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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication

• To communicate effectively and work collaboratively with medical, nursing, allied health professional and other colleagues to ensure delivery of a co-ordinated multi-disciplinary service. This will include case conferences, ward rounds, discharge planning and joint working.
• To work closely with multiple clinical teams caring for a variety of specialisms, having the ability to develop good working relationships with multidisciplinary team members and dietetic colleagues (including those in the heart team, CF, respiratory medicine, paediatrics and in Harefield Hospital).
• Demonstrate an empathetic and sensitive approach within communications with patients and their families / carers. To be confident and demonstrate a flexible approach when working with patients who have acute and chronic illnesses, as well as those who may be experiencing significant psychological stresses or have barriers to understanding.  
• To gain consent about a range of dietetic treatment options and to agree and inform of expected outcomes.
• To utilise a diverse range of communication strategies where needed.
• To communicate with outside agencies e.g., GP’s, community dietitians, home enteral feeding services, and specialist dietetic services about patient care where appropriate.

Patient care (both direct and indirect)

• To provide a clinical dietetic service to designated wards and within outpatient services, as determined by rotation, utilising theoretical and practical knowledge and in conjunction with the other specialist dietitians.
• Work autonomously to provide specialist advice and treatment plans to patients, carers and clinicians. This will / may involve:
  • Nutritional diagnosis, with interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometrics, clinical condition and dietary intake information.
  • The development of treatment plans, with consideration of complexities surrounding calculation of nutritional requirements.  
  • The development of patient-centred goals with consideration of their medical, physical, social and psychological needs.
  • Complex cases where many factors such as the use of ventilation (invasive and non-invasive) or other organ supports, recent cardiothoracic surgery, dysphagia or the presence of a secondary diagnosis (diabetes, renal or liver disease, gastrointestinal disorders).
  • The need to advise on dietary treatments and ACBS products for conditions where there may be limited clinical guidelines, necessitating close working with senior dietetic colleagues.
• To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients (inpatient and/or outpatient), and to organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time to ensure a high standard of care is provided.
• To refer patients to other professionals as appropriate e.g., psychology, clinical nurse specialist, welfare rights advisor.
• To provide up-to-date dietary information and education materials, either in the form of diet sheets or other resources and by participating in special events, such as study days and health promotion events. To advise and liaise with catering on special dietary requirements of patients and to provide instructions on suitable therapeutic menus for patients.
• To have a skills in relation to oral and enteral nutrition support, including managing patients who require home enteral feeding with responsibility for ensuring safe and effective discharges to the community for patients who have recently had an enteral feeding tube placed for long term nutrition support.
• To be responsible for the safe use of dietetic or nutrition related equipment by patients under their care (eg feeding pumps).

Policy and service development

• To be familiar with and employ Dietetic and wider Trust / Directorate policies, guidelines, and standards. Where requested, to be involved in their development, review and updating.
• Development and updating of diet sheets and other educational resources for patients and healthcare professionals both within and outside the Trust.
• To participate in research and audit projects in Nutrition and Dietetics and the Rehabilitation and Therapies Directorate when appropriate.
• To support the continuous improvement and development of the dietetic service ensuring the implementation of local and national care guidelines.

People management

• To receive regular appraisals and have an individual developmental plan, to help achieve personal and team objectives.
• To support the training, education and development of therapy assistants where required. This may include direct supervision responsibilities.
• To supervise and teach student dietitians, both those undertaking their clinical placement and those involved in projects as part of their degree.

Information management

• To be familiar with and able to operate all necessary computer programmes e.g. electronic health records Microsoft office, dietary analysis packages and dietetic specific software.
• To record own dietetic activity, accessing patient information though IT systems.
• To be responsible for maintaining accurate treatment notes for each patient as per Health and Care Profession Council standards.

Professional

• To be responsible for maintaining records demonstrating engagement in Continuing Professional Development (CPD), according to Health and Care Professions Council guidelines
• To demonstrate annually current State Registration by the Health and Care Professions Council and abide by their Standards of Proficiency and their Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics.
• To demonstrate a commitment to life-long learning and keep up to date with dietetic practice developments by attending relevant study days, webinars, conferences, BDA Branch meetings and Special Interest Group meetings (where applicable) and reading relevant books and journals.
• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of their work.

Other

• To carry out other duties commensurate with the grade as required including cover for annual leave.
• To abide by the Trust’s core behaviours for staff and all other Trust policies including standing financial instructions, research governance, clinical governance, patient and public involvement, codes and practices, and health and safety policies