Go back Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Specialty Dietitian - (TPN/IF)
The closing date is 05 August 2025
Do you have a passion for parenteral nutrition (PN) and intestinal failure (IF) and rehabilitation and are looking for a change or new opportunity in your career?!
We are recruiting a new dietetic colleague to join our multidisciplinary nutrition support team comprising of nutrition nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, medics and supported by our dietetic department colleagues, specialist vascular access teams, community home parenteral nutrition providers, dedicated aseptic compounding unit and NST admin colleagues. You may have an interest in PN and IF arising from past experience in gastroenterology, oncology, haematology, surgical or intensive care. You would provide care to patients on PN in hospital and at home on PN working within an integrated IF patient care team and we have an intestinal transplant program at OUH. We also support ward dietitians in areas we are closely involved with from our PN ward rounds
This exciting opportunity to join one of the best and largest acute teaching hospitals in the UK offers the successful candidate
* Clinical supervisionand support from experienced and specialist dietitians
* Dedicated timefor professional and service development
* Regular appraisals andpersonalised development plan
* Access to a range ofCPD opportunities, the Oxford AHPs Research & Innovation Unit, and Bodleian Library collection.
Support for further academic study
Main duties of the job
To have responsibility for providing a dietetic service to patients treated within the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (OUHT). This involves working as an integral member of the dietetic team to provide a flexible, prioritised service based on clinical need.
To provide a specialist dietetic service to patients with intestinal failure who may require intravenous feeding i.e. total parenteral nutrition (TPN) within the Oxford University Hospitals Trust (OUH).
To provide a specialist outpatient dietetic service for patients with intestinal failure, some of who require TPN at home (HPN).
To work as an integral member of the multidisciplinary nutrition support team to provide a safe, prioritised service based on clinical need.
To educate, train and disseminate information to healthcare professionals including clinicians, nurses, Allied Health Professionals, dietetic colleagues and students in aspects of nutrition and dietetics but particularly related to the care of patients with TPN and those in critical care.
To provide support to dietitians involved with TPN on 2 hospitals sites within the OUH Trust working along side the gastro and surgery dietitians and your team leader.
To participate and play a key role with other specialist dietitians in the development of evidence based Trust-wide multidisciplinary nutrition guidelines and policies.
About us
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trustis one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research.
The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.
Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community.We call thisDelivering Compassionate Excellenceand its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence.These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via theOUH YouTube channel.
Job responsibilities
CLINICAL
Work as an integral member of the Trust multidisciplinary Nutrition Team. This involves attending daily ward rounds, case conferences, weekly multidisciplinary team meetings and regular liaison with a range of disciplines across all specialities regarding specific issues of patient care e.g. discussion with consultants or senior registrars regarding the appropriateness of referral for TPN, patient biochemistry, route of feeding, complications etc
Provide a high quality and comprehensive nutrition and dietetic service to TPN patients on the Gastroenterology and Lower Gastrointestinal surgery ward and to all specialities across the Trust requiring the specialist TPN service
To assess the nutritional status of individual patients based on anthropometric measurements as well as biochemical markers, diet history and other validated methods of nutritional assessment as appropriate.
Obtain and analyse relevant information from different sources in order to make a comprehensive assessment of the patients condition, prognosis and treatment plans so that a decision on the most appropriate dietetic treatment to support this can be made in the short and long term.
Calculate nutritional requirements using specific assessment tools and calculations. To remain up to date with the literature and ensure that this is an evidence based process and clinically relevant to the TPN patient group.
Advise on appropriate artificial feeding routes (enteral or parenteral) for patients across all disciplines experiencing difficulties with feeding or meeting their nutritional requirements as a result of surgery or complex gastrointestinal disease
To formulate individualised patient care plans and parenteral nutrition prescriptions, taking into consideration factors which may affect requirements or help/hinder provision of nutrition support such as: prescribed drugs, biochemical derangements, metabolic complications, access issues etc.
Request specific biochemical tests and respond to this by suggesting to medical colleagues to replete and monitor levels until within normal ranges.
Evaluate the effectiveness of nutritional goals and modify plans as necessary based on ongoing analysis and assessment of information available and changing patient needs and medical condition.
To be involved in the discharge planning of patients receiving nutrition support via enteral or parenteral route in order to facilitate continuity of care of patients following transfer to out of area acute hospitals and the community setting.
To be actively involved with the initiation and development of evidence based trust-wide guidelines, for example TPN guidelines, feeding protocols and other resources including diet sheets in liaison with dietetic colleagues, senior nurses and clinicians e.g. intensive care nutrition support guidelines, re-feeding guidelines (guidelines for re-feeding malnourished patients safely), diet sheets for short bowel syndrome, low oxalate diet, low fibre diet etc.
Where necessary, to provide a specialist dietetic outpatient service to patients with chronic progressive gastrointestinal conditions e.g. scleroderma, intestinal failure, short bowel syndrome, dysmotility disorder. To address and monitor their changing nutritional needs over the course of their disease in liaison with other members of the multidisciplinary team.
To communicate effectively with patients, carers and other health professionals. Skills of motivation, explanation and gaining consent will be used in a wide variety of and sometimes sensitive situations. The ability to communicate complex information at an appropriate level to allow understanding is important. Barriers to communication may be evident e.g. loss of hearing, receptive and expressive problems with the formulation and understanding of language, difficulties with speaking, altered perception. The use of communication aids such as letter/picture boards, light-writers may be necessary.
Act as a resource for colleagues within OUH on nutritional issues related to TPN, HPN and intestinal failure.
To assist in delivering a dietetic service to any clinical area when required, for example by covering other dietitians work load, etc.
To be an active member of the trust MDT nutrition team and dietetic TPN team including attending team meetings and delivering relevant outcomes generated from these meetings
PROFESSIONAL
Be accountable for standards of conduct, performance, professional Ethics and standards of proficiency as set out in the Health Care Professions Council and the British Dietetic Association's Professional Standards for Dietitians.
To take responsibility for own continuing professional development (CPD) and providing evidence for this by maintaining a CPD portfolio in line with HCPC standards and maintaining HCPC registration. CPD involves critical evaluation of scientific papers, attending professional development meetings, working as a reflective practitioner and attending relevant internal/external courses.
Participate in annual appraisal, identifying own development and training needs and setting personal development objectives with line manager.
To participate in departmental audits and initiate audit within own work area in order to monitor and evaluate whether local/ national standards are being met and make recommendations for change. To be involved with the planning of departmental clinical effectiveness and audit strategies.
Actively participate in the dietetic student training program, facilitating the development of skills and knowledge, being involved in the assessment process and acting as a mentor to students.
To mentor, supervise and enable Dietitians on the Band 5 rotation working in this speciality
To provide specialist advice, teaching and training to all members of the medical, surgical and multidisciplinary team, regarding the nutritional management of patients, particularly those on TPN.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* -Registration with HCPC.
* -BSc (Hons) Nutrition / Dietetics degree or post graduate diploma or equivalent.
* -Evidence of a range of CPD activities
* -Completion of relevant post registration clinical courses (e.g. PENG, clinical supervisory skills, attendance of St Marks Hospital IF and/or HPN study day, BDA Introduction to parenteral nutrition course)
Experience / Skills
* -Demonstrates knowledge, skills and experience of a wide range of clinical areas.
* -Experience of nutritional support.
* -Able to demonstrate knowledge, skills and experience in the care of patients requiring PN.
* -Advanced clinical reasoning skills.
* -Experience of covering gastrointestinal surgery wards.
* -Experience of audit/project work.
* -Teaching & training skills
Other Relevant Factors
* -Ability to work autonomously & as part of a team.
* -Able to respond to unpredictable work patterns.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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