Specialist Nutrition Support Dietitian, HETF Lead

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 7 Home Enteral Tube Feeding Dietitian to join Ealing Community Dietetics within Central North West London NHS Trust, working with Ealing Community Partners.

This is a full-time permanent post.

You will lead on the management of adult patients requiring home enteral tube feeding and nutrition support in the community. This includes visiting patients in their own homes or nursing homes and running clinics in health centres (face to face or telephone)

You will provide specialist dietetic advice, manage a complex caseload, and work closely with the wider multidisciplinary team.

The role includes people management responsibilities, supporting and supervising junior staff and students. You will also contribute to service development and quality improvement, helping to enhance patient care and pathways.

Applicants should have:

• Experience in nutrition support and tube feeding at Band 6 level or above
• Strong communication and leadership skills
• Ability to work independently in a community setting

Main duties of the job

• To be the lead clinical dietetic expert on Home Enteral tube Feeding for adults. To produce, disseminate and evaluate multi-disciplinary Trust wide policies, strategies. guidelines, standards and protocols in this area
• To investigate and implement extended roles for dietitians in enteral tube feeding
• To provide leadership and support. train, develop and supervise dietetic staff in this area
• To develop, ensure provision of and monitor enteral tube feeding services for patients as well as hold a general clinical caseload in the community
• To authorise nutritional sip and enteral feeds for patients and ensure their effective use across the Trusts (West London and CNWL)
• To lead in the development and provision of specialist multi —disciplinary training packages around enteral tube feeding
• To lead, deliver, and develop advanced dietetic practice across Ealing Community Partners in line with service need. The post holder will work flexibly across all areas of dietetic practice appropriate to Band 7 level, including providing cover for and undertaking the responsibilities of the Nutrition Support Lead role as required. Duties and responsibilities may change and will be undertaken in accordance with the BDA Scope of Practice, professional standards, and the Dietetic National Profile.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Clinical

• To be professionally and legally accountable and responsible for all aspects of your own work
• To work autonomously to provide expert dietary advice to patients carers, nurses, clinicians, dietitians and other health professionals/agencies within and across Trusts regarding nutritional support and the appropriate use of tube feeding

To assess and diagnose nutritional problems including malnourishment, taking anthropometrical measurements, interpreting blood biochemistry results and analysing dietary intake, calculating nutritional requirements. To develop, deliver and review treatment plans.

• To be responsible for selecting and authorising/prescribing nutritional sip feeds and enteral feeds for patients and recommend products not included in the dietetic authorisation list for prescription by GPs and medical staff, To monitor stock is maintained at adequate levels in nursing homes in your care and that all products are used appropriately across the Trust
• To communicate complex scientific and sensitive medical information in an understandable form to patients from a wide range of backgrounds* carers and families, tailored to their needs, gain consent ensure understanding Of condition treatment options, risks, acceptance and compliance with dietary treatment, which may include unwelcome or difficult to accept information e.g life time adherence to a artificial diet or limitations of treatment in terminal illness,
• To apply highly developed communication, negotiation and counselling skills to facilitate behavioural changes investigating and accommodating emotional, physical, social and psychological barriers as well as strong influences on change e.g. depression, dementia, language difficulties resistant attitudes, aggression, behavioural problems, mental illness, loss of speech after stroke or oral surgery. To effectively use interpreters, sign language, Information Technology or other means of communication appropriate to the clients requirements
• To be the expert source of information and advice to patients/carers and nursing staff on the use of artificial feeding, care of feeding equipment, stoma site, complications and problem solving. To discuss and challenge complex ethical issues or decisions with service users and health professionals e.g. whether to continue feeding or not

To promote multi-disciplinary/multi-agency collaborative working to ensure continuity of care. Attend multi-disciplinary team meetings and case conferences. To provide timely and informative patient progress reports/discharge summaries to secondary, primary care and local authority/social services. To refer to other health professionals/social services when appropriate

To network and work in partnership with other disciplines - Agencies e.g. public health department, prescribing leads, nurse leads, falls service

• To keep contemporaneous, accurate and comprehensive notes and records for each patient.
• To collect agreed statistical information in accordance with Trust and Dietetic Team standards.