Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities Key results from the job holder
•    To work as an autonomous practitioner within the Community Dietetic Team specialising in paediatrics whilst delivering remote telephone and face to face clinics across the full range of Dietetic specialties within the community.
•    To manage a defined caseload, working to agreed standards and protocols which reflect evidence based practice and dietetic principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.
•    To collect and assimilate information necessary to undertake nutritional assessment and determine nutritional needs of the patient including referral to other disciplines as appropriate.
•    To develop, monitor and review appropriate care plans, to meet the needs of individuals using complex numerical calculations, interpretation of clinical, biochemical and psychosocial information.
•    Assesses and interprets the medical diagnoses and changes in medical condition of individual patient and understands how this affects nutritional management.
•    To communicate effectively with patients, relatives, care staff, and health care professionals to negotiating and supporting decision making in relation to therapeutic management and evaluating outcomes.
•    To be able to adapt the communication skills within a variety of settings using various approaches including knowledge of learning theories and barriers to learning.
•    To take part in clinical supervision and seek advice around any complex situations or residents from Senior Dietitians within the Nutrition Service.
•    To attend weekly video link dietetic meetings with the wider dietetic team and contribute to dietetic meetings with case studies, new evidence and updates in own area of work. 
•    To provide clinical education, advice and support for junior therapy staff and support staff.
•    To provide highly specialist knowledge, skills and advice to clients, and be a source of expertise for therapy staff, other members of the MDT and other agencies.
•    To supervise, educate and assess the performance of therapy students.
•    To contribute to service research and audit activities.
•    To be flexible to meet the needs of the service and propose any service changes within own professional speciality area.

Planning and Organisational Duties

Clinical
•    To be able to demonstrate ability to be able priorities workload and to be able to complete tasks independently with an ability to meet agreed deadlines.
•    To correspond promptly with care staff, health professionals and GPs with justification of appropriate nutritional treatment plans.
•    To complete accurate records of clinical work undertaken to comply with national and local standards
•    To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients.
•    To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi-pathologies; use advanced clinical reasoning and problem solving skills to provide an accurate prognosis of their condition.
•    To participate in holistic multi-disciplinary assessments in order to determine client needs.
•    To 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.
•    To evaluate the effectiveness of treatments and modify accordingly.
•    To follow clinical risk management processes within own patient caseload.
•    To represent the team and patients at multi-disciplinary team meetings and case conferences in order to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multi-disciplinary service and to integrate therapy intervention into the treatment programme. This will include discussion of patient care, patient progress and involvement in discharge planning.
•    To give advice and training on intervention programme on a one-to-one basis, including advice to carers.
•    To formulate and deliver individual treatment and care plans based on a sound knowledge of evidence based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and highly specialised knowledge of intervention techniques.
•    To support the Team Leader and other Highly Specialist / Specialist Dietitian as required.
•    To work with the patients, carers and colleagues to identify goals as part of intervention plans.

Personal Development, Education, and Training
•    To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through undertaking a range of CPD activities and ensure compliance with Mandatory Training programme.
•    To be responsible for maintaining a personal portfolio which meets the requirements of BDA and HCPC audit; reflecting personal development, experimental learning, reflective practice and any relevant training or experience.
•    Able to reflect on practice using critical appraisal skills both individually and with peers/mentors and identifies own strengths and development needs.
•    Comply with and have an understanding of policies/procedures and guidance relating to clinical practice.
 •    Participate in Personal Development Review process according to Trust policy and any personal development identified as required for the role.
•    Have a clear understanding of personal accountability, level of responsibility and refer issues outside own competencies/level of knowledge to an appropriate member of the team.
•    Facilitate the development of others and influences the care provided by other Health and Social Care professions through provision of guidance and involvement in formal teaching; including assistant staff, students, health care and medical community staff.
•    To work with the Trust, HCPC, National and Local guidelines to monitor own and other practice.

Audit & Performance Management
•    Monitor own area of service delivery and work closely with the whole Nutrition Service to ensure delivery of care is of the appropriate standard suggesting appropriate action to address service deficit and develops needed in consultation with Team Lead and Clinical Manager.
•    To comply with and contribute to the development of protocols, procedures and guidelines both clinical and departmental.
•    To undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work and current practices through the use of evidence based practice projects, audit and outcome measures, either individually or with other therapists.
•    To complete audit, in accordance with the service plan, and to ensure accurate outcome information available for monitoring reports.
•    Supports the development of reliable outcome measurement for service, using validated tools where possible.
•    To have excellent computer literacy skills in order to complete data entry to support evaluation of the outcomes of the caseload.
•    To take delegated responsibility on development of a particular object or project in liaison with Specialist Dietitians and Team Leader.

Records Management/Data Protection
•    Ensure that documentation is appropriate and accountable; with effective communication, written, verbal and the use of IT, maintaining up to date records and information that comply with the Data Protection Act, Professional Standards and Trust standards of practice.
•    Establish and maintain effective communication with colleagues, patient / clients and others, and be empathetic and reassuring when communicating highly sensitive information and advice.
•    The above indicates the main duties of the post, which may be reviewed in the light of experience and developments within the service. Any review will be undertaken in conjunction with the post holder.
•    To ensure risk assessments are completed as per trust Policy.
•    To produce medico legal information as required.

Communications and Key Working Relationships
•    To demonstrate a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate complex, sensitive, condition-related information effectively, on a one-to one or group basis, with patients, parents, carers, colleagues, team members and other agencies to progress treatment and intervention. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating. For example, patients may be dysphasic, depressed, hard of hearing, visually impaired, or they may be unable to accept the diagnosis.
•    To liaise with other professional agencies to ensure the correct and safe transfer and service provision for clients.
•    To represent the service at case conferences, clinics, etc., when deemed appropriate to ensure best possible clinical care.
•    To prepare and submit timely and accurate reports to referring clinicians and/or other relevant parties either verbally or in writing.
•    To demonstrate empathy with patients, carers and families, ensuring that effective communication is achieved often where barriers to understanding exist e.g. individuals with emotional, educational and psychological difficulties or individuals dealing with grief, distressing situations, changing roles and abilities.
•    Empower clients and carers to make informed decisions with regard to nutritional therapy and lifestyle changes.
•    Plan and deliver presentations to groups and individuals including other health and social care professionals.

Responsibility for Teaching
•    Empower clients, carers and colleagues to make informed decisions with regard to nutritional therapy and lifestyle changes.
•    Facilitate the development of others and influences the care provided by other Health and Social Care professions through provision of guidance and involvement in formal teaching; including assistant staff, students, health care and medical community staff.

Work Circumstances & on-call
•    Monday to Friday with no on call