Job Overview
Are you ready for your next challenge? We have an exciting permanent Community Nutrition Support Dietitian vacancy within Ealing Community Dietetics as part of Central North West London NHS Trust, working under the umbrella of Ealing Community Partners. This is a full‑time permanent contract Band 6 post. You will be responsible for supporting tube‑fed and nutrition support patients in their own homes or nursing homes, running nutrition support clinics at health centres, and providing face‑to‑face or virtual telephone or video consultations. You will also support, advise and train dietetic students and other health‑care staff. Applicants must have good communication skills and experience of working with nutrition support including tube feeding at Band 5 or above. Ealing has tube feeds and oral nutritional supplements off FP10 and you will therefore be responsible for the provision of feed (without GP prescription) and equipment for Ealing patients.
The Ealing community team includes specialist Nutrition Support Dietitians, Diabetes, Obesity, Cardiovascular disease, Paediatric Dietitians, as well as nutrition practitioners and assistants. The department is committed to supporting continual professional development and clinical supervision.
Main Duties of the Job
* Provide and develop the Community Nutrition and Dietetic Service in the Borough of Ealing.
* Be responsible for providing and developing dietetic clinics and domiciliary visits within agreed localities.
* Act as a source of expertise to members of Primary Health Care Teams, consultants, allied and other health professionals, local authority professionals, education, community groups and private industry.
* Develop and provide effective health promotion/community development activities.
* Develop and provide nutrition education and training to professionals within Ealing student dietitians and community groups.
* Develop the specialist clinical service, carry out audits and research.
Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities
* Be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of your own work.
* Work autonomously to provide specialist dietary advice to patients, carers, nurses, clinicians and other health professionals/agencies within and across Trusts regarding nutrition.
* Be responsible for selecting and authorising/prescribing nutritional sip feeds and enteral feeds for patients and recommend products not included in the dietetic authorisation list for prescription by GPs and medical staff. Monitor stock levels in nursing homes in your care and ensure all products are used appropriately.
* Communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with patients from a wide range of backgrounds, carers and families, tailored to their needs, to gain consent, ensure understanding of condition, treatment options, risks, acceptance and compliance with dietary treatment, which may include unwelcome or difficult to accept information such as life‑time adherence to an artificial diet or limitations of treatment in terminal illness.
* Apply developed communication, negotiation and counselling skills to empower patients to achieve long‑term lifestyle and behavioural changes taking into account emotional, physical, social and psychological barriers as well as strong influences on change (e.g. depression, dementia, language difficulties, resistant attitudes, aggression, behavioural problems, mental illness). Use interpreters, sign language, information technology or other means of communication appropriate to the client’s requirements.
* Be an expert source of information and advice to patients/carers and nursing staff on the use of artificial feeding and feeding equipment. Discuss complex ethical issues with service users and health professionals such as whether to continue feeding or not.
* Promote and ensure multidisciplinary/multi‑agency collaborative working, attend multidisciplinary team and family meetings, provide timely patient progress reports/discharge summaries to secondary, primary care and local authority/social services, and refer to other health professionals/social services when appropriate.
* Network and work in partnership with other disciplines/agencies such as public health department, prescribing leads, nurse leads, falls service to support prevention as well as treatment.
* Keep contemporaneous, accurate and comprehensive notes and records for each patient.
* Collect agreed statistical information in accordance with Trust and Dietetic Team standards.
Person Specification
Experience – Essential Criteria
* Post‑registration experience in clinical dietetics including nutritional support and tube feeding.
* Experience in training/teaching healthcare professionals/students.
* Knowledge and experience of contributing to service improvement.
* Experience of conducting audits/research and evaluations.
* Experience of working effectively autonomously.
* Knowledge of diversity and ability to work with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
* Experience in accurately taking anthropometric measurements.
Experience – Desirable Criteria
* Knowledge and application of counselling skills/behavioural change.
Skills and Knowledge – Essential Criteria
* Good planning and organisational skills.
* Ability to manage time effectively, meet deadlines and deal with work pressures/demands.
* Good oral and written communication skills including behavioural change/motivational interviewing techniques.
* Good presentation skills.
* IT competent.
* Ability to travel to a variety of sites within the Trust; walking or cycling acceptable in some trusts.
Skills and Knowledge – Desirable Criteria
* Able to drive.
Education/Qualifications – Essential Criteria
* Degree/Post‑graduate Diploma/MSc in Dietetics.
* Health Professions Council Registration.
* Evidence of post‑registration education and training portfolio e.g. BDA specialist courses, teaching certificate, nutritional support, counselling.
* Extensive post‑registration experience in clinical dietetics.
Attitudes, Aptitudes, Personal Characteristics – Essential Criteria
* Ability to deal with conflict and uncomfortable or distressing situations.
* Ability to work as a team member and promote collaborative multi‑disciplinary/multi‑agency working.
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