Dietician

Job description

Job responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical Practice

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of your own work, including sole responsibility for the dietetic management of patients in your care, working within the professional, ethical and legal framework for dietetics set out in the Health Profession Councils Dietitians Standards of Conduct Performance and Ethics and the British Dietetic Associations Professional Standards for Dietitians and Code of Professional Conduct.

To have responsibility for developing, providing and managing an expert nutrition and dietetic service within the multidisciplinary team, including the dietetic referral process and waiting list.

To provide expert advice to patients, carers and clinicians regarding provision of nutritional support for patients with eating disorders based on clinical evidence. This will involve nutritional assessment; to include the calculation of nutritional requirements based on the interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometry, clinical condition and other physical parameters.

To regularly review and evaluate the effectiveness of nutritional goals and modify as necessary based on ongoing analysis and assessment of information available and changing patient needs and medical condition. This includes in person reviews and weighing of patients.

To directly prescribe and modify nutritional supplements based on nutritional status and to inform the medical team as required. To prescribe and modify specialist feeds as required.

To inform, advise and teach patients, carers and health professionals on the nutritional and dietary requirements and individual care of patients using a range of communication skills and tools. This involves being able to communicate complex and sensitive information to a wide range of people, and requires highly developed negotiation, motivation, counselling and interpersonal skills.

To have the ability to deal appropriately with exposure to distressed or extremely emotional circumstances e.g. low weight patients at risk who are ambivalent about making changes, distressed parents/carers, individuals with low mood, depression or multi-impulsive behaviour.

Chair both clinical and non-clinical meetings, as required.

To take part in the teams face to face assessment clinic on a rotating basis.

To attend clinical team meetings both virtually and face to face as needed and communicate closely with the MDT.

To travel independently and work flexibly across the county to support the service from a designated base.

Management and Organisation

To supervise and develop the capabilities and skills of other staff eg Band 6 dietitians.

Keeping accurate and contemporary clinical notes, reports and workload data.

Implementing and promoting local and national legislation, incorporating good practice guidelines into clinical work.

Managing and prioritising clinical time and case load effectively.

Ensure effective communication with the Multi-Disciplinary Team to assist standards of clinical services.

Service Development and Training

Regularly undertaking clinical audit in own areas of practice and disseminating information to the wider service.

Work with other disciplines in the team to develop clinical skills, provide training for staff and Multi-disciplinary Team. Develop new approaches to care.

Contribute to service development of the team by participation in locality meetings, strategy groups, and audit and research projects as appropriate.

To support partnership agencies and other pathways to develop skills and interventions to increase their understanding of nutrition and dietetics in relation to children and young people with eating disorders.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• HCPC registered.
• Dietetics degree or equivalent.
• UK Driving License/Use of a car for work essential.
• Knowledge of RIO system( mandatory)

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).

Employer details

Employer name

NHS Professionals Limited

Address

The Whiteleaf Centre

Bierton Road

Aylesbury

Buckinghamshire

HP20 1EG

Employer's website

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