Specialist Renal Dietitian

Job overview

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust is a large teaching hospital trust serving Plymouth and nearby areas of Devon and Cornwall.  Derriford Hospital has approximately 1000 beds. The Nutrition and Dietetic Department has approximately 37 WTE staff.

We are looking for an enthusiastic dietitian to join our renal dietetic team providing a service to the Renal Directorate at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.

You will have a varied caseload across Derriford Hospital, Plymouth Dialysis Unit and satellite units and community clinics throughout the South Hams, North West Devon and East Cornwall areas, so travel will be required.

You will work as a valued member of an established and supportive renal MDT and our large dynamic dietetics department.

***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***

Main duties of the job

• To provide expert evidence-based renal dietetic advice to patients, carers and health care professionals. This will involve nutritional diagnosis (including interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometrics, clinic condition and diet history) and the development and monitoring of treatment goals and plans.
• To provide complex nutritional counselling using motivational skills to overcome barriers to change particularly where there is non-adherence
• To provide renal nutrition education to groups of patients and staff
• To work closely with renal MDT members
• To be involved in all aspects of department activities and contribute to service evaluation and development projects
• To undertake student dietitian training
• To undertake significant travel to offsite locations such as Holsworthy, Launceston, Liskeard, Kingsbridge and Totnes (sites subject to change)

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To work with the renal MDT and the dietetic team to provide dietetic care to kidney patients under the care of the UHP Renal Directorate.  These may include pre-dialysis, haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and transplant patients, many of whom have multiple co-morbidities
• To work autonomously to provide highly complex nutritional counselling to patients, carers and healthcare professionals.  This will involve nutritional assessment (based on interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometry, dialysis adequacy, clinical condition and dietary history) and development of nutritional care plans which are both realistic, practical and evidence based (based on assessment of medical, social, economic, cultural and psychological factors)
• To communicate with empathy and understanding where dietary change may be difficult to accept. To adapt communication methods and implement motivational interviewing skills where appropriate to overcome barriers to change
• To monitor and review the outcomes of nutritional care plans and adjust to facilitate achievement of the desired goals in the light of changing medical treatment and personal circumstances
• To act autonomously to assess risk and take appropriate action to ensure patient safety, for example, in patients with hyperkalaemia
• To make recommendations to the medical team regarding adjustment of medications relating to management of CKD mineral bone disorder
• To manage out-patient renal dietetic clinics and report on clinic activity statistics
• To provide clinical support and cover for other staff as requested by the Renal Team Leader
• To represent the renal dietetic service in multidisciplinary team meetings to ensure that dietetic expertise contributes to multi-professional decisions on care
• To advise on appropriate use of prescribable nutritional products within the renal service and to general practitioners.

For further information please see attached job description