Specialist Dietitian

NHS; Knowsley; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare provider in the UK is seeking skilled dietitians to lead nutrition-related prescribing interventions. This role covers key areas including Cheshire and Merseyside. Successful candidates will have flexibility in hub preference while contributing to malnutrition management and nutrition education across various settings. Applicants should possess a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, relevant professional registration, and a passion for improving patient care. Remote work options available.

Benefits

Flexible working requests considered

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience in nutrition prescribing projects.
• Ability to work in a dynamic health care setting.
• Capability to carry out detailed nutritional assessments.

Responsibilities

• Support clinical and prescribing data analysis.
• Conduct assessments within your scope of practice.
• Deliver educational sessions to diverse stakeholders.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Analytical skills

Adaptability

Time management

Education

BSc. Nutrition and Dietetics or relevant degree

Current HCPC Registration for Dietetics

Full member of the British Dietetic Association

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 awareness: Support analysis of clinical and prescribing data to identify drivers of high costs in nutrition related products

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

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.
• Responsible for the provision of appropriate, high quality care to a defined caseload.

Responsible for workload planning and delegation of work to other team members, taking into account competence levels.

Undertake holistic assessments of need for the patient and family, which may be highly complex, using the appropriate model of care and evidence-based practice.

Work in partnership with other professionals to enable patients/clients to be maintained in an appropriate environment, thus avoiding hospital admission.

Provide advice to patients, clients, and carers on a wide range of health issues to include health promotion, lifestyle advice and health care.

Ensure that the team provides a high-quality clinical service to its clients by participation in caseload and clinical supervision.

In conjunction with the team leader, develop new ways of working to provide a responsive service to patients with both planned and unplanned care needs.

Develop partnerships and joint working within other agencies as appropriate.

Maintain registration in line with professional bodies.

Clinically lead, direct, mentor and support the team.

Support the team leader in the development of caseload management across the local health economy.

Acts as an advocate and champion for patients and/or clients.

Act as a role model to team members and students so that patients/clients receive the most effective care possible.

Contribute to the development of policy and services to reflect the needs of the local neighbourhood population.

Participate in the development, implementation, and monitoring of the clinical team contract/objectives.

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

Person Specification

Values

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

Skills

• 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
• Knowledge of current best practice in Dietetics
• 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. Access to a suitable means of transport to enable the post holder to commute across the Trust footprint

Knowledge / Experience

• Experience of successful multi-agency working
• Demonstrable experience in relevant area of practice
• Evidence of CPD/Short courses
• Awareness of current national and local agenda in health and social care
• Understanding of partnership working
• Understanding of the principles of care management
• Awareness of factors that contribute to good health and the importance of promoting these in line with organisational public health policy
• Evidence of being able to communicate complex information and advice on healthcare to patients/clients, carers and colleagues
• Work based experience
• Providing training or shadowing for other health professionals or trainees
• Experience delivering patient education or health promotion
• Knowledge of the trust vision, goals and values
• Experience of clinical audit, service development or quality improvement
• Enteral feeding or nutrition support experience
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team (MDT)
• Knowledge and experience in the reporting and investigation of patient safety incidents
• Management and clinical leadership experience
• Motivational interviewing and behavioural change training.
• Membership of specialist group of British Dietetic Association
• Experience of being an appraiser

Qualifications

• BSc. Nutrition and Dietetics or relevant degree with postgraduate diploma in Dietetics
• Current Health and Care Professions Council Registration for Dietetics
• Full member of the British Dietetic Association
• Completion of parenteral and enteral nutrition group (PENG) course
• Management and clinical leadership course or qualification

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.