Dietetic Assistant Practitioner

Job Summary

We are excited to offer opportunities for assistant practitioners to join our collaborative team, leading nutrition related prescribing interventions and pathway optimisation across primary, community and secondary care.

The initial focus will be on optimising malnutrition management across the ICB, with plans to expand into other areas of nutrition related prescribing. This post will cover the Cheshire and Merseyside area. There will be three hubs across the patch:
Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral;
East and West Cheshire;
Halton, Warrington, St Helens and Knowsley. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to preference which hub they would like to be based in. However, remote/hybrid working will mean staff will be expected to support across all areas. The post holder will be responsible for assisting in the delivery of the Service within the Dietetic Team, under the direction and supervision of a Dietitian.

The post holder will be expected to work in an innovative way to support the smooth running of the Service and will be required to offer individual and group activities alongside other Therapy staff and under the indirect and direct supervision of a qualified Dietitian. We will accept submissions from applicants who are band 3 and willing to work towards their Assistant Practitioner qualification.

Main duties of the job

• To work effectively as a member of a team in providing a programme of therapeutic activities and interventions as directed by the Dietitian.
• To actively engage service users in therapeutic activities to promote independence and well-being within a variety of secure environments.
• The post holder will be required to facilitate 1:1 and group sessions where or when appropriate.
• Support service users to attend and participate in sessions that promote recovery.
• To provide an update and overview of service users participation, engagement level and skills following sessions.
• To form professional relationships with service users and communicate with them in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.
• To maintain a high degree of confidentiality.
• Undertake delegated tasks to contribute to the safe and smooth running of the service.
• To ensure up to date written and electronic records are kept and recorded appropriately in accordance with Professional and Trust Standards.
• As directed by the Dietitian, maintain and train ward staff to keep accurate charts that contribute to the assessment of a service users nutritional intake and associated physical conditions e.g. diet and fluid charts, weight, oral intake and hand over formally to qualified dietitian.
• To prepare agreed assessment reports and treatment plans to assist the qualified practitioner with care planning.
• To deliver the structured MUST training session to clinical staff on request.
• Help with general admin duties, including developing resources as required.

Job Description

Job responsibilities

• To contribute to the delivery of a range of clinical and health promotion tasks under the direct supervision of the Dietitian.
• To assist the Dietitians by being proactive in maximizing health and well being of service users by monitoring and reviewing service users on the wards and relaying their care plans and advice directly to service users and their carers and / or by telephone and email under the guidance of the Dietitians.
• Participating in and developing health promotional activities and working with ward based staff to provide regular health promotion literature and presentations.
• To report general observations and provide feedback to the qualified practitioner both verbally and in written formats as required. This should include any concerns arising from the service-users physical or mental health as appropriate.
• To carry out physical /anthropometrical measurements such as weight, height, waist circumference or alternative measurements e.g. Hand Grip Strength and provide feedback to the Dietitian both verbally and in written formats, as required.
• To contribute to the effective running of the service by providing and receiving information to/from other departments, e.g. catering department. Ensure this information is provided in the most effective way. i.e. telephone, fax, email or in writing.
• To ensure care plans are effectively communicated to service users, relatives, carers and the multidisciplinary team.
• To use a variety of verbal and non-verbal skills to overcome communication barriers presented by service users.
• To document assessments and reviews and care plans in service users medical notes according to Trust policy including uploading documents onto service users medical records as required.
• To carry out specific duties that contribute to the assessment of service users healthcare needs as requested by the Dietitian.
• As directed by the Dietitian, maintain and train ward staff to keep accurate charts that contribute to the assessment of a service users nutritional intake and associated physical conditions e.g. diet and fluid charts,…