Specialist Dietitian - Stroke / ICU

Job overview

Band 6 ICU and Stroke Dietitian

Full time - 37.5 hours (part time considered)

Permanent Contract

An opportunity has arisen for a Band 6 Specialist Dietitian to join our friendly Dietetic department at Whiston Hospital (Mersey West Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Trust).

This is an exciting opportunity for someone looking to develop their skills and deliver high quality evidence-based care within the critical care and stroke specialist areas. The successful applicant will be a good team player but be able to work individually as well, being flexible, reliable, and conscientious, self-motivated and forward thinking with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.  A comprehensive clinical dietetic knowledge and recent significant clinical experience particularly in the setting of critical care, complex enteral feeding and use of modified diets and fluids are advantageous, however, training can be provided if necessary.

The JD & PS are currently under AfC review and are subject to change.

Main duties of the job

The successful applicant will be working autonomously in critical care and on the Stroke unit with access to senior Dietitians for clinical support and supervision.  You will provide a high-quality service to our in-patients, setting goals and monitoring progress and ensuring appropriate follow-up on discharge. You will be working closely with the multi-disciplinary teams within the hospital as well as having Dietetic Assistant and Admin support.

As a service, we are committed to CPD for all of our staff through a range of opportunities including training courses e.g. Postgraduate Masters, the PENG clinical update; BDA accredited courses; and regular internal CPD sessions. There are opportunities to contribute to audits and service development projects and shadowing and development in more specialist areas.

We have an excellent staff supervision and appraisal system which supports the development of individuals and their services.  We take Student Dietitians on P1, P2 and P3 placements and you will have an active role in their training.

A flexible approach to day-to-day tasks is required to meet the demands of the service. Our philosophy is to keep the patient at the heart of everything we do. We look for people who are willing to go the extra mile, not because they are asked to, but because they are committed to being part of a healthcare team that delivers an excellent caring service to our patients.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To be professional and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients/clients in your care.
• To ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients/clients under your care, and support more junior staff to do likewise.
• To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients/clients including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi pathologies; use specialist clinical reasoning skills and appropriate assessment techniques to provide an accurate diagnosis of their condition
• Formulate and deliver an individual treatment programme using assessment, reasoning skills and treatment skills based on a sound knowledge of evidence based practice and treatment options. Formulate an initial diagnosis and prognoses in order to recommend best course of intervention and develop comprehensive discharge plans
• To take delegated responsibility from the Band 7 clinician for managing patients/clients with particular conditions and be responsible for providing specialist assessment and treatment plans for patients with these conditions.
• Evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes as required

To have the ability to undertake self-directed/lone working in a variety of locations