Senior Specialist Dietitian

Job overview

This is a Band 6 Senior Dietitian role based at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital. The successful individual will provide a specialist dietetics service to patients on the surgical and general wards. This role also involves cover across a range of acute clinical areas within the trust.

Main duties of the job

To manage a complex caseload of surgical and general inpatients. This may include  ITU, respiratory, gastroenterology and oncology.

To undertake comprehensive nutritional assessments for patients, including the collection and interpretation of dietary history, to inform clinical decision making.

To develop, implement and evaluate individualised dietetic care plans and feeding regimens using evidence based practice, national guidance and established departmental protocols.

To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients within your own scope of practice and organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.

To work as an autonomous practitioner by planning and prioritising own workload according to locally agreed priority coding and supporting dietetic assistant practitioners and less experienced dietitians to do the same.

To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients including those with complex presentations/multi pathologies and use clinical reasoning skills to set nutritional goals for each patient.

To ensure adequate monitoring and review of patients.

To co-ordinate appropriate follow up, discharge arrangements and outward referrals to other services in order to facilitate the safe and timely discharge/transfer of care.

To be responsible for safe discharge planning including co-ordination of patients requiring home enteral feeding.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached job description and personal specification for full details of job and requirements.