Dietetic Assistant

To work under the direction of supervising Dietitian to assist in providing a Nutrition and Dietetic service by:

• assisting in the assessment of the nutritional status of individuals and act on the recommendations made by the Dietitian to maintain/improve nutritional status and quality of life

- acting as a source of practical advice and encouragement in the management of the nutritional wellbeing of non-complex patients presenting with both acute and chronic disease states
- working with the Dietitians and other agencies to ensure smooth, safe discharge of patients
- working as part of the dietetic clinical team in accordance with the protocols, procedures and evidence-based literature of the dietetic service and the Trust
- keeping accurate, legible and timely records of all interventions

• Undertake general administrative duties to support the day to day running of the department

CLINICAL:

• To agree patient caseload with supervising Dietitian.
• To collect standard data from a wide range of sources
• To undertake patient assessment & make recommendations for identified patients
• To support patients with appropriate menu choices.
• To abide by Policies & Procedures, Code of Professional Conduct, Health & Care Professionals Council and British Dietetic Association.

COMMUNICATION:

• To maintain excellent communications with Dietetics and wider team
• To discuss & explain nutrition information with individuals / carers
• To liaise with catering regarding specific needs of patients
• To record accurate clinical activity data & statistics
• To provide appropriate advice in response to telephone enquiries referring to the clinical staff as required.

MANAGEMENT and PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• To effectively manage own time & caseload, with the support of the supervising dietitian.
• To participate in clinical supervision

GOVERNANCE

• To be aware of relevant national legislation, professional standards of practice & organisational policies & procedures.
• To maintain clinical records which are organised, factual, clear and accessible to any authorised person.
• To be involved in audit.
• To complete mandatory training as set out by UHMBFT.
• To contribute to the development & implementation of service improvement plans
• To effectively use clinical supervision on an informal/formal basis to reflect on practice and improve performance of self & others.

We operate from three main hospitals - Furness General Hospital (FGH) in Barrow, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI), and Westmorland General Hospital (WGH) in Kendal, as well as a number of community healthcare premises including Millom Hospital and GP Practice, Queen Victoria Hospital in Morecambe, and Ulverston Community Health Centre.

FGH and the RLI have a range of General Hospital services, with full Emergency Departments, Critical/Coronary Care units and various Consultant-led services.

WGH provides a range of General Hospital services, together with an Urgent Treatment Centre, that can help with a range of non-life threatening conditions such as broken bones and minor illnesses.

All three main hospitals provide a range of planned care including outpatients, diagnostics, therapies, day case and inpatient surgery. In addition, a range of local outreach services and diagnostics are provided from community facilities across Morecambe Bay.

Our community services for adults are provided in people's homes, community centres, clinics, GP Practices, community hospitals and our main hospitals.

Our aim is to work with people to help them remain independent, improve their health and manage their conditions through high quality care, advice and support.

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