Job summary
We are seeking an enthusiastic Dietitian to join our friendly department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich.The role will suit a newly qualified or experienced Dietitian who is organised, innovative and keen to develop their skills in a busy acute setting. You will have support from a Specialist Dietitian and the wider team of Specialist and Advanced Specialist Dietitians, Dietetic Assistants and Administrator.
The post holder will join a team that covers a range of wards; including Acute Medical, Orthopaedic, Cardiology, Frailty and Medical/Surgical Assessment Units. Within the team there will be opportunities to run a weekly outpatients clinic, health promotion presentations and deliver staff training.
Contract to end 30th April 2025
Main duties of the job
You can expect to work closely with other health care professionals to provide excellent patient care. You will be involved in ward rounds, MDT discussion, nutrition education, assessment and care planning.
All team members are supported to participate in audit, service evaluations, Quality Improvement projects and CPD. Band 5 Dietitians have the option to enrol on our Preceptorship program to help further enhance their professionalism and development.
The Nutrition and Dietetic Service in Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust has a team of approximately 35 staff including, Dietitians, Dietetic Assistants, and support team staff covering the two acute hospitals in Lewisham and Greenwich, and Lewisham community.
This post offers an exciting opportunity for a newly qualified or experienced band 5 Dietitian to work in the friendly Nutrition and Dietetic department at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich,
The post is fixed term for 6 months.
About us
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
- Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
- Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
- Improving the experience of staff with disability
- Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
- Making equalities mainstream
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Summary:
To provide an inpatient dietetic service to Acute Medical, Orthopaedic, Cardiology, and Frailty wards, under the direction and guidance of the Specialist Dietitian. To assess and monitor patients, offering nutritional support and dietary education. Provide dietetic input to the multidisciplinary team and advice for the catering staff to support the smooth flow of patients through the ward. Involved in provision of an Outpatient Dietetic Clinic. To contribute to service development through quality improvement projects, audit, patient experience monitoring and research.
Key Result Areas & Performance:
- Act as an independent practitioner and be professionally and legally accountable and responsible for all aspects of own work including a clinical caseload.
- Work independently to undertake nutritional assessments and calculate nutritional requirements of patients using anthropometry and taking into account medical, social and cultural factors.
- Communicate evidence based nutritional and dietary advice in an understandable form.
- Use communication and counselling skills such as reflective listening, open questioning, empathy, explanation and reassurance to communicate dietary intervention to patients and their carers.
- Gain valid consent to treatment and negotiate change with patients by breaking down barriers, using motivational skills, to enable them to achieve dietary targets set.
- Monitor and review nutritional care plans against outcome measures and adjust care plan to facilitate achievement of goals.
- Undertake designated outpatient clinics.
- Consult with peers when dealing with new or unfamiliar clinical specialities.
- Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, as appropriate.
- Ensure safe and timely discharge of patients on enteral tube feeding by liaising with appropriate internal and external agencies.
- Provide dietetic cover to other wards during periods of annual leave/sick leave within clinical capability.
- Accurately record all assessment and interventions in medical notes in line with Trust policy.
- Communicate with other agencies about ongoing patient care after discharge.
Work force
- Receive and triage referrals
- Decide daily on priorities for own work area, balancing patient related and professional demands.
- Contribute to working parties and departmental meetings.
- Complete allocated projects and meet deadlines.
- Record patient activity data.
- Supervise Dietetic assistants
- Share the responsibility for maintaining departmental resource files.
- Support colleagues with cover arrangements and excess workflow in other wards
- Develop processes to ensure clinical assessment, monitoring and reporting is completed within working day.
Education and training:
- Contribute to the training of pre-registration dietetic students on clinical placement (subject to six months post-registration experience) by:
- participating in the development and revision of the training program
- acting as a role model
- undertaking clinical supervision, tutorials, feedback and assessment
- Assist in delivering formal and informal training to other health care professionals and staff groups.
- Plan, deliver and evaluate defined patient group, teaching sessions
- Contribute to the development of educational resources, which are evidence based and acceptable to patients and carers.
Communications and Relationships
The Post holder will impart sensitive information to patients and their relatives. The Post Holder will present and share clinical information with other healthcare professionals and students. The post holder will have daily communication with:
- Patients/carers
- Dietetic colleagues & other healthcare professionals
- Students - dietetic and non-dietetic
- Support staff
- Consultants, GPs and primary care teams
- Specialist groups
- External agencies - social services, nutrition companies
Clinical governance:
- Work within the Health & Care Professions Councils Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics and Standards of Proficiency.
- Attend trust induction training and mandatory training programmes.
- Identify personal training needs through participation in regular continuous professional development activities and individual performance review.
- Develop skills by attending relevant training courses and conferences.
- Maintain a personal portfolio as evidence of competence to practice.
- Undertake defined audit projects as part of clinical practice with support.
- Contribute to the development of departmental and evidence based treatment policies, guidelines, standards and protocols.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Summary:
To provide an inpatient dietetic service to Acute Medical, Orthopaedic, Cardiology, and Frailty wards, under the direction and guidance of the Specialist Dietitian. To assess and monitor patients, offering nutritional support and dietary education. Provide dietetic input to the multidisciplinary team and advice for the catering staff to support the smooth flow of patients through the ward. Involved in provision of an Outpatient Dietetic Clinic. To contribute to service development through quality improvement projects, audit, patient experience monitoring and research.
Key Result Areas & Performance:
- Act as an independent practitioner and be professionally and legally accountable and responsible for all aspects of own work including a clinical caseload.
- Work independently to undertake nutritional assessments and calculate nutritional requirements of patients using anthropometry and taking into account medical, social and cultural factors.
- Communicate evidence based nutritional and dietary advice in an understandable form.
- Use communication and counselling skills such as reflective listening, open questioning, empathy, explanation and reassurance to communicate dietary intervention to patients and their carers.
- Gain valid consent to treatment and negotiate change with patients by breaking down barriers, using motivational skills, to enable them to achieve dietary targets set.
- Monitor and review nutritional care plans against outcome measures and adjust care plan to facilitate achievement of goals.
- Undertake designated outpatient clinics.
- Consult with peers when dealing with new or unfamiliar clinical specialities.
- Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, as appropriate.
- Ensure safe and timely discharge of patients on enteral tube feeding by liaising with appropriate internal and external agencies.
- Provide dietetic cover to other wards during periods of annual leave/sick leave within clinical capability.
- Accurately record all assessment and interventions in medical notes in line with Trust policy.
- Communicate with other agencies about ongoing patient care after discharge.
Work force
- Receive and triage referrals
- Decide daily on priorities for own work area, balancing patient related and professional demands.
- Contribute to working parties and departmental meetings.
- Complete allocated projects and meet deadlines.
- Record patient activity data.
- Supervise Dietetic assistants
- Share the responsibility for maintaining departmental resource files.
- Support colleagues with cover arrangements and excess workflow in other wards
- Develop processes to ensure clinical assessment, monitoring and reporting is completed within working day.
Education and training:
- Contribute to the training of pre-registration dietetic students on clinical placement (subject to six months post-registration experience) by:
- participating in the development and revision of the training program
- acting as a role model
- undertaking clinical supervision, tutorials, feedback and assessment
- Assist in delivering formal and informal training to other health care professionals and staff groups.
- Plan, deliver and evaluate defined patient group, teaching sessions
- Contribute to the development of educational resources, which are evidence based and acceptable to patients and carers.
Communications and Relationships
The Post holder will impart sensitive information to patients and their relatives. The Post Holder will present and share clinical information with other healthcare professionals and students. The post holder will have daily communication with:
- Patients/carers
- Dietetic colleagues & other healthcare professionals
- Students - dietetic and non-dietetic
- Support staff
- Consultants, GPs and primary care teams
- Specialist groups
- External agencies - social services, nutrition companies
Clinical governance:
- Work within the Health & Care Professions Councils Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics and Standards of Proficiency.
- Attend trust induction training and mandatory training programmes.
- Identify personal training needs through participation in regular continuous professional development activities and individual performance review.
- Develop skills by attending relevant training courses and conferences.
- Maintain a personal portfolio as evidence of competence to practice.
- Undertake defined audit projects as part of clinical practice with support.
- Contribute to the development of departmental and evidence based treatment policies, guidelines, standards and protocols.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- BSc Nutrition & Dietetics or BSc in relevant science subject plus post-graduate diploma Nutrition & Dietetics
- HCPC registration
Desirable
- Member of the British Dietetic Association +/- BDA Subgroup
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of managing own clinical caseload
Desirable
- Experience working in the NHS as an employee or within a student role
Knowledge
Essential
- Evidence of applying knowledge and Dietetic practice in a clinical setting (in employment or on student placement)
Skills
Essential
- Evidence of communicating with people from diverse backgrounds in a clinical setting
- Evidence of presentation skills
- Evidence of anthropometric measurement skills
- Evidence of CPD
Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- BSc Nutrition & Dietetics or BSc in relevant science subject plus post-graduate diploma Nutrition & Dietetics
- HCPC registration
Desirable
- Member of the British Dietetic Association +/- BDA Subgroup
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of managing own clinical caseload
Desirable
- Experience working in the NHS as an employee or within a student role
Knowledge
Essential
- Evidence of applying knowledge and Dietetic practice in a clinical setting (in employment or on student placement)
Skills
Essential
- Evidence of communicating with people from diverse backgrounds in a clinical setting
- Evidence of presentation skills
- Evidence of anthropometric measurement skills
- Evidence of CPD
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
