Senior Macmillan Dietitian (Haematology)

Job overview

We are seeking to employ a self-motivated dietitian to join our team of adult acute dietitians at the Denmark Hill site of King’s College Hospital. This is a permanent Band 6 Dietetic post within our Haematology service.

King’s College Hospital is a leading national centre for haematology, with one of the largest stem cell transplant programmes in the UK and a high-volume service caring for patients with a wide range of blood cancers and complex haematological conditions. It hosts one of the most advanced CAR T-cell therapy programmes in Europe, and was the first UK centre to treat adult lymphoma patients with this approach. The service is at the forefront of innovation, having treated some of the first adult patients with previously incurable T-cell leukaemia using gene-edited therapies, and is among the first NHS centres delivering newly approved CRISPR treatments for sickle cell disease.

Main duties of the job

The team, which also includes a  Band 7 Specialist Haematology Dietitian, covers 4 specialist wards and provides support  for outpatient pathways and patient information events. The successful post holder will work closely with all members of the MDT to provide an expert Nutrition & Dietetic service to our patients. The dietitian is a respected member of the multi-professional team  and you will have opportunity to work closely with the wider team in delivering high quality of care to this patient group.

You will play an integral role in the large, supportive dietetic team at KCH. Our Nutrition and Dietetic department expects all staff to be involved in the teaching of other healthcare professionals, in line with our mission to provide excellence in clinical care, research and teaching in King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• 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 more senior dietitians.

• Formulate and deliver individual dietetic treatment plans for patients based on a sound knowledge of evidence based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of a wide range of dietetic treatments.
• 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.
• Evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment regimens as required.
• To manage clinical risk within own patient caseload with the support of more senior staff.
• Work within Trust clinical guidelines and to have good working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor quality of practice as appropriate.
• To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with British Dietetic Association (BDA) and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) standards of practice.
• Represent the dietetic service and/or individual patients at multi-disciplinary team meetings, to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service, and integrate dietetic therapy into the treatment programme. This will include discussion of patient care, patient progress and involvement in discharge planning.
• Use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients. Use persuasive and empathetic communication skills to motivate patients so enabling them to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding and/or communicating.
• To provide expert nutritional advice to patients, carers and clinicians regarding provision of nutritional support for patients based on clinical evidence.  This requires detailed nutritional assessment; to include the calculation of nutritional requirements based on the interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometrics and clinical condition.
• To be responsible for the discharge planning of patients going home on artificial nutritional support.
• Liaise with the Catering department to promote optimal nutrition for patients.

See attached job description for further details.