Specialist Oncology Dietitian

Job overview

The clinical caseload will be primarily Upper GI Cancer Patients.  The role also provides cover for general oncology, haematology patients and  Head and Neck patients across the wider Dietetic oncology team. In addition to seeing patients on the inpatient wards and in the Arden Cancer Centre there are also outpatient clinics.  The team care for patients who are palliative, end of life and curative.  Naturally this role is strongly person centred.  This position requires practitioners to be self aware, have in place strategies for resilience and to support the wider team with difficult and upsetting situations.

• To carry out dietetic assessment appropriate to role and experience, provide nutritional diagnosis and provide a dietetic treatment plan for patients / clients.
• To hold responsibility for own patient caseload including patients with complex presentations
• Maintain clinical records in line with local / Trust documentation guidelines
• To liaise with dietetic colleagues and other members of the multidisciplinary team as necessary e.g. Medical, nursing, catering and other health care professionals
• To work within National and Trust policies / guidelines; and HCPC and BDA standards and codes of conduct
• To have a solid understanding of national and local standards and able to monitor own practice against these
• To participate in bank holiday working and work flexible hours to meet the needs of the patients if required

Main duties of the job

Who are you? We are keen to recruit an experienced dietitian. What is important to us is a commitment to learn and progress skills within the Oncology field.  The ideal candidate is likely to have been practicing in an Oncology specialism and be ready to apply their learning whilst also expanding their knowledge learning and skill further in a Trust which offers you a breadth of diversity and experience. This post would suit a well-established senior dietitian who is looking to gain further insight. We are pleased to be able to offer this post with the opportunity of a rigorous competency and education programme.  The successful candidate would be supported by our friendly and experienced team of Dietetic staff. We have plans to adopt the ACCEND national framework for cancer education so some of knowledge or experience would of working with this would be a real asset.  We would expect candidates to have knowledge of the support provided by the Macmillan Cancer charity.

Closing Date: Please be advised that this job advert will close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Please apply for this job as soon as you can, if interested.

Secondment will be considered for internal candidates – If you are successful after interview, you must obtain approval from your current line manager to accept the offer.

Successful applicants will be required to provide an immunisation and vaccination report, from either their current UK occupational health provider or their UK GP.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Who are we? We are a Dietetic Department at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire based just under 10 minutes from the M69/M6 interchange. We are diverse in both skill and experience but also in personnel. We are a department of nearly seventy Dietitians (across Coventry and Rugby Hospitals) whose specialities include gastroenterology, critical care, surgery, stroke, major trauma, oncology, renal, diabetes, specialist weight management, paediatrics and community nutrition support. We also provide student placements to neighbouring universities in Coventry and Birmingham. As a department we are actively involved in both research and audit and actively encourage staff to identify and attend courses relevant to their role and future development.

We are one of the largest acute Trusts in the country specialising in major trauma, cardiothoracics and neurosciences and that's just the beginning. We are one of just five Trusts in the whole of the UK that offers you 'Lean' and leadership training based upon the teachings of one of the 'Hospitals of the decade’, the Virginia Mason Institute - we call this methodology UHCWi and you can learn more about it on our website. If you are looking for a career in a supportive and dynamic department then this is for you.

• Carry out dietetic / nutritional assessments (including interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometrics, clinical condition and diet history) to determine nutritional diagnosis
• Use enhanced clinical reasoning skills to provide specialist individual dietetic advice and treatment plans for patients who may present with multiple / complex clinical conditions taking into consideration patients own goals and incorporate discharge planning as appropriate
• Evaluate patient progress, reassess and alter treatment plans as required
• Communicate nutrition and dietetic information in an understandable form to staff, clients and carers using teaching, motivation and counselling skills including situations where there are barriers to change
• Undertake department audit and service development work, translating findings into practice
• Plan and organise the clinical supervision of student dietitians on clinical placement including planning, timetables and written assessments
• Support teaching / nutrition education of peers and multi professional colleagues
• Engage in department and own CPD activities
• Cover the work of colleagues and deputise for senior colleagues during periods of absence or peak workloads
• Participate in health promotion activities of the department
• Participate in other duties as required

For further details of the role please see the attached job description.