Would you like to work with people who have a diverse range of needs, who also struggle to manage their health and weight? The Weight Management team are an experienced multi‑disciplinary team, offering support to patients using individual and group interventions.
We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic Registered Dietitian as a Band 6 Specialist Practitioner to be an integral part of all aspects of the service. This will include working with Weight Management patients and patients that are either preparing for or who have undergone bariatric surgery. You will be providing a wide range of clinical interventions to support the health and wellbeing of this complex group of patients.
The post is based at the Cumberland Centre with some hybrid working and requires some occasional evening work.
Main duties of the job
The main duties of the role include providing a specialist service to patients with morbid obesity and co‑morbidities to assist with managing their weight; providing education, coaching, signposting and guidance to patients on a one‑to‑one or group basis; being a resource for health and social care professionals, carers, relatives or other non‑professional contacts; being an integral member of the MDT to support decision making, providing education, training and dissemination of information to all healthcare professionals; being an autonomous practitioner, holding a clinical caseload and working without direct supervision; being a Registered Dietitian, working in line with all requirements of the profession.
Job responsibilities
MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
To provide a specialist role in the assessment and management of patients referred to the Weight Management service from primary and secondary care. To undertake all aspects of clinical practice as an autonomous practitioner. To be a Registered Dietitian, working in line with all requirement of the profession.
In the absence of the Weight Management Clinical lead to manage the day‑to‑day delivery of the service. To be responsible for own caseload, working with support from Weight Management Clinical Lead as required. To undertake all aspects of clinical practice as an autonomous practitioner. Manage clinical risk within own caseload. Take part in service audit to assess the effectiveness of the service. Participate in evidence‑based audit and research projects to further own and team clinical practice. Provide support to other multi‑disciplinary members of the Weight Management team as required.
5.1 Responsibility for People Management. To act as a role model for all staff and students demonstrating clinical skills and high standards of practice and professional conduct. To participate in team activities so as to develop and consolidate a cohesive and supportive team, ensuring openness within the team. To assist with the supervision and co‑ordination of junior staff in the absence of the service lead. Ensure that own practice and that of junior staff in the absence of the service lead meets the standards set for the service. To have a flexible approach to the working day in order to respond to the needs of the service effectively.
5.2 Responsibility for financial and/or physical resources. To use resources responsibly and to report any problems with equipment in line with organisational/service guidelines.
5.3 Responsibility for administration. Maintain accurate and up to date patient records and inform other professionals about changes in patient condition. Participate in the collection and gathering of data for audit purposes on a weekly basis. To assist in the preparation and delivery of the teaching programme for patients to help them learn to manage weight. The post holder is required to comply with all infection control policies and guidance, attend relevant updates and report issues of concern to their immediate line manager (if no action or explanation received, then it is the individual's responsibility to escalateto Director of Operations/Chief Executive Office). To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records on caseload.
5.4 Responsibility for people who use our services. To be professional and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care. To undertake comprehensive clinical and social assessments of patients with morbid obesity including those with diverse presentations of multi‑pathologies; use of developed specialist clinical reasoning skills and manual assessment techniques to provide an accurate assessment of their condition. Formulate and deliver individual treatment and care programme based on sound developed specialist knowledge of evidence‑based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatments available. Formulate judgement involving complex facts and interpretation relating to accurate progress and recommend best course of intervention and continued care for patients. To manage clinical risks within own patient caseload and refer to appropriate multi‑disciplinary team. Where required, to follow patients up prior to referral for bariatric surgery and to monitor and offer support to enable patients to self‑manage their condition and treatment effectively. Provide and receive complex, sensitive or contentious information, where persuasive, motivational, negating, empathic and reassurance skills are required both verbal and non‑verbal, to communicate effectively with patients, carers, GPs and consultant's patient progress and treatment programmes. This will include patients who may have difficulty understanding or communicating, e.g. patients may be dysphasic, depressed, deaf, blind or may have difficulty accepting diagnosis. When working in the community settings not directly supervised but able to contact Weight Management lead for advice/support and discuss own caseload routinely. Provide psychological support to patients who are anxious and depressed as directed. Develop links with other professional and voluntary bodies to ensure maximum effectiveness of the service and patient care and community support. To be responsible for organising and planning own workload to meet the service and patient priorities. Plan, manage and prioritise clinical caseload delegating patients to other staff members as required to generate a caseload for them. To demonstrate effective communication with patients, staff and other members of the multi-disciplinary team. When communicating with patients it should be at the appropriate level for patients to understand such as patients suffering from terminal illness, dementia, disability, visually impairment and/or hearing impairment. Act as a patient advocate as required ensuring individual needs, preferences and choices are delivered by the Service.
5.5 Responsibility for implementation of policy and/or service developments. To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities and maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development. Assist in maintaining current knowledge of evidence-based practice of junior staff within the team. Participate in research into specific areas of clinical practice and service delivery. Assist in evaluation of the service provided to that of primary and secondary care to develop improvements to service delivery and clinical practice, to ensure high standards and innovative practice are maintained. Make recommendations on changes to Clinical Practice within Weight Management and present to line manager with full responsibility for implementation.
6. COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
Patients and their families will have complex requirements in relation to obesity, obesity surgery and related co‑morbidities. The environment in which this is undertaken is highly emotive and can occasionally be hostile/antagonistic/challenging in nature. Information is of a complex, often sensitive nature that is life‑changing and requires skillful assessment of the individual's ability to comprehend/understand; therefore tact, diplomacy and motivational interviewing skills are essential alongside the ability to overcome barriers to understanding. Daily concentration on making patient assessments and making recommendation of treatments to patients and other health professionals. Regular interruptions in daily work pattern from medical staff, patients, GPs and junior members of the Weight Management team seeking support and advice.
7. PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB
Occasional encounters with rude or verbal aggression. Frequently exert moderate physical effort when transporting items of equipment required in carrying out patient assessments and educational sessions where appropriate. Be able to carry our frequent position changes including sitting, standing and walking when engaging with patients. To operate a VDU every day. Occasional interruptions in daily work pattern, from patient, GPs and other health professionals / agencies.
Person Specification
Experience
* Community service experience
* Experience of working in weight management or health improvement service
Specific Skills
* Interpersonal skills
* Ability to organise, prioritise and delegate
* Ability to work within a team and autonomously
* Ability to cope with stressful/emotional situations
Additional Criteria
* Flexible working including evenings as required.
* Effective team worker
* Proactive, with an ability to set up new initiatives
* Self‑motivated
* Empathetic and approachable
* Flexible regarding duties and ability to cope with change
Qualifications
* Registered Dietician
* BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics
* HCPC registration
* Evidence of on‑going professional development
* Counselling qualification
Knowledge
* Specialist Knowledge related to Weight Management
* Evidence of clinical knowledge
* Experience working with other
* Evidence of participation in audit/research
* Evidence of CPD maintained in a Contribute to clinical education
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.
Full‑time, Part‑time, Job share, Flexible working
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