Community Dietitian

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Analytical and Judgement Skills

1. To assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with those patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment.
2. To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients assigned to your caseload, including accessing data recorded by other staff and disciplines.
3. To assess and manage clinical risk in your own patient caseload. 

Patient Care

1. To work with the patient to ensure reasonable compliance with the dietary treatment programme and adapt the programme if this proves difficult.
2. To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with local standards and the standards set by the professional body.
3. To provide planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals, to promote understanding of the aims of therapy and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
4. To formulate and deliver individual dietary therapy treatment programmes.
5. To work in a range of community settings, which will include patient homes, care homes and clinics.

Communication and Relations

1. To take delegated responsibility from senior colleagues for the management of specific patients and ensure that these colleagues are kept informed of patients’ progress, reassess and alter treatment programmes if required.
2. To recommend the best course of dietary intervention and develop comprehensive care plans in consultation with the patient, family and other staff involved in the care of the patient, as appropriate e.g. nursing staff, GP, Consultants, clinical specialist staff, primary care staff, pharmacists.
3. To represent your team and/or individual patients at multi-disciplinary team meetings, as required to ensure the delivery of a co-ordinated multi-disciplinary service including integrated therapy components. 
4. To use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients (and their carers/relatives) to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes, to ensure understanding of condition and to maximise rehabilitation potential.  This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating.  For example, patients may be dysphasic, deaf or/and blind or who may be unable to accept their diagnosis.
5. To use a range of communication skills including persuading, influencing, advising, motivating and training with patients and staff members.