-month fixed-term contract or secondment (37.5 hrs/week), covering maternity leave.

In this role, you will work across Gynaecology, Plastics, Urology, and Colorectal and Peritoneal cancer services, alongside our Senior Specialist Colorectal and Peritoneal Oncology Dietitian.

You'll have the opportunity to support patients from critical care through to the ward, ensuring they receive exceptional nutrition care throughout their surgical journey. You'll also collaborate with a highly skilled, multidisciplinary team, contributing to innovative, patient-centred care in one of the world's leading cancer centres.

If you're passionate about surgical nutrition and want to make a real difference in patients' lives, we want to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

As a senior specialist oncology dietitian, you will:

1. Be clinically responsible for the nutritional care and management of patients and independently plan, organise and prioritise patient related and professional demands daily.
2. To act as a specialised resource on nutrition and cancer for patients, carers, medical staff, nursing staff, and other health care professionals associated with the Christie Hospital and at regional and national level.
3. To provide education and training to medical staff, nursing staff and other health care professionals in the Trust.
4. To provide support and supervision to band 6 rotation dietitians.
5. To take an active role in the research and audit.
6. To work closely with the multidisciplinary team to enhance the persons health, wellbeing and quality of life and contribute to the management of frailty syndromes, prior, during and post-treatment.
7. To nutritionally assess oncology patients by interpreting and evaluating anthropometric, biochemical, clinical, and dietary data, whilst considering the patients social and ethnic circumstances, prognosis, and treatment.
8. To convey complex specialised dietary advice and lifestyle changes to patients and carers using advanced counselling and communication skills.
9. To follow patients post operatively on critical care unit and support the critical care dietitian covering the unit as needed.
10. To attend appropriate multidisciplinary meetings and cover the CPOC outpatient clinics during absence.
11. To diagnose malnutrition and to liaise with the appropriate consultant, with an aim of optimising treatment outcome, by recommending the appropriate method of nutrition intervention and reducing risk of Refeeding Syndrome.
12. To communicate, liaise and advise the team, key workers, nursing staff, AHPs and other health care professionals on the appropriate evidence based nutrition care plan.
13. To prescribe the appropriate dietary regimen for surgical oncology patients using evidence-based practice and to manage, monitor and reevaluate the treatment plan as necessary.
14. To refer patients to other services for monitoring and therapeutic support following discharge.
15. To work with the catering department to ensure suitable meal provision to meet the special needs of the oncology patient in line with national standards.
16. To initiate, facilitate and coordinate the setting up of a home enteral feed to ensure a safe discharge.
17. To be responsible for the ordering, delivery and monitoring of specialist nutritional supplements (ACBS endorsed) for individual client needs.
18. To work alongside the other band 7 leads and support the wider inpatient service.
19. To write, deliver and evaluate internal and external education and training sessions on nutrition and specialist dietetics to medical staff, nursing staff, AHPs, dietitians, other health care professionals, patients, and carers.
20. To act as a clinical educator by participating in student dietetic placements.
21. To provide supervision to allocated band 6 dietitians daily, carrying out regular one to one meetings, and carrying out annual PDR process.
22. To take an active role in the research and audit.
23. To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up to date documentation on individual patients in line with local and national standards and be responsible for the appropriate storage of data with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and trust policy on confidentiality.
24. To record and submit patient data and statistics as required by the manager and provide information for annual reports and service development and planning.
25. To attend and participate in departmental, professional update meetings and trust nutrition related meetings leading them when required.
26. To attend and contribute to the trust nutrition steering committee.
27. To be responsible for own clinical professional development (CPD) to maintain competency and to ensure best practice.

About us

The Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

Job responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. To be clinically responsible for a highly complex area of work, as agreed with the dietetic manager and independently plan, organise and prioritise patient related and professional demands.
2. To develop the dietetic service alongside the surgical teams with the support of the dietetic manager.
3. To work closely with the other band 7 dietitians to support the service by cross covering when required and support the junior members of the team on a day to day basis.
4. To work closely with the multidisciplinary team to enhance the persons health, wellbeing and quality of life and contribute to the management of frailty syndromes, prior, during and post-treatment.
5. To nutritionally assess oncology patients by interpreting and evaluating anthropometric, biochemical, clinical, and dietary data, whilst considering the patients social and ethnic circumstances, prognosis, and treatment.
6. To convey complex specialised dietary advice and lifestyle changes to patients and carers using advanced counselling and communication skills.
7. To follow patients post operatively on critical care unit and support the critical care dietitian covering the unit as needed.
8. To attend appropriate multidisciplinary meetings and cover the CPOC outpatient clinics during absence.
9. To diagnose malnutrition and to liaise with the appropriate consultant, with an aim of optimising treatment outcome, by recommending the appropriate method of nutrition intervention and reducing risk of Refeeding Syndrome.
10. To communicate, liaise and advise the team, key workers, nursing staff, AHPs and other health care professionals on the appropriate evidence based nutrition care plan.
11. To prescribe the appropriate dietary regimen for surgical oncology patients using evidence-based practice and to manage, monitor and reevaluate the treatment plan as necessary.
12. To refer patients to other services for monitoring and therapeutic support following discharge.
13. To work with the catering department to ensure suitable meal provision to meet the special needs of the oncology patient in line with national standards.
14. To initiate, facilitate and coordinate the setting up of a home enteral feed to ensure a safe discharge.
15. To be responsible for the ordering, delivery and monitoring of specialist nutritional supplements (ACBS endorsed) for individual client needs.
16. To work alongside the other band 7 leads and support the wider inpatient service.
17. To write, deliver and evaluate internal and external education and training sessions on nutrition and specialist dietetics to medical staff, nursing staff, AHPs, dietitians, other health care professionals, patients, and carers.
18. To act as a clinical educator by participating in student dietetic placements.
19. To provide supervision to allocated band 6 dietitians daily, carrying out regular one to one meetings, and carrying out annual PDR process.
20. To take an active role in the research and audit.
21. To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up to date documentation on individual patients in line with local and national standards and be responsible for the appropriate storage of data with the HCPC and trust policy on confidentiality.
22. To record and submit patient data and statistics as required by the manager and provide information for annual reports and service development and planning.
23. To attend and participate in departmental, professional update meetings and trust nutrition related meetings leading them when required.
24. To attend and contribute to the trust nutrition steering committee.
25. To be responsible for own clinical professional development (CPD) to maintain competency and to ensure best practice.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc Nutrition & Dietetics or BSc degree in relevant science subject plus Post Graduate Diploma in Nutrition & Dietetics.
• HCPC registration.
• Clinical supervision training
• Masters level or equivalent course e.g. Advanced course in nutritional support (e.g., BDA PEN course), masters modules
• Teaching qualification course
• Evidence of post-graduate specialist counselling skills course in oncology, bereavement counselling or breaking bad news.

Experience

• Recent NHS experience of working in acute surgical oncology (pelvic/ gyne/Lower GI)
• Experience of enteral and parenteral nutrition
• Presentations/ talks to large groups
• Clinical supervision
• Demonstrate evidence in Leadership.
• Experience in setting up patient pathways /service.
• Evidence of recent CPD.
• Evidence of recent audit/ research experience
• Evidence of multidisciplinary team working.
• Student training
• Experience of undertaking annual appraisals and absence management
• Experience of leading or co-ordinating audit or research work

Skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Good presentation skills and evidence of presentations to large groups.
• Ability to work effectively single-handed with individuals and groups.
• Good organisational and time management skills.
• Accurate anthropometrics measurement skills.
• Ability to interpret complex information.
• Evidence of leadership skills Supervision skills

Knowledge

• Understanding the complex effects of cancer and treatments on nutritional status of patients.
• Conversant with enteral feeding systems.
• Excellent up to date knowledge in cancer and treatments
• Sound knowledge of current issues relating to cancer and nutrition support.
• Surgical oncology (pelvic/ lower GI)
• Knowledge of clinical governance
• Knowledge of national oncology strategies/ polices/ guidance / pathways.
• Evidence of oncology / nutrition support courses

Values

• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours.

Other

• Self-motivated, reliable
• Able to recognise own limitations
• Positive mindset in respect of supporting organisational change; learning, and continuous improvement.
• Effective interpersonal and intrapersonal skills including high degree of self -awareness and self-regulation.
• Willingness to support preregistration Students
• Demonstrate empathy, sensitivity and tact with patients and their families

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.

£47,810 to £54,710 a yearPer annum, Pro rata