The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester is seeking an experienced Specialist Oncology Dietitian for a full-time position with their surgical team. This role involves providing expert nutritional support to patients undergoing treatment for various types of cancers, including gynaecology, plastics, urology, and colorectal cancers. The dietitian will be responsible for assessing patients' nutritional needs, developing individualized care plans, and delivering dietary education to patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Additional responsibilities include supporting and supervising junior dietitians, participating in research and audit initiatives, and collaborating with a multidisciplinary team to enhance patient care.
Candidates should possess strong leadership, communication, and presentation skills, as they will be tasked with training other professionals and supervising team members. The role also demands the ability to interpret complex clinical data, diagnose malnutrition, and make appropriate dietary recommendations. As part of a dynamic and expanding service, the ideal candidate will be passionate about oncology, eager to contribute to service development, and committed to ongoing professional development.
Due to new funding and expansion of our surgical service we have an exciting opportunity for an experienced and driven dietitian to join our specialist surgical team (band 7, 37.5hrs/week), as part of the Christie nutrition and dietetic team in our world class cancer centre. You will work with Gynaecology, plastics, urology, and some colorectal and peritoneal cancers. This will be alongside the senior specialist colorectal and peritoneal oncology dietitian. You will also support surgical patients on critical care following them through to the ward. You will also work with the wider team to support the service.
If you are you passionate and have experience working within in oncology surgery, leadership and want to develop your skills further in oncology and research then this is the post for you. Clinical supervision experience skills will enable you to support the band 6 dietitians and students. Excellent presentation skills will be required to carry out training and education to the HCPs on a regular basis.
As a senior specialist oncology dietitian, you will
- Be clinically responsible for the nutritional care and management of patients and independently plan organise and prioritise patient related and professional demands daily.
- Provide an expert nutritional support and dietary education service for patients attending the Christie Hospital.
- To act as a specialised resource on nutrition and cancer for patients, carers, medical staff, nursing staff, and other health care professionals associated with the Christie Hospital and at regional and national level.
- To provide education and training to medical staff, nursing staff and other health care professionals in the Trust.
- To provide support and supervision to band 6 rotation dietitians
- To take an active role in the research and audit.
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- To be clinically responsible for a highly complex area of work, as agreed with the dietetic manager and independently plan, organise and prioritise patient related and professional demands.
- To develop the dietetic service alongside the surgical teams with the support of the dietetic manager.
- To work closely with the other band 7 dietitians to support the service by cross covering when required and support the junior members of the team on a day to day basis.
- To work closely with the multidisciplinary team to enhance the persons health, wellbeing and quality of life and contribute to the management of frailty syndromes, prior, during and post-treatment.
- To nutritionally assess oncology patients by interpreting and evaluating anthropometric, biochemical, clinical, and dietary data, whilst considering the patients social and ethnic circumstances, prognosis and treatment.
- To convey complex specialised dietary advice and lifestyle changes to patients and carers using advanced counselling and communication skills.
- To follow patients post operatively on critical care unit.
- To attend appropriate multidisciplinary meetings and outpatient clinics in order to provide expert advice to clinicians regarding provision of nutritional support to surgical patients and carers based on clinical evidence
- To diagnose malnutrition and to liaise with the appropriate consultant, with an aim of optimising treatment outcome, by recommending the appropriate method of nutrition intervention and reducing risk of Refeeding Syndrome.
- To communicate, liaise and advise the team, key workers, nursing staff, AHPs and other health care professionals on the appropriateevidence based nutrition care plan.
- To prescribe the appropriate dietary regimen for surgical oncology patients using evidence-based practice and to manage, monitor and re-evaluate the treatment plan as necessary.
- To refer patients to other services for monitoring and therapeutic support following discharge.
- To work with the catering department to ensure suitable meal provision to meet the special needs of the oncology patient in line with national standards.
- To initiate, facilitate and coordinate the setting up of a home enteral feed to ensure a safe discharge.
- To be responsible for the ordering, delivery and monitoring of specialist nutritional supplements (ACBS endorsed) for individual client needs.
- To work alongside the other band 7 leads and support the wider inpatient service.
- To write, deliver and evaluate internal and external education and training sessions on nutrition and specialist dietetics in relation to lung and SAO to medical staff, nursing staff, AHPs, dietitians, other health care professionals, patients, and carers.
- To act as a clinical educator by participating in student dietetic placements.
- To provide supervision to allocated band 6 dietitians daily, carrying out regular one to one meetings, and carrying out annual PDR process.
- To take an active role in the research and audit.
- To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up to date documentation on individual patients in line with local and national standards and be responsible for the appropriate storage of d with the Health Care Professions Council (H.C.P.C) and trust policy on confidentiality.
- To record and submit patient data and statistics as required by the manager and provide information for annual reports and service development and planning.
- To attend and participate in departmental, professional update meetings and trust nutrition related meetings leading them when required.
- To attend and contribute to the trust nutrition steering committee.
- To be responsible for own clinical professional development (CPD) to maintain competency and to ensure best practice.