Critical Care Dietitian

**1. Job Details**
Critical Care Dietitian
**Job title**:
Band 6
**Current Job grade**:
Team Lead Critical Care Dietitian
**Reports to (Title)**:
Clinical Support Services
**Directorate**:
Nutrition and Dietetic
**Department/Ward**:
Pilgrim Hospital, Boston
**Location/Site**:
**2. Job Purpose**
- Provide, with colleagues, dietetic provision within the Clinical Speciality of Critical Care, parenteral nutrition and complex nutritional support.
- Work within critical care multidisciplinary team to optimise the care to patients on the

Critical Care Units.
- Work with the Team Lead in order to manage the Dietetic Service performance within the speciality.
- Provide training to staff and students on complex nutrition support within critical care

The service will provide support to adult patients requiring complex nutrition support in a critical care setting and the clinical caseload of the post-holder will include patients from these groups.

To provide a specialist, cost efficient and high quality nutrition and dietetic service to Critical
Care within ULHT, working closely others involved in the care of these patients and in accordance with NICE guidance.

To provide advice on the appropriate use of parenteral nutrition, specialist dietary products, equipment, feeding tubes, their care and possible complications.

To contribute to Trust policies and procedures relevant to the patient demographic using evidence-based best practice.

To maximise the nutritional status of patients in the caseload.

To provide training on relevant dietetic topics for patients, carers, staff members and students.

To be compliant with all relevant national standards related to the specialities e.g. critical care,

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parenteral and enteral nutrition.

**3. Organisation Chart**

Clinical Lead
- Therapies & Rehabilitation Medicine
|

Trust Lead Dietitian
|

Site Lead Dietitian
|

Team Lead Dietitian
**|**

Specialist Dietitians

**4. Duties**

**1. **To provide a high standard of clinical care ensuring safe and effective assessment of
nutritional diagnosis, taking into account medical condition, environment and lifestyle
using highly developed clinical reasoning skills. To work in partnership with the patients
and/ or carers to develop, implement and review nutritional plans based on a complex
analysis of clinical nutritional aspects, including biochemistry, anthropometry, the
patient’s clinical profile and considering the patient’s distress and the financial
implications of the plan. Devise means to evaluate progress towards goals.

**2. **Take specific responsibility for the assessment, development of specialist treatment
plans and evaluation of patients with complex needs including those who may have
multiple pathologies. Organising and prioritising designated caseload effectively and
efficiently.

**3. **To attend relevant MDT meetings, ward rounds and case conferences.

**4. **To provide supportive and sensitive communication, written and verbal advice to
patients, carers and staff, whilst demonstrating an understanding of the nature and
effects of some information and of barriers to effective communication e.g. sensory
impairment and unrealistic expectations.

**5. **Demonstrate empathy and understanding of social, psychological, ethnic and religious
factors which affect compliance

**6. **Following the completion of competency based training, examine, advise, and undertake
procedures regarding care of feeding tubes and equipment.

**7. **Following competency-based training, to contribute to ordering of parenteral nutrition
following full dietetic assessment.

**8. **To liaise with and provide expert opinion on dietetic issues directly contributing to the
care of patients, to medical, nursing, pharmacy, speech & language therapy staff and
other members of the MDT.

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**9. **To provide specialist advice to Dietetic colleagues working in other clinical areas with
regards to the care of patients within this speciality

**10. **To provide specialist nutrition and dietetic input into education, training and development
programmes for undergraduate and postgraduate, medical, nursing and other students

**11. **To provide spontaneous and planned training, instruction and advice to patients and
carer/relatives regarding their nutritional needs.

**12. **With the Team Lead, identify the training needs for a wide range of health care
professionals e.g. dietitians, doctors, nursing staff and other healthcare staff. Organise
and provide the training as required.

**13. **To be responsible for own administration tasks and undertake prompt and accurate
completion of clinical and statistical records.

**14. **To adhere to the standards, policies and procedures of the Trust and Department and
the BDA, HCPC Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and associated legislation.

**14. **To undertake and provide clinical supervision sessions according to local policy

**15. **To work collaboratively with members of the multi-disciplinary team,