Dietitian Post: Band 5 | North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen at the North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (NMUH). We are looking for a newly qualified Band 5 dietitian to join our friendly and dynamic team at the NM community.

You will be based at St Michael's Hospital but clinical work undertaken in a variety of locations including nursing/ residential homes and patient's homes and community settings. However, you may be required to work at any other location of the Trusts interests, including travelling to appropriate meetings, outside of the Borough, as required.

You will be supported in developing your skills and knowledge.

The Dietetic Department is part of the Therapies team.

You should have good communication skills, be effective in MDT working and be able to deliver both group education and individual interventions.

You will be required to undertake teaching/training of other health professionals.

You will have the opportunity to be involved in research, audits and other service development initiatives.

You will be involved in student training for your area.

The Enfield community dietetic team and NMUH has a robust CPD programme, and are committed to providing excellent line management, supervision/support, specialist training and other forms of continuous professional development.

For any queries about the post, please contact the dietetic team on , or mobile , or email s.petrides@nhs.net

To perform comprehensive dietetic assessment of patients' with diverse presentations of physical and psychological conditions in their homes/care homes/nursing homes and outpatient clinics.

To provide advice, treatment and ongoing monitoring to patients with diverse presentation living in Enfield allocated as case load.

To have excellent communication skills to work closely with hospitals and community teams.

To have good organisational and time management skills to be able to effectively manage own case load.

To be responsible for contributing to developing education resources and education programmes for patients, carers, and staff.

To work with the dietetic manager and primary care lead and contribute to producing, implementing, and updating policies and procedures.

To regularly participate in research and audit within the Dietetic Service.

To undertake planning, organisation, allocation, and training of student training placements for this area.

Multidisciplinary team working, close liaison between community teams and acute, and effective communication skills with patients, carers, and other service users is essential.

To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner.

You will be supported and supervised by a B6/7 dietitian.

To contribute to the delivery of health promotion activities within the service and wider Trust initiatives.

North Mid is part of North Central London integrated care system - consisting of the NHS and Local authority organisations in Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey. As with other ICS's, we are working increasingly closely with partners and indeed many of our financial and performance objectives are measured at this system level. Whilst all organisations remain as standalone, statutory bodies we have an ICS infrastructure for making shared decisions and agreeing shared approaches.

We are proud of our staff and want to ensure their training allows them to provide excellent clinical care.

To perform comprehensive dietetic assessment of patients' with diverse presentations of physical and psychological conditions in their homes/care homes/nursing homes and outpatient clinics.

To provide advice, treatment and ongoing monitoring to patients with diverse presentation living in Enfield allocated as case load.

To have excellent communication skills to work closely with hospitals and community teams.

To have good organisational and time management skills to be able to effectively manage own case load.

To undertake evidence-based audit and or research projects to further own and team's clinical practice with support and guidance from more senior staff. Make recommendations to clinical lead/manager of service for changes to practice by the team. May contribute to the implementation of specific changes to practice or contribute to service protocols.

To be aware of and to highlight to the line manager any clinical governance issues pertaining to the role and practice.

To hold responsibility for own caseload and be responsible for a defined area of the service or particular patient type, working under supervision. Supervision takes the form of regular formal training and clinical reasoning sessions, peer review, case review and case conferences. Access to advice and support from a more senior Dietitian is available when required; clinical work is routinely evaluated.

To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner.

To contribute to the delivery of health promotion activities within the service and wider Trust initiatives

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical:

Under the guidance of more senior staff

1. To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work and that work delegated to support staff.

1. Provide a high quality Dietetic service across different clinical areas.

1. To take responsibility for the delegated caseload, managing patients with a variety of clinical conditions and pathologies.

1. Using an evidence based approach; Nutritional assessment of patients, including the calculation of nutritional requirements based on the interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometry and clinical condition resulting in the formulation of a dietetic treatment plan.

1. Communicate complex and sensitive information and advice, both written and verbal, to patients with complex needs in an understandable form. Examples of areas covered include malnutrition, obesity, diabetes, dysphagia, oncology, oral nutritional support.

1. Assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.

1. To utilise knowledge of evidence based practice and treatment options to select and deliver a Dietetic treatment package to individual patients and plan their successful discharge.

1. Regularly liaises with members of the multi-disciplinary team including SALT, Physiotherapists, District Nurses and G.Ps.

1. To represent the Dietetic service and/or individual patients at multidisciplinary team meetings, to ensure a coordinated multidisciplinary service, and integrate the Dietetic treatment into the treatment program. This will include discussion of patient care and patient progress.

1. Acts as a source of expertise to clinicians including Consultants and GPs including being involved in recommendations for the prescribing of nutritional supplements.

1. When working in the community and domiciliary settings seeing patients referred to the service and to work as a lone practitioner with prearranged telephone support from a senior Dietitian

1. To be responsible for maintaining accurate comprehensive patient treatment records in line with British Dietetic Association and HCPC standards of practice and BEH MHT policies and to communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports and letters.

1. To demonstrate a sound knowledge of clinical governance and risk management and to apply these both to own caseload and that delegated to support staff
Professional:

1. To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities and to maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.

1. To implement knowledge of relevant evidence based practice, developing a more in depth knowledge of particular conditions and patient types according to the caseload.

1. Where appropriate to assist in the clinical supervision of Dietetic students as part of the team.

1. To provide support and guidance to Dietetic Assistants and assistant staff working as part of the team.

1. Undertake an evidence-based project

1. Participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee and be responsible for complying with agreed personal development programmes to meet individual and service objectives.

1. Undertake measurement and evaluation of own work and current practices through the use of evidence based practice projects, audit and outcome measures, either individually or as part of a team with more senior Dietitians.

1. Be an active member of the in-service training programme, attending tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses and peer review sessions as appropriate and as identified in own PDP.
Organisational:
1. To be responsible for organising and planning own caseload to meet service and patient priorities, readjusting plans as situations change/arise
2. To undertake the collection of data for use in service audit and for monitoring service level agreements.
1. Be responsible for the safe and competent use of equipment, through teaching and supervision of practice
2. To communicate regularly and effectively with other members of the Dietetic service in order to ensure seamless Dietetic provision to patients moving between different areas of the service
3. To be aware of Health and Safety aspects of your work and implement any policies, which may be required to improve the safety of your work area, including your prompt recording and reporting of accidents to senior staff, and ensuring that equipment use is safe.
4. To comply with the organisational and departmental policies and procedures and to be involved in the reviewing and updating as appropriate
5. To undertake any other duties that might be considered appropriate by the Service Manager of the Nutrition and Dietetic Service

Communication:

1. To communicate effectively with patients and carers, through persuasion, motivation and explanation, to ensure adequate understanding of the condition and treatment required. Barriers to understanding such as language differences, anxiety and fear may be evident. Some issues regarding patients will be sensitive and distressing and will require tact, diplomacy and reassurance.
2. To be able to develop and use communication and teaching skills to educate the diverse and multicultural population.

Effort:
1. Carry out assessments and treatments of patients with moderate physical and significant mental and emotional effort on a daily basis.

1. To manage the pressure resulting from frequent interruptions and requests from other professionals that require thoughtful, timely and decisive action and which necessitate adjustment and re-prioritisation of the work plan for self and team.

1. On a daily basis to implement decisions on allocation of limited resources which directly affect level of therapy intervention to specific patients and have to justify those decisions to patients, carers and others.

1. To undertake manual handling in compliance with Trust manual handling policies and local guidance at all times.

1. To deal sensitively with patients and carers who may demonstrate high levels of anxiety and aggression

1. To interact with patients through an interpreter when English is not the patient's first language

1. When working in a community setting, to work as lone practitioner with telephone support from a more senior therapist as required.

1. The job involves the potential for exposure to verbal and physical aggression.