Community Dietitian

Job description

Job responsibilities

1.1 To work autonomously to provide a dietetic service including appropriate dietary assessment and treatment in specific community settings such as Health Centres, a domiciliary service to clients in their own homes and Care Homes (residential and nursing), group sessions and telephone and video consultations within Ealing. To seek guidance from supervisor/senior members of the team for more complex patients

1.2 To provide nutritional advice to clients and carers. This will involve nutritional assessment (interpretation of anthropometrics, biochemistry, clinical condition, diet history, patient environment and patient focus) to develop a dietetic diagnosis. Use evidence-based guidelines to develop treatment plans (calculation of nutritional requirements and client-centred goals) in order to optimise patient outcomes.

1.3 To be responsible for maintaining associated patient records.

1.4 To recommend food fortification or supplementation to meet requirements and appropriate provision of oral nutrition supplements or enteral feeds off FP10 in Ealing.

1.5 To provide advice to medical practitioners on the appropriate prescribing of or discontinuation of ACBS products such as enteral feeding products, oral nutritional supplements and vitamin and mineral supplements.

1.6 To facilitate, set up and amend patients home enteral tube feeding regimens and home deliveries

1.7 To communicate sensitive information effectively with patients from a wide range of backgrounds, carers and families, tailored to their needs, to gain consent, ensure understanding of condition, treatment options, risks, acceptance and compliance with dietary treatment, which may include unwelcome or difficult to accept information e.g. life time adherence to an artificial diet.

1.8 To apply communication, negotiation and counselling skills to empower patients to achieve long term lifestyle and behavioural changes taking into account emotional, physical, social and psychological barriers as well as strong influences on change e.g. depression, dementia, language difficulties, resistant attitudes, aggression, behavioural problems, and mental illness. To effectively use interpreters, sign language, information technology or other means of communication appropriate to the clients requirements.

1.9 To participate in multi-disciplinary / mutli-agency collaborative workings to promote continuity of care.

1.10 To use clinical judgement to refer clients to other services and professionals when appropriate.

1.11 To provide timely and informative client reports and discharge summaries for GPs, consultants, other Allied Health Professionals, nursing and other staff as required.

1.12 To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work and ensure that own work is within own scope and you abide by professional standards, confidentiality and clinical guidelines.

2 CLINICAL GOVERNANCE

2.1 To ensure clinical effectiveness through evidence-based practice when providing appropriate interventions and evaluation of outcomes.

2.2 To undertake research and audit in line with the Nutrition & Dietetic Services Annual Audit Plan, with guidance from Specialist Dietitians as needed.

2.3 To attend and actively participate in the services Peer Support and Clinical Supervision programmes.

2.4 To attend and actively contribute to Community Services Nutrition & Dietetics meetings.

2.5 To actively participate in the development and updating of evidence based patient resources, clinical standards, departmental policies and procedures, clinical guidelines and referral pathways.

3 TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1 To identify, assess, plan and deliver nutrition training/education to professionals working in Ealing, e.g. nurses, medical staff, Residential and nursing homes, catering staff, allied health professionals, pharmacists, Social services.

3.2 To participate in the orientation and induction of new members of Trust

staff.

3.3 To plan, assess and deliver dietetic student training and other students

e.g. nursing, medical.

3.5 To plan, deliver and evaluate health promotion sessions to vulnerable community groups e.g. Help the Aged. To engage the community to ensure their needs are focused upon

4 PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

4.1 To work within the British Dietetic Association code of professional conduct and Health and Care Professions Council standards.

4.2 To participate fully in the Professional Development Review process (PDR), ensuring the objectives set reflect Trust priorities.

4.3 To be responsible for maintaining own professional competency to practice through relevant CPD activities and to maintain a CPD portfolio to reflect this

4.4. To provide cover for other dietitians during periods of staff absence.

4.5 To be responsible for managing time effectively, planning, prioritising and

organising your own workload, balancing professional demands, pressures and deadlines.

4.6 To maintain strict confidentiality of patients records in accordance with the HCPC code of practice.

4.7 To have an understanding of the trusts diversity policy and provide a fair, non-biased and patient centred service.

4.8 To work within infection control and health and safety guidelines in order to deal appropriately with unpleasant conditions related to client contact for example exposure to body fluids, infectious conditions.

4.9 To keep accurate, contemporaneous and comprehensive notes and electronic records of all patients and to keep statistics in accordance with current service requirements.

4.10 To be responsible for equipment provided to them e.g. scales, height measures,

Callipers, grip strength, lap top, mobile phone, equipment carry cases.

5 EFFORT AND ENVIRONMENTAL

5.1 To demonstrate compassion, empathy and sensitivity to clients who may have emotional and physical conditions and social concerns requiring moderate emotional effort on a daily basis.

5.2 To perform tasks which require moderate to high mental effort on a daily basis, for example concentration to write letters, use clinical analysis and reasoning skills to make diagnosis, assessments and develop appropriate treatment programmes and to educate colleagues and clients throughout the day.

5.3 To perform tasks which require the use and transportation of anthropometric measurement equipment for dietary assessment and research/audit, which require moderate mental and physical effort.

5.4 Frequent exposure to lone working conditions in a variety of settings.

5.5 To travel to clients homes, clinics or community settings using the most appropriate form of transport, e.g. walking, cycling, public transport, which may require moderate physical effort on a daily basis.

5.6 To respond to inconsistent work patterns and to be able to respond to stressful situations, manage time effectively, make adjustments and re-prioritise as required using moderate mental effort on a daily basis.

5.7 May be frequently exposed to unpleasant working conditions such as unhygienic and cluttered environments, pets and other animals.

5.8 May be exposed to adverse or extreme weather conditions on a regular basis.

5.9 May be exposed to verbal and physical aggression from clients, family members or carers and will need to be able to demonstrate negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations.

5.10 To comply with Trust Moving and Handling, Lone Working, Health and Safety and Risk Assessment Policies at all times.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• oPost-registration experience working with patients or the general public
• oKnowledge of audits and evaluation methods
• oKnowledge of working effectively autonomously and within a team
• oKnowledge of diversity issues and ability to work with people from a wide variety of backgrounds

Abilities and qualification

Essential

• oDegree/Post-graduate Diploma/MSc in Dietetics
• oHealth Professions Council Registration

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Mattock Lane Health Centre/ Acton Lane Health Centre/ Featherstone Road Health Centre

Ealing

W13 9NZ

Employer's website

https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)