Job Description
To work in collaboration with the Catering and Dietetic Teams as the Trust Lead Catering Dietitian.
To work with front line catering teams, catering managers, Dietitians, Speech and Language Therapists, Pharmacists, Nursing teams, and other stakeholders to ensure the Trust delivers a wide range of standard hospital menus, therapeutic, religious, and cultural diets.
To act as a source of expertise in the analysis, development, and review of hospital menus. Ensure all hospital menus are nutritionally adequate and reflect best practice guidelines, including hospital food standards, allergen information, and International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) recommendations.
To work jointly with patients/service users, catering, Dietetics, and Speech and Language Therapy to initiate, plan, and deliver Trust education and training in nutrition.
To represent dietetics and catering at the Trust Nutrition and Hydration Steering Group, Patient Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) audits, and catering meetings.
Provide highly specialist Dietetic assessment, treatment, monitoring, and management in one or more specialty areas of Dietetics when required.
Act as a source of expertise in Dietetics practice locally, regionally, and nationally.
Education
* Maintain up-to-date knowledge and competence in line with professional and service requirements and demonstrate critical thinking, decision-making, and reflective skills to ensure own professional development.
* Regularly involved in the practical training of student Dietitians and other healthcare professionals and assistants.
* Presents at internal, local, and national conferences.
* Create an environment in which learning and practice development are fostered, evaluated, and disseminated.
* Responsible for the training of catering and other staff in nutrition roles.
* Facilitate effective learning within the area of practice for all practitioners, including students.
Leadership
* When appropriate, take responsibility for clinical supervision/mentorship of junior qualified staff and Student Dietitians.
* Support staff within the same specialty areas in prioritising workload.
* Set objectives for performance management.
* Provide reports to the service lead as requested.
* Undertake clinical/service improvement projects and audits.
Information Resources
* Maintain patient/service user records of care and activity analysis in written and electronic formats.
* Participate in updating and developing patient/service user information and teaching materials, using Trust guidance on accessible patient/service user information leaflets, making them available for national use.
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region. We also provide services covering the North West, North Wales, and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services supporting physical and mental health, including inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction, and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK offering high secure mental health facilities.
Our core commitment is to ‘perfect care’—safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable, and efficient. We support our staff to excel and work alongside service users, families, and carers to co-design future services. We are currently implementing organisational and service transformations to improve quality and reduce costs.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
For further details or informal visits, contact:
Name: Julie Westwell
Job title: Head of Facilities
Email: Julie.Westwell@merseycare.nhs.uk
Telephone: 07747473187
#J-18808-Ljbffr