Community Dietitian

Job overview

We are offering a rewarding and challenging role within our Community Dietetic Service. This experienced, friendly and supportive team includes 21 Dietitians and Dietetic Support workers. Our clinical areas covered includes home enteral feeds, community hospital inpatients and outpatients. Within this role you will be based initially in the outpatients team.

Newly qualified dietitians will be supported to complete a preceptorship programme. We also work closely with the acute dietetic team at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, providing the opportunity for shadowing and learning from our specialist colleagues.

Main duties of the job

You will provide a flexible and comprehensive dietetic service in a variety of areas, which may include:

• Outpatient clinics
• Home visits
• Group education for patients and staff
• Inpatients

You must have the ability to travel to clinics and peoples home's in remote locations around the county. There will also be an element of home working and virtual/telephone consultations. Alongside this, you will have opportunities to partake in service development projects, research and audit.

The department is involved in the training of student dietitians and assistant practitioners and you will play an important role in this once appropriate training has been completed.

Applications are welcomed from newly qualifying dietitians awaiting HCPC registration.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

• To provide a dietetic service to general outpatient clinics and to see patients in their own homes or in Nursing/ Residential homes if needed.
• To provide dietetic advice to patients and/or carers whilst taking into account their social, emotional, psychological and cultural needs.
• To provide nutritional assessment and dietetic intervention, on an individual basis, incorporating biochemical and pharmacological review, anthropometry, clinical condition and other physical parameters.
• To ensure appropriate treatment, monitoring and review of patient’s dietary needs, involving other agencies when indicated.
• To communicate effectively with the multidisciplinary team through attendance at ward rounds, case conferences, discharge planning meetings and team meetings as appropriate.
• To recommend to Doctors the prescription of nutritional supplements and enteral feeds, and arrange monitoring.
• To prescribe nutritional supplements for inpatients within the specific guidelines agreed by the Trust.
• To be trained in the use of enteral feeding pumps and equipment, to be confident to advise nursing staff, patients and carers.Professional Responsibilities
• To undertake an annual appraisal and personal development review.
• To ensure own practice is up to date and evidence-based. Able to demonstrate an awareness of current relevant research through teaching and peer review.
• To produce evidence-based literature and resources for patients and healthcare professionals.
• To provide teaching and education sessions to medical, nursing and catering staff.
• To participate in the training of student Dietitians (after an initial settling in period – to be agreed).
• To maintain accurate and comprehensive patient records in line with legal and departmental requirements, and to communicate outcomes to the appropriate disciplines in the form of letters and reports.
• To work in accordance with the standards set by the British Dietetic Association and the Health Professionals Council.
• To be legally and professionally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients within own care.
• To participate in departmental and clinical audit.
• To advise and liaise with catering staff concerning the dietary needs of patients.
• To support other members of the team and provide cover in their absence.
• To assist in the induction of new staff and act as a mentor supporting and teaching other members of trained and untrained staff as required.
• To contribute to the education and assessment of student Dietitians.
• To attend and participate in department meetings and study days.
• To undertake regular (i.e. weekly – monthly depending on needs) clinical supervision with Band 6/7 Dietitian.
• To input data onto the in-house dietetic management system and collate reports, in accordance with department guidelines.