Specialist Cardiovascular Dietitian Band 6 Speciality: Cardiovascular dietitian Salary: £39,959 - £48,117 Per Annum Pro Rata Weekly working pattern: Part time - 15 hours per week in Plymouth

We are seeking an enthusiastic dietitian to join our cardiovascular dietetic team. The post-holder will have responsibility for the provision of a specialist dietetic service to cardiovascular patients. This will include cardiac critical care, cardiac surgical, cardiac medical, and stroke/neurological patients. You will work as part of a patient focused multi-professional team and act as a source of knowledge and expertise in cardiovascular nutrition.

You will be expected to support other areas of the Dietetic service during absence of colleagues and supervise the work of dietetic assistants, students and junior dieticians as appropriate. You will be supported by a friendly team and have th e opportunity to develop your skills.

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust is a large teaching hospital trust serving Plymouth and nearby areas of Devon and Cornwall.

***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***

Main duties of the job

To work as a member of the specialist cardiovascular multidisciplinary team based at Derriford Hospital.

Responsibility for the provision of a specialist, evidence-based dietetic service to cardiovascular patients. This will include cardiac critical care, cardiac surgical, and cardiovascular medical patients as well as stroke patients.

Provide education and act as a source of knowledge and expertise in cardiovascular nutrition.

Develop ward based nutritional protocols and plans, participate in audit and research related to cardiovascular dietetics in order to improve clinical outcomes and develop the role and service.

Working for our organisation

We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure.

We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide expert evidence-based advice to patients, carers and health care professionals regarding the provision of nutritional care for cardiovascular patients, to include cardiac surgical, cardiac medical and stroke/neurological patients. This will involve nutritional diagnosis (including interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometrics, clinic condition and diet history) and the development and monitoring of treatment goals and plans.
• To act as a clinical resource, providing specialist knowledge to members of the dietetic department (and other staff as required) on cardiovascular conditions and the nutrition support required for these patients.
• Participate as a core-member in cardiovascular multidisciplinary team meetings. Attend ward rounds as necessary.
• To provide clinical support and cover for other staff as requested by the Stroke and Cardiac Team Leader and the Nutrition and Dietetic Service Manager.
• Be proactive and collaborative in clinical decision making underpinned by an enhanced level of theoretical and practical knowledge.
• Demonstrate a level of knowledge in relation to pattern of disease or disorder, marker of condition progression and range of treatment available at each stage of disorder or condition.
• To be experienced in the use of anthropometric equipment for assessment of nutritional status, such as weighing equipment, hand grip dynamometer, callipers and interpretation of results.
• To maintain accurate and timely dietetic patient records (paper and electronic) in line with national and local record keeping standards.
• To supervise and co-ordinate the safe and timely discharge of patients on artificial nutritional support, liaising with hospital and community services
• Monitor the delivery of services and participate in audit as advised by the Line Manager or Head of Department.
• To work cooperatively with other professionals to ensure delivery of coordinated multidisciplinary service to patients requiring nutrition support. Maintain good communication with all agencies involved with patient care e.g. GP's, other dietitians in the peninsula, consultants, nurses, pharmacy, allied health professionals, catering etc.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers to maximise disease management. To translate complex information into an appropriate format for patients and carers.
• To work with patients with difficult diagnoses being sensitive to their physical and emotional needs at all times.
• To participate in the development of resources for patients and staff, ensuring that they are evidence based, up-to-date and in line with Trust policies on document control, and meet the needs of patients with a wide range of cultural and educational needs.
• Organise, deliver, develop, and evaluate cardiovascular nutrition training for staff groups including nurses, doctors, other members of the multidisciplinary team, and dietitians.
• To plan student training programmes for their cardiovascular weeks, including tutorials and peer assisted learning sessions. To provide supervision, assessment, and act as a keyworker to student dietitians throughout placements as required.
• For further details please see attached JD&PS.

For further details please see attached JD&PS.

Person specification

Qualifications

• HCPC registration as a Dietitian
• BSc in Dietetics or equivalent
• Completion of a Clinical Supervisory skills course
• Completion of BDA introduction to critical care Course
• Completion of BDA PENG clinical update Course

Knowledge and experience

• Proven evidence of demonstrable experience of working with cardiovascular patients
• Proven evidence of demonstrable experience of enteral feeding and enteral feeding tubes
• Proven evidence of demonstrable experience of teaching groups of patients and staff
• Computer skills in database use and statistical packages
• Demonstrable experience of developing evidence-based resources, guidelines or protocols

Aptitude and abilities

• Effective communication skills with all levels of healthcare staff as well as patients and carers
• Able to work autonomously and organise a varied workload
• Proven evidence of demonstrable experience of practical skills of nutritional support
• Critical appraisal skills
• Ability to lift feeding equipment / deliver feeding supplies to patients on wards

We welcome and encourage applicants who identify with all protected characteristics to apply for our roles. We believe that diversity strengthens our teams and improves our patients' experience. At UHP we aim to create an inclusive workplace and hospital where everyone feels they belong and included .

It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Providing false information is an offence & could result in the application being rejected or summary dismissal/police action if an applicant is successful.

Please note that if you are successful in your application & accept the position you agree that the Staff Health and Wellbeing Department can access your health records from your current/previous employer in order to check the status of your inoculations & screening tests. This is an automated process & the information will only be used for these purposes prior to your taking up the position with us.

For Doctors Roles:

Unsolicited CVs and Candidate Profiles/Details
University Hospitals Plymouth has a commitment to sourcing candidates directly and as such we do not accept speculative CVs from agencies.

We do, however, work with a defined list of preferred HTE Framework suppliers who may be invited to support us in sourcing candidates for particular roles.

In line with our preferred supplier list, we only pay agency fees where we have a signed agreement in place and an agency has been instructed by a member of the Trust's Medical Workforce team.

We do not pay agency fees where speculative and unsolicited CVs are submitted to the Trust or Trust employees by any other means than the official route above. Where this is not observed the Trust reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and initiate discussions without payment of any agency fee.

Any candidate details (whether written or spoken) or CVs that are referred directly will not constitute an introduction. The Trust will under no circumstances be responsible for any recruitment fees in relation to these contacts.

Submission of any unsolicited CVs, candidate's details and/or proposals to the Trust will not be considered further and will be deemed evidence of full and unlimited acceptance of this Agency Protocol.

In order to establish and maintain good working relationships with the Trust's agency suppliers, we ask that this Protocol is adhered to and thank you for your co-operation.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

We'd love to hear from you if you feel you're a great fit for the role - and that the role is right for you.Below, you'll find more information about our recruitment process and what happens once you've submitted your application.