Job summaryDue to internal promotion, an exciting opportunity has arisen for a dietitian to join our team at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust working across both Worcestershire Royal Hospital and The Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.
Band 5 dietitian 37.5 hours per week, flexible working considered.
We are a forward thinking and proactive Dietetic department of over 30 dietitians working within specialty teams.
We can offer you,
A friendly and supportive team of colleagues, excellent peer support, and regular clinical supervision.
The Department is approved for student placements A, B and C. All staff actively participate in student training.
We are committed to your personal development, wellbeing, and CPD.
As a department we have regular specialty and team meetings with a focus on quality improvement and maintaining CPD.
Main duties of the job- To manage an inpatient caseload, using evidence-based, patient centred principles to assess plan implement and evaluate dietary interventions for a range of medical conditions.
- To run a weekly dietitian outpatient clinic.
- To deliver the coeliac group education session.
- To gain experience and develop skills and knowledge in various clinical areas.
- To undertake nutritional assessments taking into consideration biochemistry, anthropometrics, clinical condition and dietary intake.
- To plan and prioritise own clinical caseload and that of dietetic students and support staff.
About usWorcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.
The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester
Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.
We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.
Being open and honest
Ensuring people feel cared for
Showing respect to everyone
We are committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement by embedding the principles of our Improvement System.
We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.
DBS Checks and CostsAny applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in Supporting Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.
Job responsibilitiesJob Purpose:To manage a caseload of patients offering evidence-based dietetic advice and/or patient centred principles within designated ward areas and in out-patient clinics.
To provide dietetic intervention to patients on a wide range of therapeutic diets in a timely way by working as a member of the dietetic team and other health care professionals.
To take responsibility for prioritising and managing workload, seeking guidance from senior staff whenever required.
To train and update healthcare professionals on nutrition related topics.
To contribute to the Therapy Clinical Governance agenda to further improve the quality of the service.
To provide dietetic advice to patients at 3 hospital sites including group education sessions to help deliver a responsive dietetic service provision.
Key Duties:ClinicalTo function as an autonomous practitioner, working within codes of practice and professional guidelines when providing expert advice to patients on therapeutic diets.
To use clinical judgement and analyse the patient's personal circumstances before formulating a dietary care plan.
To accept clinical responsibility for a caseload of patients and organise this effectively.
To prioritise caseload of inpatients and outpatient referrals received to ensure timely dietetic intervention.
To advise patients in individual consultations on therapeutic diets in Outpatient clinics or via telephone and to inform referrer in writing of dietetic intervention.
To liaise with catering department regarding special dietary requirements
To involve patients in decision- making for their treatment on wards and in outpatient clinics; to inform referrer in writing of dietetic intervention.
To formulate and update diet sheets on specific topics to ensure information is evidence based
To advise patients in group education sessions
To coordinate a safe and effective discharge/transfer of patients from hospital
To attend Departmental meetings and participate in on-going development of the service.
To ensure patient confidentiality is maintained at all times.
CommunicationsTo communicate effectively with the multidisciplinary team, patients carers and relatives regarding the dietetic component of patient care
To maintain accurate documentation on-going patient care, including phone contacts in accordance with professional standards.
To communicate with healthcare professionals in implementing Trustwide nutrition related policies.
To work with healthcare professionals to help improve dietetic care and patient experience.
To use computer skills to produce and retrieve clinical information, to communicate to colleagues and for presentations.
Education and TrainingTo maintain own clinical professional development.
To be appraised annually and agree objectives for the year and a personal development plan taking into account personal objectives.
To participate in student training programmes in the Department following attendance on a clinical supervisory skills course.
To contribute to multidisciplinary training programmes linked to nutrition in the Trust.
To participate in clinical supervision.
Organisation and ManagementTo assist teams with day-to-day planning and delivery of patient caseload.
To contribute to the pro-active monitoring and review of the Nutrition & Dietetics service.
To participate in service development projects.
GovernanceClinical:To demonstrate on-going continuous professional development
To contribute to the implementation of Clinical Governance in the Department.
To carry out clinical audit and present results to promote evidence-based practice.
Non ClinicalTo implement Health & Safety in the workplace by maintaining a safe environment for patients, staff and visitors at all times.
To act immediately to rectify unsafe practices.
To report adverse incidents to staff, patients or any other person according to Trust policy.
To attend mandatory training ensuring there is adequate cover for clinical work.
To adhere to all Trust and departmental policies and other statutory requirements such as Infection Control, safeguarding procedures.
ProfessionalTo maintain Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration, adhering to the Standards of Conduct Performance and Ethics.
To maintain own competency to practice through CPD activities.
To recognise own limitations and seek advice from senior colleagues.
To work within the British Dietetic Association (BDA) code of conduct.
To maintain a professional attitude at all times promoting the role of the Dietitian in the best interest of the patients and profession.
To be legally and professionally accountable for all aspects of own work.
To undertake any other duties which are applicable to the grade of the post that are considered appropriate by the Dietetic Manager.
Any special requirements:The post holder may be required to participate in on-call service provision and work over some weekends and bank holidays on a rostered basis.
The post requires concentration on a daily basis when assessing patients, calculating their nutritional requirement and communicating information to relevant people. There may be situations of dealing with individuals who show anxiety, anger, and emotional distress. Post includes a combination of walking and sitting with some physical effort e.g. setting up the room for group sessions and carrying visual aids for talks.
Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential- Degree or Diploma in Nutrition & Dietetics or equivalent qualifications in Dietetics.
- Registered Dietitian recognised by the HCPC.
Desirable- Member of British Dietetic Association.
Personal qualitiesEssential- Autonomous practitioner
- Ability to recognise own professional limitations and when to seek advice from senior colleagues
- Able to work independently
- Ability to maintain an effective working relationship in team
- Self-motivated
- Relates well to staff and patients
- Caring attitude and empathy
- Professional attitude to routine and non-routine tasks
- Desire to deliver a high quality service
- Ability to maintain patient confidentiality
Desirable- Ability to remain calm & in control during busy phases
- Willing to implement change
ExperienceEssential- Evidence of successful completion of clinical placement or clinical experience in NHS
- Able to demonstrate a high level of expertise within a wide range of clinical dietetics in acute hospital
- Experienced in all aspects of adult nutrition support, sip feeds and enteral feeds
- Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills
- Evidence of excellent verbal communication skills including active listening skills
- Evidence of excellent written skills
- Ability to assess individuals with complex medical problems and to plan their dietetic care
- Ability to make decisions regarding change of practice based on clinical evidence and disseminate same to other health professionals
- Ability to problem solve
- Able to prioritise workload and meet clinical needs of patients
- Able to demonstrate excellent personal organisational skills
- Able to act on own initiative
- Excellent computer literacy skills
- Knowledge of nutrition risk scoring, e.g. MUST
- Knowledge of all aspects of adult nutrition support, sip feeds and enteral feeds
- Knowledge of implementing evidence based practice for continuous service improvement
Desirable- Experience of nutrition risk scoring eg MUST
- Experience of group patient education
- Able to research evidence based practice and apply to practice
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.Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). 
