Community Dietitian

Job responsibilities

Assess, plan, develop, implement and evaluate programmes to promote and prevent adverse effects on health and well-being.

Implement and evaluate individual treatment plans for patients.

Identify, and manage as appropriate treatment plans for patients at risk.

Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations.

Provide information and advice on prescribed or over the counter medication.

Recognise, assess and refer patients presenting with mental health needs.

Promote and deliver evidenced based care.

Assist senior practitioners as required.

Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment.

Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural backgrounds and preferred ways of communicating.

Act as an advocate when representing patients and colleagues viewpoints to others.

Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the relevant professional body.

Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedure

Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality.

Deliver care according to national and local guidelines, working in partnership with other clinical teams/departments.

Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation.

Participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the organisation and its activities.

Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating quality implementing improvements where required.

Evaluate the patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care.

Support and participate in shared learning across the wider organisation.

Utilising a structured framework (e.g. root cause analysis) participate in the management, review and identify learning from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near miss events.

Participate in the performance monitoring review of the team, providing feedback as appropriate.

Act as a positive role model takes responsibility for own development, learning and performance including participating in clinical supervision.

Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment encouraging everyone to reach their potential, learn from each other and from external good practice.

Understand own responsibilities and accountability in the delivery of care to patients, ensuring that the needs of the patient are the priority.

Participate in planning and implementing changes within the area of care and responsibility.

Work with other professionals to ensure sufficient staff of appropriate ability, quality and skill mix is available to meet the needs of patients.

Contribute and participate in the development of local guidelines, protocols and standards.

Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments that are relevant to own practice.

Keep up to date with new developments locally and nationally identifying those that will enhance the teams work.

Undertake mandatory and statutory training.

Act as a mentor to students assessing competency against set standards as requested if appropriately qualified.

Accept and delegate tasks appropriately.

The post holder shall as necessary provide cover for and undertake duties of absent colleagues.

Please contact us if you would like any additional information or to arrange an informal visit.

Qualifications

Essential

• BSc Nutrition and Dietetics or relevant degree with post graduate diploma in dietetics
• Health Professions Council registration for dietetics

Desirable

• Full member of British Dietetic Association
• Mentorship and/or Student Training qualification e.g., SAS training
• Any postgraduate study or qualifications relevant to role.

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

• Knowledge of the trust vision, goals and values
• Experience of clinical audit, service development or quality improvement
• Health and Social Care experience, preferably within the NHS
• Enteral feeding or nutrition support experience
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team (MDT)
• Knowledge or experience in the reporting of patient safety incidents.

Desirable

• Previous experience working as a Dietitian either in the inpatient or outpatient setting
• Providing training or shadowing for other health professionals or trainees
• Experience delivering patient education or health promotion
• Motivational interviewing and behavioural change training
• Experience using e-registration systems for home enteral feed discharges

Values

Essential

• Continuous Improvement
• Accountability
• Respectfulness
• Enthusiasm
• Support
• Responsive to service users
• Engaging leadership style
• Strong customer service belief
• Transparency and honesty
• Discreet
• High professional standards
• Change oriented

Skills

Essential

• 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
• Autonomous practitioner
• 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

Desirable

• Accurate anthropometric skills.
• Experience taking minutes or chairing meetings
• Experience using electronic documentation systems e.g., EMIS
• Presentation skills

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Ability to comply with Trust Policy
• Willingness to be flexible to deliver unexpected or unusual circumstances relating to patient care
• A commitment to continuous learning and personal development of self
• Support the learning and development of others including Dietetic Assistants, Assistant Practitioners, Student Dietitians, Apprentice Dietitians and other AHPs
• Satisfactory DBS clearance
• Satisfactory references

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).