Band 7 Highly Specialist Learning Disabilities Dietitian, Bristol
Job Description
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Dietitian with clinical and team working skills to join the Multidisciplinary Team at the new Learning Disability and Autism unit opening in Bristol as part of Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health NHS Partnership Trust
If successful you will work as a Highly Specialist LD Dietitian to provide a safe, effective and evidence based dietetic service to the service users in this 10 bedded inpatient unit.
You will work as an integral member of the LD MDT assessing, advising, managing and rehabilitating service users with complex nutritional and social needs. Your team working, leadership, supervision and communication skills will be invaluable as week as your ability to work autonomously to manage your caseload.
AWP are working with SW NHSE to provide a new inpatient unit as part of the transformation of end-to-end pathways in the region. We aim to be a centre of excellence. The services are being designed and developed with clinicians and people with lived experience. We expect to open in 2025.
If you would like further information prior to you submitting your application, contact: Gemmacollins@nhs.net Trust wide Head of Nutrition and Dietetics telephone 07738264490
Main duties of the job
To provide highly specialist dietetic assessments and interventions to the service users with complex physical, psychological and mental health or learning disabilities needs, working as a member of the multi- disciplinary team in various settings as part of an integrated service.
To utilize extensive and highly specialist knowledge within this specialist dietetic filed and demonstrate the application of a wide range of behavioural skills in the one to one and group context as required
To develop and deliver pathways and protocols for service users across the Learning Disability and Autism pathway in line with Trust Wide Dietetic pathways.
To lead on an area of specialty within Mental Health services or Learning Disability
To provide specialist liaison and advice to collaborate organisations.
To be an essential member of the LDA unit MDT
To link in with the wider Nutrition and Dietetics team
About us
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust):a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.
We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.
Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
Job responsibilities
CLINICAL
To be the clinical expert in your specialist field within this setting. To be responsible for the development and provision & evaluation of a comprehensive and effective, evidence based dieteticservice in the Mental Health setting.
To have a working knowledge of national & best practice guidelines.
To work as an autonomous practitioner. This includes working in the hospital setting and working closely with patients, carers and other members of the multidisciplinary team.
To undertake detailed dietetic assessments (some highly complex in specialty area) to include: calculation of nutritional requirements, formulation of nutritional goals based on the interpretation ofbiochemical, anthropometric, physiological and psychosocial parameters. To monitor and change treatment plans based on new evidence.
To provide highly complex nutritional counselling and behavioural therapies to patients where there are significant barriers to change.
To demonstrate clinical effectiveness using evidence based outcomes and to be able to deliver safe clinical outcomes where there is conflicting information or expert opinion differs.
To make recommendations to the medical and pharmacy teams on the prescription of nutritional supplements and products for patients requiring nutritional support and therapeutic diets. To workwith prescribing advisors as required.
Required to accurately use anthropometrical equipment on a regular basis for dietetic assessment and research.
To organise, implement and evaluate group education sessions for different client groups e.g. clients, healthcare professionals.
To actively participate in general health promotion, in line with government policies and local priorities, liaising closely with the public health departments.
To actively participate in health promotion activities as required for the specialist area and oversee the provision a health promotion/ public health activities/ projects appropriate to the needs of thelocal community and in support of the Trust's health improvement priorities.
To be responsible for the operational departmental standards and policies within your specialist area.
To undertake audit work within this setting to improve clinical care.
To maintain accurate client records and activity statistics in accordance with departmental & Trust policies and procedures.
To ensure that targets & outcomes are set and met in line with trust and departmental objectives and contractual requirements.
To carry out good office practice in accordance with the departments policies and procedures.
To work as a team member in Nutrition and Dietetics team, which may involve providing leave cover and any other duties commensurate with the post, as requested by the Head of Nutrition and Dietetics.
COMMUNICATION
With Patients
To communicate highly complex medical and nutritional information to patients, carers and healthcare professionals in a clear and easy to understand manner.
To effectively engage with patients to help them understand, accept and overcome difficult diagnoses and complex dietary changes.
To communicate sensitively and effectively with patients and carers particularly where there aresignificant barriers to understanding such as mental illness, hearing/ sight impairment, cognitive impairment, behavioural problems, dementia etc.
To negotiate patient care plans with patients and carers, overcoming barriers to change & using persuasion and motivational interviewing techniques to achieve client compliance. Post-graduate training in Behavior Change or similar, is required.
With Colleagues
To effectively communicate complex nutritional information to healthcare professionals.
To effectively liaise with multidisciplinary teams regarding client care and to actively participate in multi-agency work and liaise with statutory and voluntary agencies as appropriate. To work collaboratively with ward teams to maintain existing assessment standards and systems, meetingpatients needs with collaboration with Hotel Services.
To produce timely and accurate client related correspondence in line with local and national guidelines.
To communicate effectively in highly complex situations where sensitive information is to be discussed e.g. dealing with complaints to avoid escalation, client medical conditions.
To use negotiation & persuasion skills to manage conflict across a range of situations.
To present clinical and service data in a formal setting to a large group of people e.g. an invited speaker on an external accredited course.
To support the Head of Nutrition & Dietetic Services when representing the department at internal and external forums. This involves regularly presenting service information, formulating & delivering plans to various size groups of professionals, peers, senior managers and client groups.
To have a high level of keyboard skills and working knowledge of computer packages (e.g. excel, windows, power point & nutrition analysis software) for the production of patient and service reports and information on a daily basis.
MANAGEMENT
To effectively and efficiently prioritise and time manage a workload. To ensure safe practice through caseload management taking into account risk management.
To work as an autonomous practitioner and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
To set up, chair and/ or attend meetings as required by the post, including support existing programmes of development/change.
To effectively supervise junior staff and students as required.
To support staff in client care in your related specialty.
To participate fully in the appraisal process and develop a strategy for continuing professional development encompassing a portfolio-based assessment in line with HCPC legislation. ...
