Job summary
Dietitian - Band 5
Full time 37.5 hours/week (part time considered)
Permanent Contract
£31,049 - 37,796 pa
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a band 5 Dietitian to join our friendly Dietetic department at Whiston Hospital (Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Trust).
We are looking for a professional, confident, enthusiastic, driven and motivated individual, who is a team player and keen to develop their knowledge and skills. The successful individual will have excellent interpersonal skills, a flexible approach with the ability to work to high standards, as well as being able to recognise personal and role limitations.
The role is an ideal opportunity to gain experience in one of our Band 5 rotations: general medicine, cardiorespiratory and general surgery, or older people including frailty. The successful candidate will be to deliver high quality evidence-based care, be required to work autonomously and take responsibility for your own clinical caseload.
Main duties of the job
As a service, we are committed to CPD for all our staff through a range of opportunities including training courses e.g. Postgraduate Masters, the PENG clinical update; BDA accredited courses; and regular internal CPD sessions. There are opportunities to contribute to audits and service development projects and shadowing and development in more specialist areas such as stroke, critical care, gastroenterology, parenteral nutrition, UGI cancer and burns and plastics. If newly qualified, you will be enrolled in the Trust's preceptorship programme which supports the transition from newly registered professional to competent practitioner.
We have an excellent staff supervision system enabling our staff to be committed to developing both the service and themselves. You will receive regular supervision from a Senior Dietitian and peer support from our existing Band 5 Dietitians. We take Student Dietitians on P1, P2 and P3 placements and your input into their training would be valued.
A flexible approach to day-to-day tasks is essential to meet the demands of the service. Our philosophy is to keep the patient at the heart of everything we do. We are a forward-thinking department that is continually looking for ways to improve our services and every contribution is welcome.
PLEASE NOTE - we provide a seven day service, days of work will be Monday to Sunday. You may be asked to provide occasional cover on a Bank Holiday.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
- Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To be professional and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients/clients in your care.
- To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients/clients including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi pathologies; use specialist clinical reasoning skills and appropriate assessment techniques to provide an accurate diagnosis of their condition.
- Formulate and deliver an individual treatment programme using assessment, reasoning skills and treatment skills based on a sound knowledge of evidence based practice and treatment options.
- To take delegated responsibility from a senior clinician for managing patients/clients with particular conditions and be responsible for providing specialist assessment and treatment plans for patients with these conditions.
- Evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes as required, reporting back to senior clinician with regular support and advice.
- To have the ability to undertake self-directed/lone working in a variety of locations.
- To participate in weekend, evening working and seven day working rotas as applicable.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To be professional and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients/clients in your care.
- To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients/clients including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi pathologies; use specialist clinical reasoning skills and appropriate assessment techniques to provide an accurate diagnosis of their condition.
- Formulate and deliver an individual treatment programme using assessment, reasoning skills and treatment skills based on a sound knowledge of evidence based practice and treatment options.
- To take delegated responsibility from a senior clinician for managing patients/clients with particular conditions and be responsible for providing specialist assessment and treatment plans for patients with these conditions.
- Evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes as required, reporting back to senior clinician with regular support and advice.
- To have the ability to undertake self-directed/lone working in a variety of locations.
- To participate in weekend, evening working and seven day working rotas as applicable.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc (Hons) Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics or equivalent
- HCPC Registered Dietitian
Desirable
- Member of British Dietetic Association
Experience
Essential
- Previous demonstrable experience of working in a health, social setting as a dietitian.
- Awareness of current NHS issues and relevant framework/quality indicators
- Knowledge of evidence-based practice and importance within clinical area
- Experience of taking an active role within the Multidisciplinary Team
- Awareness of health and safety issues and reporting mechanisms
- Demonstrate an awareness of clinical governance and its application within Therapy
- Demonstrates a more advanced knowledge of computer packages
- Commitment to your and others ongoing Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and maintenance of professional portfolio.
Desirable
- Experience of facilitating dietetic student training
Skills
Essential
- Ability to manage own time within clinical and non-clinical activity and to guide others using problem solving and decision-making skills
- Ability to maintain records, statistical and activity data according to service standards.
- Effective teaching and presentation skills
- Ability to encourage and motivate others by providing sound practical and realistic advice
- Ability to demonstrate clinical reasoning and a holistic problem solving approach, appropriate to experience within clinical area
- Ability to manage own stress and awareness of stress in others
- To demonstrate tact/diplomacy and empathy within clinical/team settings
- Good interpersonal skills with effective written and verbal communication- replaces one that mentions communication in MDT
- Ability to demonstrate assertiveness within the clinical settings
- Ability to positively represent the Dietetic Team within the Organisation
- Ability to demonstrate reflective practice
Other
Essential
- The post includes a combination of walking and sitting with duties being carried out in a variety of settings across the hospital sites.
- The post will be based at Southport Hospital but postholder would be required to work across sites and attend meetings held in community buildings and ODGH.
- To be able physically carry equipment (e.g. ward folders, teaching materials, audio-visual aids)
- The post holder will be required to use frequent concentration in assessing patients and devising care plans.
- Conveying complex nutritional information in a comprehensible and practical way to clients, families and carers where there may be significant barriers to understanding.
- Prioritising clinical work responding to unpredictable demands on time e.g. responding to bleeps for urgent referrals
- The post holder will often have to overcome barriers to communication such as illiteracy, learning difficulties, hearing and sight impairment, language and may have to work with interpreters.
- Communication with and have direct contact with a wide variety of people, including health, social care and education professionals, patients, carers, the public.
- Daily involvement with chronically and terminally ill patients and their carers.
- The post holder will be exposed to sensitive, emotional and distressing circumstances, including terminally ill patients and abusive patients/carers.
- The post holder will be exposed to the working conditions associated with clinical environment
- Routinely encounters unpleasant smells and sights, with possible exposure to bodily fluids including blood and sputum.
- Ability to fulfil the travel requirements of the post
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc (Hons) Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics or equivalent
- HCPC Registered Dietitian
Desirable
- Member of British Dietetic Association
Experience
Essential
- Previous demonstrable experience of working in a health, social setting as a dietitian.
- Awareness of current NHS issues and relevant framework/quality indicators
- Knowledge of evidence-based practice and importance within clinical area
- Experience of taking an active role within the Multidisciplinary Team
- Awareness of health and safety issues and reporting mechanisms
- Demonstrate an awareness of clinical governance and its application within Therapy
- Demonstrates a more advanced knowledge of computer packages
- Commitment to your and others ongoing Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and maintenance of professional portfolio.
Desirable
- Experience of facilitating dietetic student training
Skills
Essential
- Ability to manage own time within clinical and non-clinical activity and to guide others using problem solving and decision-making skills
- Ability to maintain records, statistical and activity data according to service standards.
- Effective teaching and presentation skills
- Ability to encourage and motivate others by providing sound practical and realistic advice
- Ability to demonstrate clinical reasoning and a holistic problem solving approach, appropriate to experience within clinical area
- Ability to manage own stress and awareness of stress in others
- To demonstrate tact/diplomacy and empathy within clinical/team settings
- Good interpersonal skills with effective written and verbal communication- replaces one that mentions communication in MDT
- Ability to demonstrate assertiveness within the clinical settings
- Ability to positively represent the Dietetic Team within the Organisation
- Ability to demonstrate reflective practice
Other
Essential
- The post includes a combination of walking and sitting with duties being carried out in a variety of settings across the hospital sites.
- The post will be based at Southport Hospital but postholder would be required to work across sites and attend meetings held in community buildings and ODGH.
- To be able physically carry equipment (e.g. ward folders, teaching materials, audio-visual aids)
- The post holder will be required to use frequent concentration in assessing patients and devising care plans.
- Conveying complex nutritional information in a comprehensible and practical way to clients, families and carers where there may be significant barriers to understanding.
- Prioritising clinical work responding to unpredictable demands on time e.g. responding to bleeps for urgent referrals
- The post holder will often have to overcome barriers to communication such as illiteracy, learning difficulties, hearing and sight impairment, language and may have to work with interpreters.
- Communication with and have direct contact with a wide variety of people, including health, social care and education professionals, patients, carers, the public.
- Daily involvement with chronically and terminally ill patients and their carers.
- The post holder will be exposed to sensitive, emotional and distressing circumstances, including terminally ill patients and abusive patients/carers.
- The post holder will be exposed to the working conditions associated with clinical environment
- Routinely encounters unpleasant smells and sights, with possible exposure to bodily fluids including blood and sputum.
- Ability to fulfil the travel requirements of the post
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).
