Band 5 Dietitian; Temporary

Position: Band 5 Dietitian (Temporary)
Job summary

We have an exciting opportunity for a Dietitian to join the Nutrition and Dietetics Department at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. You will be responsible for managing an acute adult caseload, providing comprehensive nutritional assessment and intervention for patients across Care of the Elderly, Stroke, medical and surgical wards, including those requiring PEG assessment and NG feeding. You will support the delivery of a high-quality Nutrition and Dietetic Service at Watford General Hospital, working closely with and under the supervision of senior dietitians.

You will rotate across key specialties including Care of the Elderly, General Medicine, Diabetes, Respiratory, Stroke, Gastroenterology and Surgery, contributing to multidisciplinary care and ensuring patients receive evidence-based nutritional support throughout their inpatient journey.

Main duties of the job

As a Dietitian you will be professionally and legally accountable for your own practice, ensuring full compliance with HCPC standards and maintaining high levels of clinical governance. You will prioritise and coordinate your workload efficiently in line with service demands, working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to support timely and appropriate patient care. You will apply advanced clinical reasoning and analytical skills to interpret complex information and determine suitable nutrition strategies.

Using professional judgement, you will design and implement individualised care programmes, selecting appropriate treatment approaches while actively involving patients in decisions about their care.

About us

Here at NHS Professionals, we run England's largest NHS staff bank and are experts at putting people in places to care. Every year we help thousands of dedicated and highly skilled NHS workers enjoy better career opportunities, more flexible shifts, and a healthier work-life balance across our partnered Trusts.

Career Progression access to Learning & Development opportunities, so that you can take on new roles and challenges

Work-life Balance flexible shifts, committed shifts, wellbeing resources and build paid annual leave

Opportunity & Access over 50 partner NHS Trusts to give you the flexibility of choice to work how and where you want

Job Role s & Responsibilities

* To provide tailored dietary guidance to individuals, carers and healthcare professionals, interpreting clinical findings and investigation results to ensure recommendations are appropriate, practical and evidence based. This includes advising on the safe and effective use of prescribable nutritional supplements and enteral feeding products where indicated.

* To deliver structured education and training sessions for relatives, nursing staff and wider multidisciplinary colleagues, promoting understanding of therapeutic diets and ensuring consistency in nutritional care. This may involve preparing teaching materials and contributing to in-service training programmes and tutorials.

* To communicate complex information with sensitivity and clarity, adapting your approach to meet the needs of patients who may face barriers such as cognitive impairment, sensory loss, dysphasia, dysphagia, pain or emotional distress. You will assess mental capacity where required, obtain valid consent, and work within relevant legal and ethical frameworks.

* To monitor and evaluate clinical progress, using a range of indicators such as biochemical data, weight trends and dietary intake records, adjusting recommendations accordingly. You will identify when further investigations are required and liaise with the appropriate teams to support safe and effective care.

* To coordinate safe and timely discharge planning, including arranging home enteral feeding supplies, equipment and handover to community services, as well as organising onward referrals for continued nutritional support. You will contribute to case conferences, ward rounds and complex discharge discussions to ensure continuity of care.

* To contribute to service development and governance activities, maintaining accurate and contemporaneous documentation in line with Trust standards, participating in audit and quality improvement initiatives, supporting student learning where appropriate, and ensuring compliance with professional registration, health and safety, and departmental policies.

Person Specifications & Qualifications

* Degree in Nutrition/Dietetics, HCPC registered.

* Knowledge of dietetic care for medical, surgical, and elderly patients.

* Experience with inpatients and outpatients.

* Committed to CPD and professional development.

* Desirable: BDA membership, catering knowledge, audit, and record-keeping.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Orderand as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

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