Dietetic Assistant

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen due to expansion of the Acute Oncology Service at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust to support the acute 7-Day Acute Oncology Service and first phase of Acute Oncology SDECC. We are seeking an enthusiastic, motivated and compassionate nurse, with a strong work ethic, to join our Acute Oncology Team.

This post will specialise in caring for patients admitted acutely unwell with suspicion of a new or known cancer diagnosis, complications of treatment and/or complications of disease.

The main purpose of the role will be to provide expert nursing leadership to support nursing and medical colleagues to facilitate a professional seamless service across the Acute Trust for oncology patients presenting acutely to the Emergency Department with problems related to their cancer or treatment, specialising in new diagnosis within an emergency setting. 

The ideal candidate will be an experienced nurse, already working at senior Band 6 or 7 role, with extensive knowledge/experience in acute medicine, emergency department and oncology nursing. Due to the complex nature of cancer, we are looking for someone with previous oncology and or SACT experience however we welcome informal discussions with candidates who are interested in this role.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work as part of the Acute Oncology Team & will work independently to organise and maintain a high quality & cost-effective Clinical Nurse Specialist service for patients admitted acutely unwell to the trust, with a suspicion of a new cancer diagnosis in need for further investigation &treatment.

 In addition, to this role the post holder will be an integral part of the acute oncology team and support 7-day AOS as required but will be based a minimum of 2 days a week in our SDEC area. 

They will work alongside the acute medical teams on both hospital sites, contributing to the delivery and evaluation of evidence-based patient care throughout the appropriate treatment pathway. They will have responsibilities for assessing the clinical and holistic needs of the patient, liaising with the oncology team & the wider multidisciplinary teams across the Trust’s sites to promote coordinated care. 

The post holder will be responsible for planning and organising their own caseload. They will have the opportunity to develop their organisational and clinical skills and will be expected to participate in managing the administration associated with the service. 

The role will be innovative & encompass all aspects of the patient care pathway, acting as a nurse adviser & support to patients & families with cancer of unknown primary, giving supporting information & assistance to carers both within the formal/informal setting. 

Working for our organisation

MTW is a large acute hospital trust in the south-east of England. 
We provide a full range of general hospital services and some aspects of specialist and complex care to around 600,000 people living in west Kent and East Sussex. We have a team of over 8,000 full and part-time staff. We also provide specialist cancer services to around 2 million people across Kent and East Sussex via the Kent Oncology Centre. 

In the 2024 NHS staff survey, our employees ranked MTW among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and the second-best Trust to work for in the South East.

Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Once your pre-employment checks have been completed you will be contacted by Recruitment to arrange your start date which will be in line with one of our Corporate Inductions.

Following your Corporate Induction you will be expected to attend the Trust’s 2-week Induction Programme for RNs, NAs, RMs, ODPs and Paramedics. The programme is full-time (please email if this is problematic) and will involve travel to both Trust sites. The programme includes supernumerary shifts in the clinical area, classroom-based sessions and e-learning.

Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure & Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children)

At MTW, we seek to develop a culture where everyone can reach their full potential with opportunities to grow and develop their career. We recognise and value the unique contributions that each of our staff bring, delivering the best quality care and service to our patients. We are committed to being a diverse employer and strive to reflect everyone in our local communities. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences and celebrate the diversity of thought, viewpoints and ideas that will make our Trust the best place to work.

We support our staff with disabilities to ensure they have the adjustments they need to be the best they can be in the workplace. Collaborating with Access to Work means that our staff are assessed by experts in the workplace and we ensure that their recommendations are implemented as quickly as possible. You can find out more here: Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition: What Access to Work is - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Interview Date: TBC

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

NMC Level 1 Registration in Adult Nursing Post registration qualification First level degree SACT training

Desirable criteria

Willing to work towards MSc level Post registration qualification in cancer/palliative care Teaching qualification Advanced Communication Skills Clinical Assessment Skills training

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

Worked with cancer/palliative care patient groups Ability to deal with stressful situations. Expert in nurse led practice Excellent teaching and training skills Able to problem solve and initiate change Able to work across professional team and organisational boundaries

Desirable criteria

Experience of acute medical/emergency department nursing Experience of breaking bad news. Sound knowledge of palliative care emergencies and the management of these. Knowledge of Trust policies and procedures and ability to translate these into action

Skills

Essential criteria

Proven ability to communicate with patients suffering life threatening illness and those who may be imminently dying. Proven ability to motivate and enthuse staff Proven ability to communicate with personnel outside immediate work environments Ability to teach different groups of health care staff. Understand when to escalate issues to line manager in a timely way Confidence in breaking bad news to patients and families. Able to assess, plan, deliver and evaluate specialist individualised and evidence-based nursing care Ability to make decisions under pressure. Able to interpret blood test and other test results to assess whether standard parameters have been met. Able to assess patient problems on the telephone and make necessary judgement about whether to arrange admission and/or give symptom control advice. Able to act independently to in making complex, often difficult decisions with far reaching implications Ability to demonstrate a problem-solving approach Experience of audit, benchmarking or research and the ability to use results to inform change and development Demonstrates change management skills Proven ability to communicate across different health sectors Able to prioritise and manage own work. Demonstrates change management skills Ability to work on own initiative Exercise own initiative when dealing with issues of competence Maintain accurate records and documentation Ability to use common software packages i.e. Word for windows and Microsoft Outlook Able to use ‘Results reporting’, Lab care, PAS Ability to use databases

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