Junior Nutrition Nurse Specialist

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·      Clinical Practice

P    Provide effective holistic, nutritional care to individual patients, using clinical judgement to plan, implement, and evaluate nutritional care under the guidance of senior staff.

Provide expert advice to nursing and multidisciplinary teams on best practice relating to decision making and maintenance of oral, enteral and parenteral nutritional care.

Support nursing teams in the care of patients with enteral nutritional requirements, providing troubleshooting advice and assisting with the insertion of Nasogastric feeding tubes and nasal bridles

Provide a visible and accessible presence for the multidisciplinary team, patients, and carers, offering support and guidance where appropriate, and escalating any concerns to the Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialist

Support patient advocacy in all clinical situations, enabling person-centred, compassionate care, and ensuring the patient voice is considered in all nutrition-related activities, working alongside senior clinicians to provide options and advice.

Assist with the monitoring and use of nutrition screening tools to identify patients at risk of undernutrition, supporting senior staff in managing these patients in the acutely unwell setting.

Work as part of the Nutrition Support Team, participating in weekly Multidisciplinary Meetings and Ward Rounds, contributing at a level appropriate to the role and with support from senior colleagues.

Ensure safe practice in all aspects of nutritional patient care, participating in reviews of incidents and complaints under the guidance of more senior staff.

Collaborate with Ward Managers and Matrons to identify and support patients requiring assistance with eating and drinking, ensuring patient dignity is maintained.

Liaise with Dietetic Teams to ensure appropriate referrals are made, and assist in the implementation and evaluation of individualised nutritional care plans as directed.

Work closely with Speech and Language teams to support effective swallow screening and assist in the delivery of safe nutritional care for patients with dysphagia

Collaborate with the Mouthcare Lead Nurse to ensure the assessment of patients' oral health and the provision of appropriate care to support oral and dental health

Provide support to psychiatric liaison and ward teams in the care of patients with mental illness affecting their nutrition and hydration, including those with eating disorders, escalating concerns to the Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialist

Support with reviewing the site-based nutrition service provision contributing to the development of organisational standards, policies, guidelines, procedures, and making recommendations for service improvements.

Liaise with community staff and relatives of patients who are to be discharged with enteral nutrition, providing support to ensure patients are well-prepared to manage their feed, with guidance on troubleshooting potential issues. Ensure patients are informed and supported to prevent unnecessary hospital readmissions, in collaboration with senior clinicians.

Support communication with tertiary referral centres for patients who are admitted with established Home Parenteral Nutrition or who are transitioning back to the community. Assist in ensuring safe discharge planning and partnership care, under the supervision of senior staff and the multidisciplinary team

Support complex patient pathways and liaise with internal multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) and external agencies to ensure patient focused approach for the Nutrition pathway.

Utilise appropriate models of care delivery, innovation and clinical effectiveness tools, ensuring data collection of clinical activity to support analysis of clinical and patient outcome measures.

Leadership 

Role model high-quality clinical care by demonstrating safe, effective, person-centred, and compassionate care in line with organisational values. Promote these values within the team, supporting others to deliver high standards of patient care.

Build and maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external teams, supporting organisation-wide nutrition goals and objectives through active participation and teamwork.

Support the implementation of the shared vision and values of the nutrition service, assisting in fostering a culture of team working within the nutrition service, under the guidance of senior staff.

Actively involve others in communications between patients, their families and the MDT, supporting excellent communication at all times.

Work collaboratively with patient forums and MDTs to support practice and service development, meeting the needs of the local population.

Be actively involved in monitoring standards of care and feedback from patients, their families and carers.

Act as a nursing/midwifery/AHP advocate through all communication with colleagues, patients, families and carers.

Utilises evidence based clinical practice contributing to service development and pathways of care.

Assist the Band 7 Clinical Nurse specialist in providing site-based reports and participate in relevant Trustwide Nutrition and Hydration meetings, contributing to discussions and providing input as required.

Assist with line management of the site-based nutrition Associate Practitioner, ensuring staff resources are used effectively and supporting high-quality patient care, under supervision from senior colleagues.

Work in accordance with the Professional Standards of Practice and Behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (2018), taking accountability for professional actions and liaising with the NMC as necessary.

Facilitating Learning

Support the Nutrition Team in implementing the Nutrition Education Plan, contributing to the planning, delivery, and evaluation of training sessions, with support from the wider team.

Prepare teaching sessions and assist in leading presentations within the scope of your knowledge and experience, with guidance and support from senior team members when necessary.

Support local and regional Nutrition Research and Development programmes, contributing to projects and initiatives aimed at generating new knowledge and improving nutritional care, under the supervision of senior staff.

Contribute to evidence-based policy development, assisting with knowledge generation and supporting senior staff in the development of policies related to nutritional care.

Help plan and coordinate the Nutrition Champion Practitioner programme alongside the specialist nursing team, supporting the development of practitioners within the local team.

Collaborate with Matrons and Ward Managers within all Care Groups to assist in the investigation and resolution of complaints related to nutrition and hydration. Contribute to discussions about lessons learned and share this learning with staff, including meeting with patients and families when required, under the supervision of senior colleagues.

Role model reflective practice, peer review, and clinical supervision to foster ongoing learning and development, under the guidance of senior clinicians.

Support an environment for all students and learners is one of enquiry and positive opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and competency throughout all levels of development.

Utilise formal systems in place for collecting and reviewing staff and patient/service user feedback relating to nutrition and hydration, supporting service and care group teams by providing context and assisting in the identification of improvement actions.

Assist in the development, implementation, and evaluation of systems that encourage patient feedback and engagement, ensuring that patient experiences are considered in the continuous improvement of nutritional care.

Provide education and training for patients and their families/carers in relation to their nutritional care, and support the MDT in patient focused education.

Participate in the supervision model aligned to Trust policy utilising restorative practice as a tool for reflective learning and mentoring.

Maintain personal and professional development, maintaining and continually developing clinical skills to provide high quality care aligned to Trust policies, NMC guidelines and revalidation requirements.

Evidence, Research and Education

Work collaboratively to contribute to the clinical audit programme within Nutrition, contributing to the embedding of improvements in care to achieve national and local standards for nutritional support, under the direction of senior staff.

Support research projects within the Nutrition specialty and contribute to quality improvement projects to support evidence-based practice, working alongside senior staff to ensure alignment with organisational objectives

Contribute to the development and updating of practice protocols/guidelines and procedures in relation to nutritional care based on evidence and national guidelines

Participate in CQC assessments, other external assessments and reviews as required.

Be conversant with best practice including national and local reports and policies relating to nutritional care.

Work within clinical governance, safety, and risk frameworks and their requirements across all aspects of nutritional care at EKHUFT, supporting the delivery of safe and high-quality care in collaboration with senior colleagues.

Report incidents which require escalation, investigation and immediate action to support patient and staff safety.

Share learning from nutritional incidents and complaints and assist in the implementation of safe and innovative nutrition-related practices across the Trust, presenting findings at Trustwide and regional events as required, with guidance from senior leadership

Contribute to data collection to inform comprehensive quality reports.