Dietetic Assistant

Dietitian Assistant

An exciting new role has become available at Vincent Square Eating Disorder service in Chelsea, London. This is initially a 12-month fixed term contract with the view to be substantive. Vincent Square Eating Disorder Service is a well-known and respected service providing quality eating disorder care.

We are looking to welcome a motivated Dietetic Assistant to provide nutrition support on our inpatient ward and our day programme. You would be joining a supportive and welcoming team with a commitment to continual learning and development and will work closely alongside a Band 7 Specialist Dietitian.

If you feel that you have the ability to work independently and have a caring and proactive approach to care delivery, this could be the role for you,

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

**Main duties include the following**:

- To support the senior dietitian in delivering aspects of the dietetic service by reviewing, monitoring and advising patients and undertaking related administration
- To act as an intermediary between the dietetic, catering and the nursing team, enhancing communication to achieve the optimal provision of nutrition for patients in hospital
- To participate in project work for the benefit of patients
- To assist in the ordering of food and achieving optimal provision of nutrition of patients in hospital
- To act as a role model and be able to eat and cook with patients which may involve eating out with an individual or group
- To contribute to activities that enable individuals to make appropriate food choices and increase their independence in being able to nourish themselves

To facilitate groups such as mealtime goals group and psychoeducation

Vincent Square Inpatient Treatmentprovides a comprehensive treatment service for individuals with eating disorders, referred both locally and nationally. The ageless service comprises of adult Inpatient and Day patient programme, an extensive outpatient services (FREED, Intensive Community, Liaison and Therapy.

The service provides individuals with need support on their journey to recovery and supporting severe and enduring conditions, including those requiring nasogastric tube feeding and those with highly complex co-morbid conditions, such as obsessive compulsive disorder and personality difficulties.

We are a growing service with new pathways of treatment to support people staying in the community when possible.

**CLINICAL**:
1) After training, to review and monitor a small case load of named patients under the supervision of a dietitian. To have a designated caseload. To be able to attend CPAs if clinical need arises. Consult with supervisor on patient needs and implement action required. With support make clinical decisions on the nutritional aspects of a patient’s care and advise the MDT accordingly. This may involve:
a) Gathering relevant clinical information from medical and nursing notes, care plans, drug charts, patients and carers

b) Liaise with nursing staff and other members of the multidisciplinary team, for example, Occupational Therapists about the patient’s nutritional plan

c) Negotiate dietetic interventions in specified situations as per established protocols

d) Assess meal plan compliance

e) Regularly liaise with the supervising dietitian about all aspects of patients’ nutritional care

f) Monitor patient in order to achieve optimum nutritional intake

g) Record all interventions and actions and ensure that all entries meet the professional standards of CNWL and the British Dietetic Association

h) To participate in the delivery of group work as directed by supervisor e.g. take responsibility for nutrition group, mealtime goals group

i) Oversee the completion of menus for all patients. This may involve face-to-face discussion with patients.

j) Act as a role model eating with the patients. May be involved in taking patients out for therapeutic snacks, lunch

k) To be involved in food preparation e.g. sandwich making, lunch preparation l) To keep nutrition care plans up to date m) To be involved in student training n) To participate in quality improvement projects and audits

**PROFESSIONAL**:
1) To deliver training to staff and/or patients e.g. deliver psycho-educational groups, nutrition groups and practical nutrition support groups

2) Participate in the induction of new ward and dietetic staff; demonstrating the role of the Dietetic Assistant as well as informing them about the provision of therapeutic meals, nutritional supplement products and raising nutritional awareness in their ward area.

3) To be involved in project work including audits, working alongside dietitians, other health professionals and catering staff, for exampl