The Dietitian is responsible for providing a high quality dietetic service at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, in particular to patients from a variety of paediatric specialities. There is an allocated workload which is delivered on an inpatient and an outpatient basis, with additional teaching and training activities and peer support within a tertiary childrens hospital.
The Dietitian also undertakes any other reasonable duties, which may be identified in consultation with a Specialist Dietitian and Head of Paediatric Nutrition & Dietetic Services.
Communication:
Ensure effective communication at all levels of health care professionals regarding the nutritional care of individual paediatric patients.
Attend multidisciplinary team meetings for care of the patients when required and be the voice / advocate for patient nutritional care.
Impart information to patients and their families and carers in situations which could be distressing / emotional for the patient, therefore require use of holistic skills.
Use negotiation skills to motivate and negotiate dietary change, which will require using a variety of evaluation strategies and adapting communication techniques if necessary.
Educate, support and direct a child’s nutritional care by advising on therapeutic dietary regimens which may involve significant and continuous lifestyle changes.
Translate nutritional concepts into practical everyday terms for children their families and carers, staff and professional colleagues of all levels.
Liaise with the Pharmacy and Catering Departments to ensure that appropriate nutritional support is provided – particularly for patients receiving prescribed therapeutic diets and enteral tube / sip feeds.
See attached JD for more main duties of the job.
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as ‘Good’ overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward- thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
Patient Care:
Manages individual patients safely and effectively, carrying out the dietetic care process with competence.
Undertake nutritional assessment using specialist equipment if necessary & estimate nutritional requirements.
Formulates safe nutritional treatment plans, this may require recommending the use of prescription nutritional supplements & feeds.
Monitor the effects of the prescribed treatment making any necessary changes.
Review and discharge / hand over care of the patient following local guidelines and procedures.
Organise follow-up arrangements according to agreed guidelines and procedures
Be responsible for any risks inherent in clinical decision making.
Maintain all patient records in line with local and national standards including BDA & HCPC Guidelines.
Organisation and Planning:
Organise and manage an identified clinical workload which can be intense, varied, and unpredictable requiring concurrent concentration.
Adhere to agreed departmental and Trust-wide guidelines, protocols and procedures appropriately to deliver a safe and managed caseload.
Manage time effectively in order to meet the requirements of the dietetic service.
Plan and co-ordinate the content and delivery of education /training sessions to healthcare professionals.
Provide dietary education to patients and their families and carers in a group setting or provide input to virtual/webinar sessions with the support of a specialist dietitian.
Service Development and Research:
Critically evaluate any developments in practice and bring these to the attention of dietetic colleagues and line manager.
Undertake practice-based audits and projects, contributing to clinical effectiveness of all aspects of nutritional / dietetic therapy and shares these at local level.
Participates in departmental research projects as required
Finance and Resources:
Ensure the use of resources in a manner consistent with organisational objectives and policies, making the efficient & effective use of resources.
There are no budgetary responsibilities associated with this post.
Leadership and Management:
Participates in the training of student dietitians as allocated following at least 6 months post registration employment & attendance at Clinical Supervisory Course.
Deliver training using a wide range of robust teaching strategies appropriate to the student or participants’ needs.
Review & evaluate the outcome of teaching sessions in consultation with the attendees and their supervisors.
Information Resources:
Maintain identified levels of high quality service provision including the development of appropriate resource materials.
Use computers etc. and good IT skills to produce documents, create slide presentations and undertake nutritional analysis using specialised software.
Collect data to conform to national and local requirements, requiring the use of electronic databases.
Other:
Adhere to the Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics identified by the Health Professions Council as pre-requisites for autonomous practice.
Be guided by the Professional Standards for Dietitians identified by the British Dietetic Association.
Recognises professional limitations and seeks assistance on a second opinion on a timely basis.
Attends and contributes to regular team meetings, clinical supervision & CPD meetings held within the department.
Participate in the individual appraisal review process to identify progress and future professional needs.
Act as an ambassador for the dietetic profession on all occasions.
Raise the dietetic profile within the Trust by contributing to organisational initiatives & reporting dietetic successes and achievements.
Maintain confidentiality and discretion and comply with the terms of the Data Protection Act and local Trust policies at all times.
Participate in providing cover for other members of staff (non-clinical and clinical) during periods of leave.
