Who are we? We are a Dietetic Department at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire based just under 10 minutes from the M69/M6 interchange. We are diverse in both skill and experience but also in personnel. Our specialities include gastroenterology, critical care, surgery, stroke, major trauma, oncology, renal, diabetes, specialist weight management, paediatrics and community nutrition support.

We have a 30 bedded General Critical Care unit with a mix of High Dependency and Intensive Care beds, and a 22 bedded Cardiothoracic Critical Care Unit. UHCW is a level 3 Major Trauma Centre, and you will have the opportunity to see patients with a range of diagnoses including Trauma, Surgical, Medical, and Neurological.

Main duties of the job

Alongside your colleagues you will manage all aspects of nutritional input for Critical Care patients and be responsible for coordinating appropriate and timely nutritional intake. We have close links with the Nutrition Team who provide parenteral nutrition input to the units. There is a strong MDT focus with a daily MDT meeting, and weekly long stay ward round that is also attended by Speech and Language Therapy and Physiotherapy.

As a joint team lead, you will be required to assess, prioritise, and treat patients, maintain associated records, and liaise with Dietetic colleagues and the wider MDT. You will also undertake regular audits to inform service improvement activities, co-ordinate the team operationally, and be involved in training of ward staff and junior dietetic staff.

About us

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, rated as good by the Care Quality Commission, is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the UK.

We are extremely proud of our employees across our hospital sites, with high quality patient care at the heart of everything we do.

Boasting some of the most modern facilities in Western Europe, the Trust is renowned for being at the forefront of research and innovation as part of its blossoming reputation as a worldwide leader in healthcare.

We are proud to be recognised as a Pathway to Excellence designated organisation - please click the link for further details about this prestigious award. Pathway To Excellence - University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire (uhcw.nhs.uk)

By joining our exciting journey, you will form part of a passionate, talented team and will be able to access a wide range of learning and development opportunities. There has never been a better time to join our team.

The Trust is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different perspectives available in our diverse society. We want everyone to feel they are respected, valued, can achieve their potential and receive the most appropriate and relevant care. We will create an environment where the equality and human rights principles of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy are promoted and are part of the organisation's core values.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical (for more information refer to the job summary in the main advert)

• To work autonomously to provide specialist dietetic advice to patients, their carers and staff within agreed protocols and guidelines and with support from senior colleagues including:
• Carry out nutritional assessments (interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometrics, clinical condition, and diet history) to determine nutritional problem.
• Development of treatment plans (calculation of nutritional requirements, analysis of nutritional intakes sometimes using specialist IT systems, client centred goals and discharge planning including patients on artificial nutritional support)
• Prescription of dietary treatment and ACBS products for conditions where there are limited professional / clinical guidelines available.
• To be clinically competent to give highly specialist dietetic advice, treatment and dietary counselling to patients in appropriate locations working with clients individually or in groups as appropriate.
• To communicate nutrition and dietetic information in an understandable form to staff, clients and carers, requiring negotiation, persuasion, motivation and counselling skills including situations where there are barriers to change.
• To use appropriate communication skills and resources to ensure that suitably accessible information is available to individuals on their dietary treatment/care plans.
• To determine service user requirements under the care of the Critical Care Dietetic team, developing and promoting use of referral guidelines as appropriate.
• To act as clinical lead and a source of expertise on nutrition and dietetics for Critical Care & rehabilitation, advising and supporting other members of the multidisciplinary team and other health / care workers as appropriate, helping those who are in a position to provide nutritional advice and influence nutritional habits within the speciality, aiming to give accurate consistent nutritional messages to clients.
• To liaise with various agencies as appropriate (e.g. medical staff, nursing, catering, and dietetic staff) to ensure the provision of a satisfactory meal service for individual patients.
• To attend and participate in multidisciplinary meetings and events for general Critical Care and the Rehab working Group.
• To participate in the health promotion activities of the department.
• To work flexible hours to meet the needs of the patients and the service as required.
• To cover the work of colleagues and deputise for senior colleagues during periods of absence or peak workloads.

Management

• To provide line management support to staff within the Critical Care Dietetic Team.
• To actively participate in the forward planning of the department with particular reference to Critical Care.
• To lead and contribute to the development and updating of evidence based clinical guidelines, policies, procedures and patient information with particularly for those required for use in the delivery of the Critical Care Dietetic Team Service, and follow these policies in practice.
• To propose changes to own working practices and practices relating to nutritional care across the Dietetic Service based on current evidence and best practice.
• To plan and prioritise own workload and evaluate own practice, working jointly with other professionals and agencies.

Training and education

• To plan and organise the clinical supervision of student dietitians including planning, timetables and written assessments
• To undertake mentoring of junior members of staff and student dietitians.
• To initiate and lead the planning and coordination of training on nutritional topics in the Critical Care Dietetic Team.
• To identify training needs and carry out nutrition education & training for nurses, support workers, catering and medical staff, or other MDT members as required.
• To regularly initiate and participate in the departmental Clinical Governance programme including presenting research findings, evidence based practice work shops, clinical audit, and reporting of clinical risks.
• To support junior and newly qualified members of staff, and students, in order to aid their development and competence.
• To develop evaluation criteria and audit clinical practice within the Critical Care Dietetic Team to ensure a high quality, evidence based effective service.

Professional

• To keep up to date with current developments in dietetics and participate in appropriate Continuous Professional Development activities
• To actively participate and contribute to departmental clinical supervision group to ensure a regular evaluation of practice through peer review
• Ensure that all Trust wide and departmental standards and clinical guidelines are maintained and monitored to improve the quality of total care, to all who come into contact with services provided by University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.
• Participate in personal reviews and work to achieve agreed set objectives
• To document patient activity data in accordance with trust and professional standards.
• To work as an autonomous practitioner working within the BDA Code of Professional Conduct and HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics and Standards of Proficiency (Dietitians).
• Contributes to the development and maintenance of the profile of the Dietetic profession.

For further details please see the attached job description.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• See supporting documents

Desirable

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Experience

Essential

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Desirable

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Knowledge

Essential

• See supporting documents

Desirable

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Skills

Essential

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Desirable

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Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

Address

University Hospital Coventry

Clifford Bridge Road

Coventry

CV2 2DX

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

218-AHP-B7-5643697