Clinical Lead Dietitian Nutrition Support

We are seeking a HCPC registered Dietitian, with NHS experience, who has gained significant dietetic knowledge and expertise working within mental health and eating disorder services in nutrition support.

You will have expert knowledge identifying nutritional risk, including refeeding syndrome and managing this risk together with the MDT to promote physical and mental wellbeing and recovery.

The role will focus on a food first approach with careful use of oral nutritional supplements, and enteral tube feeding being mindful of least restrictive practice. Dietetic care is patient centred, and trauma informed, managing immediate risk whilst developing long-term sustainable solutions to under nutrition and/or underweight. This is with the view to empowering service users to develop self-efficacy and resilience with regards to nutrition and hydration during their recovery journey and beyond.

The post holder will lead, and take responsibility for the strategic planning, development and operational oversight of the inpatient nutrition support dietetic pathway and integrate this within MDT pathways. They will be responsible for ensuring quality assurance of the pathway within the trust Nutrition Steering Group Committee.

Main duties of the job

• Working trust wide, across the age range, the post holder is the clinical dietetic lead for nutrition support in inpatient services, facilitating transfer of patients between acute and MH inpatient services / wards pre, post and during admission, and discharging back into the community where nutrition support is needed including oral nutritional supplements and enteral tube feeding.
• The role includes future transformation work, which will include the setting up, oversight, and supporting the dietetic team taking over the procurement, storage and distribution of oral nutritional supplements, enteral feeds and ancillaries within the trust currently managed by pharmacy colleagues.
• To hold a specialist clinical dietetic remit and supervise dietetic colleagues working with the post holders specialism.
• To be the dietetic clinical lead with regards enteral tube feeding across inpatient services, supporting dietitians, and nursing and MDT's where required, especially where cases are complex and involve consideration of least restrictive practice, tube feeding under restraint and trauma informed decision making and care.
• To ensure sustainability practices within the trust with regards oral nutritional supplements and enteral feeds and ancillaries and to join the trust Clinical Sustainability Group in their work and drive to ensure the trust meets its green targets.
• To deputise for the Head of Service.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Overall Job Purpose and responsibilities include:

• To use expert knowledge and extensive clinical experience to lead, and take responsibility for the strategic planning, development and operational oversight of the implementation of the inpatient dietetic care pathway for nutrition support across the trust, including transfers of patients requiring nutrition support between the trust, acute services and community / primary care services, utilising the principles of clinical governance, sustainability and values-based care.
• To work together with all stakeholders to integrate and embed nutrition support within MDT care pathways, including nutrition risk screening, identifying, intervening and managing risk via care planning and appropriate referral onward for specialist dietetic and allied health professional clinical care.
• To be the dietetic lead for the trust Nasogastric Tube Placement, Enteral Feeding & Medicines Administration Policy (For Adult and CAMHS inpatient services).
• To represent the trust and Nutrition and Dietetic Services within the KHP SEL Consortia, to monitoring and review of the SEL Enteral feeds and Services Contract.
• Identify and facilitate audit, service evaluation, quality improvement and research priorities to drive clinical development strategy and contribute to the evidence base within this area.
• To be responsible for planning and delivering nutritional support training within inpatients services, including managing refeeding syndrome, food first approaches, oral nutritional supplementation and enteral tube feeding, to support meeting nutrition and hydration needs, nutritional recovery and weight restoration where appropriate, within specialist eating disorders and mental health services for dietetic colleagues, medical staff, nurses, AHP's and students within the trust as well as locally and nationally.
• To provide a clinical dietetic service including assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes within agreed specialist area(s), maintaining a caseload of highly complex patients as an autonomous practitioner.
• To provide clinical, management and professional supervision to more junior colleagues.
• To deputise for the Head of Nutrition and Dietetic Services when required.

Personal Specification: Qualifications (A)

• Dietetic qualification resulting in registration with the HCPC as a Dietitian
• Masters Level qualification or post graduate qualification in relevant topic or equivalent experience
• Strong evidence of continuing professional development
• Membership of British Dietetic Association (BDA) or other body conferring professional indemnity insurance
• Clinical supervision training
• Membership of relevant professional special interest groups i.e BDA Specialist Mental Health Group, Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Group, BAPEN, including Specialist Interest Groups (Nasogastric)

Experience (A, I)

• Significant post graduate experience working in clinical dietetic practice in a variety of areas, including at highly specialist level / band 7, including demonstrating clinical leadership
• Experience of working in the NHS
• Experience of working with service users within specialist mental health diagnoses
• Experience of working with service users with eating disorders
• Experience assessing and managing underweight, under-nutrition, re-feeding syndrome and meeting nutrition and hydration needs via flexible collaborative multidisciplinary team patient centred trauma informed care
• Current experience of appropriate and sustainable use of oral nutritional supplements
• Experience weighing up indications for enteral tube feeding, including under restraint.
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
• Experience in the development of dietetic services
• Contributing to development of local clinical guidelines / trust policies.
• Evidence of participation in audit / service evaluations/research/ Quality improvement projects/Patient and Public Involvement
• Dietetics experience related to food provision and catering, including special diets linked to medical, psychological, cultural religious and personal preferences
• Experience in training and supervising students / dietetic assistants
• High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude.
• Making good decisions in a timely and confident manner.
• Directing and leading others to accomplish organisational goals and objectives.
• Effectively working and collaborating with others toward a common goal.

Knowledge / Skills (A, I)

• Knowledge of serious and enduring mental health conditions and treatments
• Knowledge of safeguarding vulnerable young people and adults
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and interpersonal skills
• Excellent skills in counselling, motivation, behaviour change, negotiation and persuasion in working with clients, colleagues and commercial partners.
• Able to build rapport and effective working relationships with service users and carers, who may be distressed or challenging.
• Ability to work effectively as an autonomous practitioner and as part of a team, with individuals and groups.
• Able to use word processing and other IT applications
• Ability to use electronic systems for recording clinical information
• Ability to apply evidence-based practice and outcome measurement
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance as part of the supervision process and facilitating it for other staff and students
• Knowledge of both BDA, and HCPC codes and standards and their application in practice and familiar with the principles of clinical governance
• Knowledge of the Mental Health Act