Specialist Dietitian

NHS; Leeds; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS is seeking a motivated Specialist Dietitian to join the Critical Care Dietetic team at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The role involves providing specialized nutritional support and participating in professional development and training within a dynamic healthcare environment. Ideal candidates will have a strong commitment to patient care and teamwork.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Professional development opportunities

Supportive working environment

Qualifications

• Registered Dietitian with experience in a healthcare setting.
• Knowledge of current issues in Nutrition and Dietetics.
• Willingness to undergo further training as required.

Responsibilities

• Provide nutritional assessment and advice to Critical Care patients.
• Work with the multidisciplinary team to deliver patient-centered care.
• Participate in training of student dietitians and healthcare staff.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Time Management

Patient Support

Education

BSc (Hons) Nutrition & Dietetics or Equivalent

HCPC Registration

Job description

Arelooking to advance your career in the exciting area of Critical Care? Thenthis job could be for you.

Weare looking for a motivated and enthusiastic dietitian to join our friendly,supportive, and pro-active Critical Care Dietetic team, at Leeds TeachingHospitals NHS Trust.

Thepost-holder will be supported by the Band 7 Dietetic Leads, to manage acomplex and interesting inpatient caseload on the Critical Care Units, whichinclude the specialist Cardiac, Neurosurgery and Trauma unit, Surgical andGeneral ICUs. You will work collaboratively with the MDT, delivering highquality patient-centered care. The post-holder will work across both LGI andSt James University Hospital, with opportunities for rotation across thespecialist Critical Care units.

Asa Specialist Dietitian you will actively participate in professional andservice development within the Dietetic and Critical Care services. Healthand wellbeing is a Trust and department priority; we are forward thinkingwhen it comes to flexible working, offering some opportunities to work fromhome where services allow.

Main duties of the job

Thesuccessful candidate, who must have excellent communication and team workingskills, will be responsible for providing highly specialist nutritionalassessment and advice to patients requiring nutritional support, particularlyenteral nutrition on the Critical Care Unit and offer support and advice toothers when they step down from level 2/3 care. Experience of enteral feedingis essential, although a thorough induction and training program and on-goingsupport will be provided by the dietitians within the team.

Youwill provide evidenced-based advice for patients and healthcareprofessionals, ensuring nutrition remains a clinical priority. You will embedyourself within the MDT, with opportunities to attend MDT ward rounds,meetings and education sessions

Thepost offers excellent opportunities for professional and personaldevelopment, and you will be actively involved in the development,implementation, and audit of patient care practices as part of ClinicalGovernance.

About us

Wehave a strong focus on investing in our people to ensure that they canachieve their full potential. We lead the way in providing further trainingand career development opportunities in every department and at every levelof our organisation.

Wehave a culture where people take a real pride in their work, respect eachother and all work together to deliver the most exceptional standards ofpatient care. We have a happy, productive work environment where everyone inevery role plays their own important part in our success.

Youwill be working within our large, friendly and dynamic Nutrition and DieteticDepartment which provides regular professional development events, and hoststraining to A, B and C placement students. The department has good clericalsupport and access to excellent IT and library facilities

LeedsTeaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk'members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job advertsare subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or removeadverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in theshortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while thisprocess is completed, and contact the named contact if you have anyquestions.

Job responsibilities

Toprovide part of a professional Nutrition and Dietetic care service within a

Specialistarea. This includes advice to in-patients, out-patients, all healthcare staffand participation in the training of student dietitians. Shows initiative inassisting and supporting the senior specialist dietitians and the ClinicalDietetic Manager in the day to day management of the department.

3. JOB DIMENSIONS

Thepost holder will:

3.1 Manage own case load to a level agreedwith supervisor/line manager.

3.2 Be involved in the provision of educationand training to healthcare staff,patients, care providers and students.

3.3 Be a key member of themultidisciplinary care team to provide integrated dietetic care.

3.4 Shows initiative in assisting andsupporting the senior specialistdietitians and the chief dietitian in the day to day management of thedepartment.

3.5Deliver training to healthcare staff, dietitians and students.

3.6 Be an active member of the out of hoursservice.

KNOWLEDGE,SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

5.2 HCPC Registration as a dietitian

5.3 Experience of working within aDietetic role within a healthcare setting

5.4 Willing to undergo any training asrequired to enable performance in the job.

5.5 Awareness of current issues inspecialised areas of dietetics.

5.6 Able to work within a team,demonstrate initiative, confidence and excellent time management andorganisational skills.

5.7 Good written, oral and interpersonalcommunication skills.

5.8 Good presentation skills in deliveringtraining to large multidisciplinary groups of staff or members of the public(this may involve groups of more than 50 people).

8. CORE BEHAVIOURS AND SKILLS

8.1 Demonstrate good office practice inaccordance with departmental policies and procedures.

8.2 Be a pro-active team member of theDietetics department at LTHT by participating in departmental developmentprojects, attending and participating in departmental meetings and clinicalupdates.

8.3 Demonstrate the ability to communicatehighly complex, specialised and sensitive information with empathy andunderstanding.

8.4 Demonstrate the ability to providehighly complex nutrition counselling to patients requiring cognitivebehavioural therapy skills and use of advanced reassurance, motivational andnegotiation skills to overcome barriers to change.

8.5 Demonstrate the ability to analyseclinical and non-clinical information to form accurate nutrition care plansin specialised areas.

8.6 Demonstrate analytical skills inprioritising the best course of dietetic treatment in patients with highlycomplex clinical conditions, where nutritional goals may conflict with otheron-going physical, emotional, psychological and medical problems.

8.7 Ability to use stadiometers,anthropometric skin-fold callipers with precision and accuracy in thenutritional assessment of patients.

9. CORE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

9.1 Ability to perform specialisednutritional assessments, interpret and plan relevant dietetic care programmesfor patients with highly complex nutritional needs and multiple medicalconditions.

9.2 Advanced knowledge of biochemistry,physiology and pharmacology.

9.3 Understanding of the calculationsrequired in dietetic assessment.

9.4 Ability to correctly interpret complexnutritional impairments, biochemical parameters and fluid balance. This willinvolve nutritional diagnosis including interpretation of biochemistry,anthropometrics, clinical condition, Social factors and diet histories inpatients with specialised and complex nutritional needs.

9.5 Demonstrate advanced knowledge ininterpretation of complex clinical information to develop, monitor andcomplete nutritional care plans in a specialised dietetic areas. This mayinclude the prescription of dietary treatment, prescribable nutritional productsand enteral nutrition.

9.6 Responsible for safe dischargeplanning including the discharges of patients receiving home enteralnutrition.

9.7 Demonstrate the ability to evaluatepractice using evidence based practice and critical appraisal.

9.8 Ability to advise and suggestnutrition related medications.

9.9 Knowledge of clinical governance,quality of care and evidence based practice in specialist areas.

9.10 Awareness of national guidance anddriving factors in specialist areas.

9. PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OFRESPONSIBILITY

9.1 Clinical and professional

9.1.1 Be an autonomous practitioner,clinically, legally and professionally responsible for own caseload.

9.1.2 Responsible as a clinical practitioner ina specialist dietetic field, for delivering high quality specialist dieteticcare. This will involve being guided by departmental standards, professionalguidelines, broad occupational policies and procedures.

9.1.3 Collect, analyse and record relevantpatient information from clinical and patients sources to develop effectivenutritional plans.

9.1.4 Responsible for providing highlyspecialised dietary advice within an in-patient and out-patient setting, topatients in a distinct specialist area e.g. advice to renal dialysis patientson calcium and phosphate management. oncology patients on enteral feeding.

9.1.5Communicate the nutrition anddietary treatment of patient to healthcare staff, other professionals andpatient carers. This may involve co-ordinating nutritional care with othertrusts and centres outside the Trust.

9.1.6 Undertake comprehensive assessments ofpatients with diverse and complex nutritional issues where investigative andanalytical skills are required to formulate accurate treatment plans.

9.1.7 Responsible for providing relevantdietary advice within an in-patient and out-patient setting in verbal andwritten forms in a format which is understood by patients and carers.

9.1.8 Responsible for developing andmaintaining an agreed level of expertise by updating own specialised clinicalknowledge and skills through attendance at post-graduate courses, clinicalupdates and in-service training.

9.1.9 Participate in the appraisal process asan appraise and develop a strategy for personal and continuous professionaldevelopment, encompassing a portfolio-based assessment in line with nationallegislation.

9.1.10 Participate in audit within specialistareas, involving evaluation of research and audit projects to measureclinical effectiveness and promote evidence based practice.

9.1.11 Undertake any other duties appropriate tothe grade as requested/ agreed with the line manager.

9.2 Education and training

9.2.1 Devise and implement specialisednutritional care plans for inpatients and outpatients according to currentnational guidelines and standards, including NSFs. This will involve advisingpatients, relatives or carers, individually or in a group setting.

9.2.2 Contribute to developing and maintainingagreed levels of expertise of dietetic team members.

9.2.3 Provide effective oral and writtenspecialised dietetic advice and information to patients and their carers toenable achievement of dietary aims.

9.2.4 Develop resources used in the educationand training of patients, health professionals and the public.

9.2.5 Deliver formal and informal talks onnutrition and dietetics to health care staff as required.

9.2.6 Plan and deliver student training asassigned after an appropriate induction period / supervisory training course.

9.2.7 Train ward staff to use dieteticresources appropriately

9.2.8 Participate in providing specialisedadvice, teaching and training to other members of the multidisciplinary teamregarding the nutritional managements of a specialist group of patients.

9.2.9 Be an active member of the in-servicetraining programme through delivery of training sessions and tutorials atstaff meetings and by attending external courses and demonstrating reflectivepractice.

Managerial

9.3.1 Disseminate clinical information to othermembers of the multidisciplinary team by attendance and participation in wardrounds and case conference as required.

9.3.2 Responsible for ordering and cancellingadditional snacks and nutritional supplements from catering and pharmacyaccording to patients clinical condition and requirements.

9.3.3 Involved in the planning, setting andmonitoring of departmental objectives and standards as assigned. This willinclude contributing to the adaptation of national standards for use in thelocal setting.

9.3.4 Participate in surveys, research andaudit as required. Help to recommend any changes to practice after discussionwith supervisory / chief dietitian.

9.3.5 Participate in the collection of data formanagement information purposes as requested.

9.3.6 Ability to work independently withinappropriate professional and specialist guidelines.

9.3.7 Maintain stock control of diet sheets,patient information and educational material for ward, discharge andoutpatient use.

9.4 Organisational

9.4.1 Plans and organises complex caseload.This may involve prioritising and reviewing tasks several times throughoutthe day to accommodate competing clinical demands.

9.4.2 Co-ordinates discharge planning ofpatients with complex nutritional needs, liaising with community dietitiansnursing staff, GPs and other health care professionals within the localityand region to ensure safe discharge e.g. patients on home enteral nutrition.

9.4.4 Participate in departmental andmultidisciplinary meetings where required to ensure integrated dietetic care.

9.4.5 Liaise with the Catering Department toensure the correct provision of meals for patients on therapeutic diets.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc(Hons) Nutrition & Dietetics or Equivalent Experience of working as a Dietitian within a healthcare setting
• HCPC registration.
• Attendance on relevant specialist accredited post-graduate courses at post-graduate diploma level or equivalent

Experience

• Knowledge of current issues in Nutrition and Dietetics.
• Demonstrate awareness of specialist dietetic areas.
• Understanding of clinical governance, risk assessment and continuing quality improvement.

Skills & behaviours

• Able to work in a team, demonstrating time management skills and initiative.
• Committed to personal and professional development.
• Confident and caring approach.
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Good written and oral presentation skills

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.