Dietitian Band 5

We are seeking an enthusiastic and committed dietitian to join our acute adult team as a band 5 dietitian to cover 12 months maternity leave. The post holder will join a friendly department comprised of 30 dietitians across University Hospital Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This is an excellent opportunity to expand your knowledge and skills. We are looking for a good team worker, with good communications skills, willing to be flexible and supportive.

This post is ideal for a newly qualified or experienced band 5 Dietitian to work in the friendly Nutrition and Dietetic Service teams based at Lewisham Hospital. The post offers a great opportunity to develop clinical skills and gain broad experience in all aspects of adult nutrition and dietetic care in an acute and outpatient hospital setting. This post will provide a pro-active and coordinated nutrition and dietetic service to adult patients. The post covers clinical areas such as cardiology, respiratory, oncology, elderly care and diabetes. There is a weekly general outpatient clinic and also involvement in cardiac rehabilitation talks and nurse and health care assistant training in nutrition and inpatient care.

This post will provide a pro-active and coordinated nutrition and dietetic service to adult patients. There will be involvement in helping to develop the role of the Dietitian within the multi-professional team, working closely with Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists.

We offer preceptorship and actively encourage learning and development within our team. There is also the opportunity to be involved in audit and service development.

You will be actively involved in training students from the London universities. All dietetic staff are encouraged to participate in audits, service evaluations, and continuous professional development by attendance at study days.

Under the direction and guidance of the Specialist Dietitian, assess and monitor patients, offering nutritional support and dietary education.

Provide nutritional and dietetic advice to medical, nursing and catering staff and other healthcare professionals.

Contribute to the nutrition and dietetic service as a whole through participation in service development.

The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at LGT comprises of 3 teams based at Lewisham Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Home Enteral Nutrition team. We are a friendly team of over 50 professionals including dietitians, dietetic assistants, nutrition specialist nurses and administrators.

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development

Widening access (anchor institution) and employability

Improving the experience of staff with disability

Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development

Making equalities mainstream

JOB PURPOSE

Under the direction and guidance of the Specialist Dietitian, assess and monitor patients, offering nutritional support and dietary education.

Provide nutritional and dietetic advice to medical, nursing and catering staff and other healthcare professionals.

Contribute to the nutrition and dietetic service as a whole through participation in service development.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Patients/carers

Dietetic colleagues & other healthcare professionals

Students - dietetic and non-dietetic

Support staff

Consultants, GPs and primary care teams

Specialist groups

External agencies - social services, nutrition companies

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

**Clinical responsibilities**:
Act as an independent practitioner and be professionally and legally accountable and responsible for all aspects of own work including a clinical caseload.

Work independently to undertake nutritional assessments and calculate nutritional requirements of patients using anthropometry and taking into account medical, social and cultural factors.

Communicate evidence based nutritional and dietary advice in an understandable form.

Use communication and counselling skills such as reflective listening, open questioning, empathy, explanation and reassurance to communicate dietary intervention to patients and their carers.

Gain valid consent to treatment and negotiate change with patients by breaking down barriers, using motivational skills, to enable them to achieve dietary targets set.

Monitor and review nutritional care plans against outcome measures and a