Weight Management Specialist Practitioner

Job summary

hours per week. Would you like to work with people who have adiverse range of needs, who also struggle to manage their health and weight?The Weight Management team are an experienced multi-disciplinary team, offeringto support patients using individual and group interventions and multi-agencywork, together with the local Bariatric Team.

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic Band6 Specialist Practitioner to be an integral part of all aspects of the service.This will include working with Weight Management patients and patients thathave undergone bariatric surgery. You will be providing a wide range ofclinical interventions to support the health and wellbeing of this complexgroup of patients.

The post is based at the Cumberland Centre withHybrid working pattern and requires regular evening work.

For us to consider your application you muststart your supporting statement with Im applying for the post at LivewellWeight Management Service because.

All Livewell Southwest staff are expected to able and willing to work across a 7 day service.

Job Share(s) Considered

"please notethat this role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Workerroute, please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regardsto eligibility"

Main duties of the job

To provide aspecialist role in the assessment and management of patients referred to theWeight Management service from primary and secondary care.

To undertakeall aspects of clinical practice as an autonomous practitioner.

In theabsence of the Weight Management Clinical lead to manage the day-to-daydelivery of the service.

To beresponsible for own caseload, working with support from Weight ManagementClinical Lead as required.

To undertake all aspects of clinicalpractice as an autonomous practitioner. Manage Clinical risk within own caseload

Take part inservice audit to assess the effectiveness of the service.

Participatein evidence-based audit and research projects to further own and team clinicalpractice.

Providesupport to other multi-disciplinary members of the Weight Management team asrequired.

About us

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise providing integrated health & social care services for people across Plymouth, South Hams & West Devon, as well as some specialist services for people living in parts of Devon & Cornwall. With teams in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, health & wellbeing hubs.

As an organisation with a strong social conscience, we always value being kind, respectful, inclusive, ambitious, responsible and collaborative. Transforming services to make them sustainable, ensuring that we value, support & empower each other.

We are committed to involving the people we care for, families & carers in everything that we do, working towards co-production where we can. Helping us to deliver the right care for people, in the right place & at the right time. By putting people at the centre of what we do, we ensure to support people to lead, healthy independent lives & be the very best at helping people to live well.

Valuing our employees making an investment in their development a priority. We offer:

Protected CPD time for registered staff

Various development pathways and ongoing regular training packages for all staff

Leadership & mentoring programmes

Access & funding for training including Care Certificate, Assistant Practitioners Course & Scholarship Into Nurse Training

A Robust Preceptorship

A bespoke induction programme

Existing members of the NHS Pension Scheme can continue their membership when they join the organisation.

Job responsibilities

JOBPURPOSE

To provide aspecialist multi-disciplinary service to patients with morbid obesity andco-morbidities

SCOPE AND RANGE

To provide aspecialist multi-disciplinary service to patients with morbid obesity andco-morbidities.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

To provide aspecialist role in the assessment and management of patients referred to theWeight Management service from primary and secondary care.

To undertakeall aspects of clinical practice as an autonomous practitioner.

In theabsence of the Weight Management Clinical lead to manage the day-to-daydelivery of the service.

To beresponsible for own caseload, working with support from Weight ManagementClinical Lead as required.

To undertake all aspects of clinicalpractice as an autonomous practitioner. Manage Clinical risk within own caseload

Take part inservice audit to assess the effectiveness of the service.

Participatein evidence-based audit and research projects to further own and team clinicalpractice.

Providesupport to other multi-disciplinary members of the Weight Management team asrequired.

Responsibility forPeople Management

To act as a role model for all staffand students demonstrating clinical skills and high standards of practice andprofessional conduct.

To participate in team activities soas to develop and consolidate a cohesive and supportive team ensuring opennesswithin the team.

To assistwith the supervision and co-ordination of junior staff in the absence of the servicelead.

Ensure thatown practice and that of junior staff in the absence of the service lead meetsthe standards set for the service.

To have a flexible approach to the working dayin order to respond to the needs of the service effectively.

Responsibility forfinancial and/or physical resources

To use resources responsibly and to report any problems with equipmentin line with organisational/service guidelines.

Responsibility for administration

Maintainaccurate and up to date patient records and inform other professionals aboutchanges in patients condition.

Participatein the collection and gathering of data for audit purposes on a weekly basis.

To assist inthe preparation and delivery of the teaching programme for patients to helpthem learn to manage weight

The postholder is required to comply with all infection control policies and guidance,attend relevant updates and report issues of concern to their immediate linemanager (if no action or explanation received, then it is the individualsresponsibility to escalate to Director of Operations/Chief Executive Office).

To beresponsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatmentrecords on caseload

Requirementto use VDU equipment on a daily basis

Responsibility forpeople who use our services

To beprofessional and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including themanagement of patients in your care.

To undertakecomprehensive clinical and social assessments of patients with morbid obesityincluding those with diverse presentations of multi pathologies; use ofdeveloped specialist clinical reasoning skills and manual assessment techniquesto provide an accurate assessment of their condition

Formulateand deliver individual treatment and care programme based on sound developedspecialist knowledge of evidence-based practice and treatment options usingclinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatments available.

Formulatejudgement involving complex facts and interpretation relating to accurateprogress and recommend best course of intervention and continued care forpatient.

To manageclinical risks within own patient caseload and refer to appropriatemulti-disciplinary team.

Whererequired to follow patients up prior to referral for bariatric surgery and tomonitor and offer support to enable patients to self-manage their condition andtreatment effectively.

Provide andreceive complex, sensitive or contentious information, where persuasive,motivational, negating, empathic and re-assurance skills are required bothverbal and non-verbal, to communicate effectively with patients, carers, GPsand consultant's patient's progress and treatment programmes. This will includepatients who may have difficulty understanding or communicating, patientsmay be dysphasic, depressed, deaf, blind or may have difficulty acceptingdiagnosis. When working in the community settings not directly supervised butable to contact Weight Management lead for advice/support and discuss owncaseload routinely.

Providepsychological support to patients who are anxious and depressed as directed.

Developlinks with other professional and voluntary bodies to ensure maximumeffectiveness of the service and patient care and community support.

To beresponsible for organizing and planning own workload to meet the service andpatient priorities.

Plan, manage and prioritize clinical caseloaddelegating patients to other staff members as required to generate a caseloadfor them. Todemonstrate effective communication with patients, staff and other members ofthe multi-disciplinary team. When communicating with patients it should be atthe appropriate level for patients to understand such as patients sufferingfrom terminal illness, dementia, disability, visually impairment and /orhearing impairment.

Act as a patient advocate as required ensuringindividual needs, preferences and choices

are delivered by the Service.

Responsibility forimplementation ofpolicy and/or service developments

To beresponsible for maintaining own competency to practice through CPD activitiesand maintain a portfolio which reflects personal development.

Assist inmaintaining current knowledge of evidence-based practice of junior staff withinthe team.

Participatein research into specific areas of clinical practice and service delivery.

Assist inevaluation of the service provided to that of primary and secondary care todevelop improvements to service delivery and clinical practice, to ensure highstandards

andinnovative practice are maintained.

Make recommendations on changes to Clinical Practicewithin Weight Management and present to line manager with full responsibilityfor implementation

COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS

Patientsand their families will have complex requirements in relation to obesity,obesity surgery and related co-morbidities. The environment in which this isundertaken is highly emotive and can occasionally behostile/antagonistic/challenging in nature. Information is of a complex, oftensensitive nature that is life changing and requires skillful assessment of theindividuals ability to comprehend/understand; therefore tact , diplomacy andmotivational interviewing skills are essential alongside the ability toovercome barriers to understanding. Therefore the requirement is for a highlevel of mental and emotional effort on a daily basis.

Dailyconcentration on making patient assessments and making recommendation oftreatments to patients and other health professionals.

Regularinterruptions in daily work pattern from medical staff, patients, GPs andjunior members of the Weight Management team seeking support and advice.

Occasional interruptions in daily work pattern,from patient, GPs and other health professionals/agencies.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB

Occasional encounters with rude or verbal aggression

Regular transfer of equipment andscales from the staff base to other venues in the community