Dietitian - First Contact Practitioner

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY

The post holder will be responsible for clinical dietetic leadership and development in the PCN. They will facilitate the implementation and evaluation of novel nutritional pathways for patients within the PCN. They will provide specialist nutritional assessment, advice and product prescribing/de-prescribing as part of a multi-disciplinary team service to patients, their families and carers across the health community.

The post holder will be a key member of the Care Home MDT and will provide dietetic support to care home residents and training to staff.

The post holder will support the learning and education of healthcare professionals in the PCN and practices, working closely with the Care Home MDT and Community Teams.

The successful applicant will also support the PCN member practices in the prescribing and monitoring of nutritional products across the PCN and will work closely with their dietetic colleagues employed in other settings.

The post holder will be supported to increase their knowledge and skills across all areas through clinical guidance and peer support.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The post holder, working closely with existing Community Dietitians, PCN and Community Staff and Practices will:

• Provide an enhanced dietetic service to frail patients, specifically those in care homes or those with complex chronic health conditions in the PCN community
• Ensure health care professionals are supported with local and national guidelines on the prescribing of oral nutritional supplements
• Make dietetic advice readily available to patients and staff
• Improve patient follow-up in the community
• Encourage the use of MUST risk screening/pathway and Food First within care homes to support early intervention/care for those at risk of malnutrition
• Develop and deliver nutrition teaching programmes to care homes

Additional responsibilities

• Support the PCN team by inputting into the overall strategy development and programming of work streams by applying expert knowledge and understanding of programme and project management
• Support and work with the Medicines Management Team and PCN Clinical Pharmacists to support cost effective use of nutritional products
• Plan programmes of work and ensure regular monitoring to enable progress to be assessed, resolving problems and initiating corrective actions as necessary
• Communicate with all stakeholders
• Manage and track all issues, risks and quality specifications. Escalate in a timely manner to the appropriate party when unable to resolve
• Make effective use of staff within the PCN and practices to provide the necessary support to delivery
• Contribute to performance improvement and taking a lead for identified areas when agreed
• Provide coordination of and participate in relevant internal and external working groups and provide project advice, expertise and support when requested
• Provide relevant and timely specialist advice and guidance on own portfolio of projects/function
• Work with members of the team to investigate the causes of any variance from target/plan and proactively contribute to the implementation of solutions
• Complete mandatory training
• Complete safeguarding reporting and significant event reporting as they arise
• Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for advice relating to the nutritional needs of patients in the community
• Provide dietetic assessment and care plans to patients in a variety of settings (GP practice, care home, patients own home, clinic etc) by way of face to face, video and telephone consultations
• Analyse and interpret information from a variety of sources regarding individual patients including biochemistry, medication and clinical condition in order to provide best dietetic advice to other healthcare professionals
• To support the identification of non-nutritional causes of weight loss and refer onwards as needed
• Make recommendations and inform other dietetic colleagues, health care professionals and external agencies including GPs of issues concerning patients nutritional and dietetic management, or transfer of care as appropriate, to ensure a multi-disciplinary team approach
• Identify and maintain a caseload
• To communicate complex nutrition and dietetic information in an understandable form to healthcare staff, patients and carers using negotiation, persuasion, motivation and counselling skills. This may include situations where there are barriers to understanding
• To advise on nutritional issues with respect to catering for people in care homes to ensure nutritional needs are met, minimising the need for nutritional products
• Use clinical systems for record keeping, audit and maintaining a caseload
• Develop and implement data collection systems that will provide accurate and timely data
• Maintain confidentiality

For more information, please see the supporting information.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Please provide detailed information of how you feel that your experience is suitable for this role; please provide examples to support your application referring to the job description and person specification for guidance.

Qualifications

Essential

• Please provide details of your CPD, using examples where necessary.
• Please provide your registration number of your HCPC professional registration.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Please provide details for why you would be a great fit for this role and why you have decided to apply.

Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Please provide detailed information of how you feel that your knowledge and skills are suitable for this role; please provide examples to support your application referring to the job description and person specification for guidance.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Primary Integrated Community Services

Address

Sherwood Primary Care Network

Nottingham

NG21 0RB

Employer's website

http://picsnhs.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)