Job overview
Are you a motivated and passionate dietitian looking to make a real impact in patient care? This is an exciting opportunity to join our friendly and supportive Acute and Gastroenterology Team, providing specialist services to inpatients at Bedford Hospital and outpatients within the gastroenterology service.
In this role, you’ll manage your own caseload of gastroenterology outpatients, working closely with patients to optimise their nutritional care and outcomes. You’ll also have the opportunity to supervise and support our Band 5 Dietitian and Dietetic Assistant Practitioner, helping to develop their skills and confidence within the team.
We actively encourage every team member to contribute to service improvement and innovation. You’ll have the chance to get involved in a variety of exciting projects — from audit and research to the development of patient resources, teaching, and contributing to policies and clinical guidelines.
If you’re enthusiastic, forward-thinking, and keen to grow your skills in a dynamic environment, we’d love to hear from you!
Main duties of the job
You will be required to have HCPC registration and have dietetic experience in gastroenterology. Post graduate training in the provision of the FODMAP diet would be advantageous.
Working for our organisation
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1.To manage a complex caseload of gastroenterology outpatients and contribute to service improvement projects in conjunction with the clinical lead in this area.
2.To have a very good understanding of and contribute to the effective running of the gastroenterology and surgical dietetics service.
3.To take appropriate action using advanced problem solving skills to assist patients, health/social care professionals and members of the public with queries regarding the gastroenterology and surgical dietetics service.
4.To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients within your own scope of practice and organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.
5.To work as an autonomous practitioner by planning and prioritising own workload according to locally agreed priority coding and supporting dietetic assistant practitioners and less experienced dietitians to do the same.
6.To develop and maintain a specialist knowledge of evidence-based practice, the common conditions you come across and national and local standards within your clinical areas.
7.To undertake a comprehensive assessment (interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometrics, clinical condition and diet history) of patients including those with complex presentations/multi pathologies and use clinical reasoning skills to set nutritional goals for each patient.
8.To give expert opinion on complex nutrition related issues where numerous social, ethical, psychological and medical factors have to be considered and where there may be conflicting ideas from the multidisciplinary team.
9.To negotiate and agree dietary interventions with patients and their carers, using appropriate counselling and motivational skills to optimise their nutritional status.
10.To make recommendations for appropriate prescription of nutritional products according to local guidelines regarding the use of nutritional supplements and enteral feeding products.
Please refer to the JD.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. HCPC Registration
2. Degree in Dietetics or equivalent
Desirable criteria
3. FODMAP training
Experience
Essential criteria
4. Dietetic experience in gastro
5. Experience of patient group education
6. NHS experience
Desirable criteria
7. Experiencing delivering FODMAP
Knowledge
Essential criteria
8. Gastro knowledge
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.