Adult Community Dietitian

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Professional / Clinical responsibilities

To deliver dietetic services provided by the Adult Clinical Community Team. Delivery of services includes assessment, treatment and ongoing management of community patients including community clinics and domiciliary visits.

To undertake comprehensive assessments of patients, including biochemistry, anthropometrics, medical history, clinical condition, diet history and social circumstances. 

To use clinical reasoning skills to interpret data and implement appropriate patient centred nutritional goals and interventions, including timely onward referrals as appropriate.

To support the development and delivery of patient education sessions as outlined in service level care pathways. 

To utilise prioritisation skills and plan the day-to-day provision of dietetic services within your own caseload.

To understand any other Band 5 Dietetic duties identified by the team or Team Lead.

Management and Leadership

To provide support, guidance and training to dietetic assistants, linking with senior colleagues to evaluate competencies 

To appropriately delegate work/tasks to dietetic assistants, with support from the wider adult dietetic team.

To be involved in the supervision of dietetic students in their clinical practice.

To support in the recruitment of dietetic health care professionals.

To contribute to the setting of targets and annual team objectives, and to the monitoring of these objectives.

Information management

Maintain accurate, timely, and professional clinical records in accordance with organisational and professional standards.
To plan your own diary and prioritise your caseload, with support from senior colleagues, as required in line with the service offer.

Education & Professional Development

To participate in evidence-based audit and research projects to further develop individual, team and service clinical practice.  

To contribute to team and wider service level development meetings and projects through sharing knowledge, skills and expertise in your clinical area. 

To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activities, and to maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.

To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee and be responsible for complying with agreed personal development programmes to meet set knowledge and competencies.

To be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at, and participation in, in-service training programmes, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses and peer review, ensuring delivery of feedback following attendance at external courses.

To be competent in carrying out literature searches and to actively maintain/update specialist knowledge. 

To ensure your own nutrition and dietetic knowledge is up-to-date and evidence-based including the current developments for nutrition in community dietetics.

To act as an autonomous practitioner to provide expert nutritional advice.

To be professionally and legally accountable, and responsible for all aspects of your own work, including the management of patients in your care.

To evaluate and review your own work, seeking the views of others and adopting the principles of evidence-based practice to ensure maintenance and development of clinical and professional standards.

To contribute to the development and provision of education and training on a range of dietetic issues to health and social care professionals. 

To ensure work is in line with departmental, trust and national dietetic standards. 

Operational Delivery

To establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships with other staff.  Positive relationships are characterised by open communication, trust, and respect.

To use a range of different communication skills; including motivational interviewing, counselling skills, negotiating skills and coaching skills to help service users and professionals to achieve their nutritional goals/standards, considering any barriers to change that may exist.

To communicate effectively with service users and carers to ensure understanding of condition and treatment plans. 

To liaise with nursing, medical, catering and other health and social care professionals concerning the treatment of service users whether in their own home or in a cared for environment.

To advise and liaise with social care staff concerning the dietary needs of service users and work closely with dietetic and social care colleagues on issues such as initiatives to improve nutrition of service users and provision of therapeutic diets.

To contribute as required to the multidisciplinary team via uni-professional and multi-professional education sessions and meetings, clear written communication, and joint assessments (if appropriate).

To advise medical teams/GPs/other health care professionals on the appropriate prescription of nutritional supplements for community patients, based on individual clinical assessment. 

To deliver effective nutrition education at a level appropriate to the audience. 

To attend and actively participate in department and team meetings.

To work independently and undertake lone working in the community.

To represent the team and department at exhibitions, events, and local meetings. 

Risk & Governance Management

Observe and maintain strict confidentiality with regards to any patient/family/staff/records and information in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act.

Any data that is taken/shared as part of a phone call, transported or transferred electronically must be undertaken with regard to the Trust Information Governance and Information Security policies.   

The post holder must adhere to the Trust risk assessment and risk management processes.

The post holder must adhere to infection control policies and procedures

It is a condition of your employment that you are currently registered with HCPC and it is your responsibility to maintain your professional registration.

Undertake mandatory training and any other training relevant to the role as required by East of England Health and Care NHS Trust. 

The post holder must participate in clinical and other audits as required

Participate in Clinical & Safeguarding supervision on a regular basis 

The post holder is required to participate in relevant emergency preparedness process for their team.

Service Development

To participate, alongside senior colleague(s) in the planning, development and evaluation of Nutrition & Dietetic department service provision.

Infection Control

The trust staff are responsible for protecting themselves and others against infection risks.

All staff regardless of whether clinical or not are expected to comply with current infection control policies and procedures and to report any problems about this to their managers.

All staff undertaking patient care activities must attend infection control training and updates as required by the trust.

All clinical staff or any staff working in clinical areas are expected to be bare below the elbow with no hand or wrist jewellery except for one plain band (no stones or engraving)

Health and Safety 

Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed upon them under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), to ensure the agreed safety procedures are carried out to maintain a safe environment for employees and visitors.

To ensure that the trust’s Health and Safety Policies are understood and observed and that procedures are followed.

To ensure the appropriate use of equipment and facilities and the environment is maintained in good order.

To take the necessary precautions to safeguard the welfare and safety of themselves, patients, staff and visitors, in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act.

To undertake appropriate Health and Safety training to support safe working practice including, where appropriate, its management.

Code of Conduct 

The post holder is required to adhere to the Conflicts of Interest Policy

This job description is not exhaustive and may be amended from time to time in consultation with the post holder. The post holder will be required to undertake any other duties as may be required for the effective performance of the post.