Overview
This role is the perfect opportunity to develop cardio-respiratory dietetic knowledge and skills in a well-renowned specialist centre. The post holder will cover critical care, including ECMO patients, cardiothoracic surgery and private patients. The dietetics team is a small and friendly team within a larger multi-professional AHP team. With 10 days of study leave a year and well established research links we actively encourage learning, further education, research opportunities and quality improvement (QI). The post holder will provide care to adult cardio-respiratory patients in conjunction with another Band 7 Dietician as part of the Adult Heart Therapy Team. This post is primarily for providing a specialist dietetic service to private in- and out-patients, but also includes providing a specialist dietetic service to NHS in- and out-patients and adults on critical care, attending relevant clinical meetings and participating in service developments. The post is based primarily at the Royal Brompton Hospital. The post holder will have opportunities to lecture internally and externally and participate fully in relevant national meetings both verbally and through presentations of posters and abstracts. The post holder will also have an active role in student training. The post holder will be responsible for their own continuous professional development.
Trust and Context
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield. We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and – as part of King’s Health Partners – we are one of England’s eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world-class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research’s biomedical research centres, established with King’s College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities. Our integrated approach to caring for patients from before birth, through childhood, adolescence and into adulthood and old age has been replicated around the world and has gained Royal Brompton and Harefield an international reputation as a leader in heart and lung diagnosis, treatment and research. We have around 22,700 staff, making us one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country and one of the biggest employers locally. We aim to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and continue to develop new and existing partnerships with local people, patients, neighbouring NHS organisations, local authorities and charitable bodies and GPs.
Responsibilities
Patient/customer care (direct and indirect)
* To provide a highly specialist dietetic clinical service to designated private patient adult wards and outpatients referred to the service, in accordance with Trust Policy and Standards.
* To provide a highly specialist dietetic clinical service to adults on critical care with acute respiratory failure and post-cardiothoracic surgery.
* Work autonomously to provide specialist expert advice and treatment plans to adult patients, their carers and clinicians. This includes nutritional diagnosis, development of treatment plans with complex considerations (nutritional requirements, patient-centred goals, medical, physical, social and psychological factors), and the prescription of dietary treatments and ACBS products where guidelines may be limited. This work often involves complex cases with factors such as non-invasive ventilation, secondary diagnoses (e.g., diabetes, liver disease, osteoporosis and other GI disorders), ECMO and prolonged critical care stays.
To expand and establish the Private and NHS dietetics outpatients service by developing an innovative online outpatient follow-up nutrition service for overseas inpatients repatriated with a gastric feeding tube or requiring further nutritional support.
Policy development
* To be involved with the development and implementation of Dietetic and Trust policy and protocols related to adult respiratory and critical care services.
* To be familiar with and implement Trust, Directorate Policy and Standards; to contribute to their regular review where appropriate at department and Trust level.
Service development
* To undertake specific research and audit projects related to clinical specialism and to participate in other research and audit projects as appropriate.
* To work with the Therapy Lead, Clinical Specialist and Nutrition Lead to develop dietetic services, and to participate in Trust-wide multidisciplinary policy groups acting on behalf of the Rehabilitation and Therapies Directorate.
* To participate in national dietetic interest groups developing standards and guidance in the care of adult respiratory patients and to develop the service to outpatients.
People management
* To receive regular appraisals and have an individual development plan to help meet personal and team objectives.
* To carry out the annual appraisal and clinical supervision of Band 6 team members, ensuring Personal Development Plans and CPD activity records.
* To be involved with recruitment and address work performance issues within the team.
* To supervise and teach student dietitians, including placement students and honours projects, working with the student training lead to devise training programmes.
* To abide by the Trust’s core behaviours and all other Trust policies including standing financial instructions, research governance, clinical governance, patient and public involvement, codes and practices, and health and safety policies.
Communication
* To work as part of a multidisciplinary team to ensure the best service for patients.
* To give informal and formal talks to staff, patients and students locally and nationally when requested.
* To lecture internally and externally and participate at national or international meetings, verbally and via posters/abstracts, ensuring feedback to department and service team meetings.
* To regularly communicate with patients who may be terminally ill, have chronic disease (e.g., heart failure) or barriers to understanding (e.g., CVA, cognitive impairment, long-stay ITU patients).
* To gain consent about dietetic treatment options and inform patients of expected outcomes; to communicate with outside agencies e.g. GPs about patient care where appropriate.
Resource management
* Responsible for the safe use of dietetic or nutrition-related equipment by patients under their care (e.g., feeding pumps).
* Responsible for safe storage and appropriate usage of any consumables used in specified research studies.
* Collaborate with Lead Dietitians and Director of Rehabilitation and Therapies to develop a strategic direction for the department aligned with Trust objectives.
Information management
* Familiar with and able to operate computer programs such as Microsoft Office, dietary analysis packages and dietetic software; record dietetic activity and access patient information through IT systems.
* Maintain accurate treatment notes for each patient per Health and Care Professions Council standards.
Professional
* Maintain records demonstrating engagement in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) per British Dietetic Association guidelines.
* Demonstrate current State Registration by HCPC and abide by Standards of Proficiency and Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics.
* Stay up to date via study days, conferences, BDA meetings and relevant literature; be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of work.
This advert closes on Monday 15 Sep 2025
#J-18808-Ljbffr