Dietitian inAcomb inAcomb PUBLISHED THU 21 NOV 2024

We are looking for someone who is passionate about delivering a quality, evidence-based service, who relishes working independently in a busy setting. The post holder will have the opportunity to develop and advance their skills in the community, alongside enhancing the evidence base for dietetics in a care home setting. We are looking for a qualified Dietitian to lead this programme of work and demonstrate the impact of dietetics in this setting.

The post holder will provide nutritional support to adult patients in the community setting. They will work predominantly to manage elderly and frail patients in need of nutrition support in care homes, taking a 'food-first' approach.,

They will assess residents nutritional intake and implement a range of nutritional care plans (within protocols and scope of practice), monitor progression, and make alterations to the nutrition care plan as required. The postholder will work as an autonomous practitioner, liaising directly with residents, family members, Care Home staff and other healthcare professionals optimising nutrition within this setting.

As part of the role the post holder will provide a training offer to up-skill care homes and relevant front line staff on a range of nutritional areas.

The role involves providing high-quality nutritional care to patients within the community setting, including assessing nutritional status, creating care plans, and setting patient-centered goals. Duties include monitoring patient progress, adjusting care plans as necessary, and conducting anthropometric measurements such as height, weight, BMI, and handgrip strength. The position requires using clinical reasoning to promote a food-first approach and recommend oral nutritional supplements where appropriate. The role also involves supporting care home staff by providing nutrition education, delivering training on nutrition and hydration, and organizing community-based activities. Regular travel to care homes is required, as well as liaising with multidisciplinary teams, offering advice to patients and families, and supporting less experienced staff. Additional responsibilities include managing workload, participating in clinical supervision and audits, maintaining accurate records, and addressing communication barriers. The role also includes contributing to team projects and ensuring smooth service delivery through effective teamwork and delegation.

About us

Other Responsibilities:

Be aware of and comply with all relevant policies/guidelines, e.g. prescribing, confidentiality, data protection, health and safety.

Commitment and contribution to achievement of the highest possible quality standards.

Commitment to life-long learning and audit to ensure evidence-based best practice.

Contribute to evaluation/audit and clinical standard setting within the organisation.

Attendance at regular in-house governance and educational meetings and training as well as events at other agencies as appropriate.

Assist with the training of other staff members.

Contribute to the development of computer-based patient records.

Contribute to the summarising of patient records and Read-Coding patient data.

Take responsibility that any equipment either clinical or otherwise, used when working, is taken due care of and locked away at the end of every working session.

Business responsibilities:

Maintain ethos and culture of Nimbuscare.

Positively promote Nimbuscare.

Support Line Managers as required.

Adhere to Health & Safety and educate staff within your role.

Apply Nimbuscare policies, standards and guidance.

Attend in-house governance, educational and staff meetings as appropriate.

Suggest and support the introduction of new working processes to optimise quality.

Communicate to ensure that all employees operate as an effective team.

Build and maintain relationships with other healthcare professionals, including GPs, GP surgery personnel, care home personnel and CCG personnel etc.

Safeguarding:

Everyone within Nimbuscare has a responsibility for, and is committed to, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Adults-at-risk (vulnerable adults), children and young people and for ensuring that they are protected from harm.

Be fully aware of and understand your duties and responsibilities arising from the Childrens Act 2004 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2, in relation to child protection and safeguarding children and young people.

Be fully aware of and understand your duties and responsibilities arising from the DOH Policy No Secrets (2000), and the principles of safeguarding as they apply to Adults-at-risk (vulnerable adults) in relation to your work.

Recognise the types and signs of abuse and neglect.

Ensure the Nimbuscare Safeguarding Lead is alerted to, and kept fully informed of, any concerns you may have in relation to safeguarding adults, children and young people.

Adhere to Nimbuscare and local Child Protection and Safeguarding Adult policies and procedures.

Professional Development and Education Responsibilities:

Participation in individual performance reviews, including maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.

Working in conjunction with management, assess own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate.

Develop and utilise a written Personal Development Plan.

Make effective use of learning opportunities within and outside the workplace, evaluating their effectiveness and feeding back relevant information.

Disseminate learning and information gained to other team members in order to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments.

Undertake mandatory and statutory training as required.

Team working:

Understand own role and scope in the organisation and identify how this may develop over time.

Work as an effective and responsible team member and leader, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working.

Accept delegation from senior staff, prioritise own workload and delegate as appropriate and ensure effective time management strategies are embedded in own practice.

Participate in team activities that create opportunities to improve patient care.

Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance.

Participate and support local projects as agreed with the management team.

Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence of those taking on delegated duties.

Confidentiality:

In the course of seeking treatment, customers entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that you will respect their privacy and act appropriately.

In the performance of your duties outlined in this Job Description, you may have access to confidential information relating to customers and their carers, Nimbuscare staff and other healthcare workers. You may also have access to information relating to Nimbuscare as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.

Information relating to customers, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of Nimbuscare may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with Nimbuscare policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

Be aware of your responsibilities under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

Health & Safety:

You will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Nimbuscare Health & Safety Policy, to include:

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to guidelines.

Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.

Making effective use of training to update your knowledge and skills.

Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.

Reporting potential risks identified.

Equality and Diversity:

You will support the equality, diversity and rights of customers, carers and colleagues, to include:

Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with Nimbuscare procedures and policies, and current legislation.

Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of customers, carers and colleagues.

Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Quality:

You will strive to maintain quality within Nimbuscare, and will:

Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.

Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under

Supervision:

Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Work within own limitations and experience.

Be aware of and co-operate with audit.

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.

Portray a professional image at all times.

Communication:

You should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

Communicate effectively with other team members.

Communicate effectively with customers and carers.

Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

This list of duties is not exhaustive.