Specialist Community Dietitian

We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic dietitian to join our friendly community team.

The successful candidate would be part of the Community Dietetics Team and will be responsible for a Home Enteral Feeding caseload and adult nutritional support.

The Nutrition and Dietetics Department in Knowsley and St Helens is a team of 9 Dietitians (adult and paediatrics), 1 Assistant Practitioner, and 4 Dietetic Assistants with administration hub support.

We have regular departmental meetings, safety huddles, clinical supervision sessions, and education meetings. Continuing professional development is promoted and supported.

The post is based at Whiston Primary Care Resource Centre in Prescot with Hybrid working being considered.

Please do not hesitate to contact the team if you are interested and would like to discuss the role further.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will manage a home enteral feeding caseload along with the other adult specialist dietitians and be supported by the home enteral feeding lead. You will have the opportunity to consolidate and develop clinical skills needed to manage nutritionally complex patients requiring both enteral and oral nutrition support.

The service is provided in a range of locations including clinics, patients' own homes, and care homes.

We have strong links with Dietetic colleagues and AHPs across Mersey Care in Liverpool, South Sefton, and Southport and Formby.

You will have skills in prioritisation and time management, with the ability to work autonomously and flexibly across Knowsley and St Helens. You will help with triaging referrals and be able to be involved in key projects within the team.

You will be involved in the training and supervision of staff and students. The Department trains student dietitians. We work closely with our Practice Education Facilitators and Universities and there is a focus on developing AHP educators and supporting applications for further learning opportunities to develop these roles.

About us

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales, and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction, and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable, and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Responsible for the provision of appropriate, high-quality care to a defined caseload.

Responsible for workload planning and delegation of work to other team members, taking into account competence levels.

Undertake holistic assessments of need for the patient and family, which may be highly complex, using the appropriate model of care and evidence-based practice.

Work in partnership with other professionals to enable patients/clients to be maintained in an appropriate environment, thus avoiding hospital admission.

Provide advice to patients, clients, and carers on a wide range of health issues to include health promotion, lifestyle advice, and health care.

Ensure that the team provides a high-quality clinical service to its clients by participation in caseload and clinical supervision.

In conjunction with the team leader, develop new ways of working to provide a responsive service to patients with both planned and unplanned care needs.

Develop partnerships and joint working within other agencies as appropriate.

Maintain registration in line with professional bodies.

Clinically lead, direct, mentor, and support the team.

Support the team leader in the development of caseload management across the local health economy.

Acts as an advocate and champion for patients and/or clients.

Act as a role model to team members and students so that patients/clients receive the most effective care possible.

Contribute to the development of policy and services to reflect the needs of the local neighbourhood population.

Participate in the development, implementation, and monitoring of the clinical team contract/objectives.

Please refer to the attached Job Description for the full list of duties and responsibilities.

Person Specification

Values

Essential

• Continuous Improvement
• Accountability
• Respectfulness
• Enthusiasm
• Support
• High professional standards
• Responsive to service users
• Engaging leadership style
• Strong customer service belief
• Transparency and honesty
• Discreet
• Change oriented

Skills

Essential

• Able to prioritise a defined clinical caseload
• Time management and organisational skills
• Ability to carry out anthropometric measurements
• Able to undertake a nutritional assessment considering all relevant factors to formulate a Dietetic diagnosis and care plan and setting goal-based outcomes with service users
• Knowledge of current best practice in Dietetics
• Autonomous practitioner
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
• Awareness of local and national guidelines relevant to Dietetics e.g., NICE, BDA.
• Awareness of research methods and audit skills to inform and evaluate practice
• Basic knowledge of the principles of clinical governance and health and safety and risk awareness
• Understanding of professional conduct and confidentiality
• Ability to build effective working relationships
• Effective personal organisational skills
• Keep an up-to-date CPD portfolio
• Written and oral communication skills in English sufficient to communicate effectively with patients to gain consent, explain treatment interventions, and gain information required for the patient's medical/social history relevant to Dietetics
• Basic computer skills e.g., word processing, MS Teams, email, internet skills. Access to a suitable means of transport to enable the post holder to commute across the Trust footprint

Knowledge / Experience

Essential

• Experience of successful multi-agency working
• Demonstrable experience in relevant area of practice
• Evidence of CPD/Short courses
• Awareness of current national and local agenda in health and social care
• Understanding of partnership working
• Understanding of the principles of care management
• Awareness of factors that contribute to good health and the importance of promoting these in line with organisational public health policy
• Evidence of being able to communicate complex information and advice on healthcare to patients/clients, carers, and colleagues
• Work-based experience
• Providing training or shadowing for other health professionals or trainees
• Experience delivering patient education or health promotion
• Knowledge of the trust vision, goals, and values
• Experience of clinical audit, service development, or quality improvement
• Enteral feeding or nutrition support experience
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team (MDT)
• Knowledge and experience in the reporting and investigation of patient safety incidents

Desirable

• Management and clinical leadership experience

Qualifications

Essential

• BSc. Nutrition and Dietetics or relevant degree with postgraduate diploma in Dietetics
• Current Health and Care Professions Council Registration for Dietetics
• Mentorship and/or Student Training qualification e.g., SAS training

Desirable

• Full member of the British Dietetic Association
• Demonstrable post registration/qualification
• Completion of parenteral and enteral nutrition group (PENG) course
• Management and clinical leadership course or qualification

Employer details

Employer name

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Whiston Primary Care and Resource Centre

Old Colliery Road

L35 3SX

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

350-CC6825648