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Job summary

Main area
Dietetics
Grade
Band 8a
Contract
Fixed term: 12 months (Maternity cover)
Hours
  • Full time
  • Part time
37.5 hours per week
Job ref
275-2501LD-1
Employer
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Town
Gillingham
Salary
£53,755 - £60,504 per annum/pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
29/01/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Medway NHS Foundation Trust logo

Lead Dietitian

Band 8a

Do you have the ambition and vision to deliver the Best of Care by the Best People?

Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision of Better, Best, Brilliant is achieved

Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious and dynamic environment; our employees are able to choose the coverage and supplemental benefits that best fit their needs and those of their families. This includes the promotion of flexible working opportunities across the Trust, we are able to give our employees flexibility on where, when and the hours they work.

Our culture and values are what drives Medway NHS Foundation Trust and is the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation. It is important that you understand and to refer to our values when you are completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.

Job overview

Lead Dietitian

Division: Cancer & Core Clinical Services

Care Group: Diagnostics  and Therapies

Band: 8a

Salary: £53,755 - £60,504 per annum/pro rata

Please note this role is Fixed term/Secondment for 12 months covering maternity leave

We are recruiting for a Lead Dietitian who shares our ambition and vision to deliver the Best of Care by the Best People and has the drive to take us forward, by ensuring that the Trust continues to be the first choice for patients and our staff.

Main duties of the job

As the  Lead for Dietetics at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, you will be responsible for ensuring the effective provision of the Dietetic service across specialities and the operational management of the Dietetic team.

The role includes responding to national initiatives and advising on appropriate clinical and professional strategy relating to dietetic practice.

As a highly specialist, autonomous practitioner, provide advanced assessment, treatment and advice / education to patients with acute or chronic, highly complex presentations.

To regularly undertake audit activity and contribute to research to ensure effective and evidence-based provision of services.

Our values are Bold, Every Person Counts, Sharing and Open and Together. It is important that you understand and to refer to our values when completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.

We are committed to endorsing diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion; our policies / procedures ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.

To contribute to our exciting future and become part of our team, apply today.

Working for our organisation

Do you have the ambition and vision to deliver our mission of the Best of Care by the Best of People providing excellent care, every time?

Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision is achieved for our patients.

As a key partner in the healthcare of our local population, we are keen to deliver this as an outcome of our Trust-wide strategy – Patient First. Using an Operational Excellence approach to align our priorities and operational management structures, we are just over a year and half into our Patient First deployment. We are looking for creative, skilled people to join our Transformation Team and further support us on this journey.

Our culture and values define us here at Medway NHS Foundation Trust and are the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation.

Our BEST values underpin Patient First and are at the core of the care we give to our patients, the support we offer to our staff and our overall leadership approach:

B – Bold

E – Every person counts

S – Sharing and open

T - Together

Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious and dynamic environment; our employees are able to choose the coverage and supplemental benefits that best fit their needs and those of their families. This includes the promotion of flexible working opportunities across the Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own clinical caseload and to manage the clinical risk within own caseload. The post holder is wholly accountable for their practice in line with the HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics.

To be responsible for maintaining own capability and competency to practice through CPD activities and recognise the limits of individual competence and knowledge, undertake further training and academic qualifications as relevant to the role and service requirements, integrating new knowledge into current practice. Take responsibility for personal and professional updating and development, including mandatory training.

To manage patients with complex nutritional needs along their clinical pathway, formulating expert clinical opinion in order to; recommend best course of nutritional intervention, to reassess and progress treatments accordingly in order to develop, inform and influence discharge plans, to advise and plan further nutritional management elsewhere. This will require the interpretation and analysis of complex clinical information and consideration of the suitability of various treatment options.

To maintain highly developed physical skills where a high degree of precision and high levels of hand, eye and sensory co-ordination are essential. This may include procedures such as nasal gastric feeding tubes.

To take action where patients fail to meet expected milestones in their recovery, and, escalate concerns where patients’ nutritional needs are not met, working with members of the MDT to create innovative, bespoke solutions in order to optimise patient nutrition.

Participate in the appraisal process and maintain a professional portfolio which supports reregistration.

To ensure that, as an individual practitioner, the post holder maintains timely and effective communication with the Head of Therapies e.g. changes that my impact the delivery of Dietetic services, including staffing levels

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Degree / Diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Current Health & Care Professions Council HCPC registration
  • Member of British Dietetic Association, ideally including relevant specialist group

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Competency in nutritional assessment of patients in varied clinical specialities in a range of population groups
  • Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the issues involved with working in a busy acute setting, in particular respiratory medicine
  • Understanding of national and professional issues

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of supervising Dietetic students
  • Experience of responding to demand / prioritising work / managing a caseload in fast moving acute environment
  • Experience of managing patients within an MDT setting

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Able to communicate clearly with other team members and patients/ carers in challenging situations
  • Teaching and presentation skills
  • Ability to develop and prepare dietetic resources

Values Based Question

Essential criteria
  • How would you ensure you represent MFT in a positive way?

Employer certification / accreditation badges

No smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - BronzeDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - SilverDisability confident employerNHS Rainbow badgeStep into health

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Mary Plumbridge
Job title
Acting Head of Therapies
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07810 655770

If you have problems applying, contact

Address
Residence 13a
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Windmill Road
Gillingham
Kent
ME7 5NY
Telephone
01634 976537
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