Dietetic Assistant

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 35,000

Job description

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

An exciting new role for a permanent, part-time post has become available at St Pancras Hospital in London.

We are looking for a motivated Dietetic Assistant to provide nutrition support on our inpatient ward and to our community patients. You would be joining a supportive and welcoming team with a commitment to continual learning and development and will work closely alongside a Band 7 Specialist Dietitian.

If you feel that you have the ability to work independently and have a caring and proactive approach to care delivery, this could be the role for you.

Main duties of the job

Main duties include the following:

• To support the senior dietitian in delivering aspects of the dietetic service by reviewing, monitoring and advising patients and undertaking related administration.
• To act as an intermediary between the dietetic, catering and the nursing team, enhancing communication to achieve the optimal provision of nutrition for patients in hospital.
• To participate in project work for the benefit of patients.
• To assist in the ordering of food/feeds and achieving optimal provision of nutrition of patients in hospital.
• To draft and formulate oral nutrition support care plans with supervision from band 7 Dietitians.

Job responsibilities

Job Summary

• To assist the Dietitians to gather information to form assessments and implement care plans within the specialist treatment unit at St Pancras Hospital, patient homes and care homes as required.
• To assist the Dietitian to justify and explain nutritional status and to formulate individualised treatment plans and deliver appropriate interventions.
• To contribute to Nutritional Support and Enteral Tube Feeding service development, including the development of appropriate strategies, policies and guidelines.
• To undertake the measurement and evaluation of own clinical work and practice through the use of evidence-based projects, practice development work, audit and outcome measures.
• To be responsible for own delegated caseload of clients who are at risk of malnutrition, malnourished or enterally fed and maintain associated record.

Professional

• To work within the British Dietetic Association code of professional conduct for dietetic support workers and understand Health Professions Council standards.
• To have a working knowledge of their role in meeting clinical guidelines relevant to Dietetics and to translate these guidelines into own practice.
• To have a working knowledge of the scope of their responsibilities and when advice needs to be sought from a qualified dietitian.

Education and training

• To actively participate in the Community Adult Rehabilitation Services in-service training programme.
• To maintain own clinical professional development as a dietetic assistant practitioner keeping abreast of new developments in practice, incorporating them into clinical practice.

Organisational

• To manage a delegated caseload from dietitians and assist in the assessment and treatment of patients within the community, managing clinical time effectively by caseload prioritisation to meet service and patient needs and balancing other demands on time.
• To maintain up to date electronic diary and outcomes of all appointments as required by the service and ensure that others do likewise.
• To ensure that accurate and evaluative records of patient care are maintained in accordance with professional and service standards.
• To participate in the collection of statistical data and audit activity as required by the Manager of the Community Adult Rehabilitation Service.
• To be aware of Health and Safety aspects at work and follow trust policies as may be required including prompt reporting of incidents and ensuring safety of all equipment used, reporting faulty items and removing them from service.
• To attend regular meetings within the Community Adult Rehabilitation Service.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3 / 3 A levels or equivalent.
• Evidence of a good standard of education with 5 GCSE's Grade C and above, or equivalent, including English Language and Maths.
• Nutrition or Health qualification.

Previous Experience

• Experience of working in a health or social care setting/NHS.
• Demonstrate problem solving skills.
• Experience of working independently and reporting back to supervisors.
• Previous experience of taking classes/group work.
• Experience of project work or audit in a health or client-facing setting.
• Demonstrate commitment to continued professional development.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office Packages.
• Excellent problem solving skills.
• Able to manage own workload and prioritise.
• Able to adapt to changing circumstances and adapt treatments appropriately.
• Able to plan and co-ordinate effectively.
• Able to use initiative appropriately.
• Committed to providing high quality patient care.
• Awareness of potential hazards particularly associated with lone working.
• Knowledge of the basic principles of nutrition support (MUST and 'Food First').
• Knowledge of the principles of healthy eating and the steps required to achieving this.
• Knowledge of the trust database: SystmOne.

Additional requirements

• Ability to travel to multiple sites.
• Flexible approach to meet the needs of the service.
• Car Driver and owner.
• Driving Licence.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

£31,944 to £34,937 a year pro rata per annum incl. HCAS