UHWA Clinical Specialist Dietitian

******PLEASE COMPLETE THE APPLCATION FORM FULLY, CV'S ARE NOT ACCEPTED*********

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

The Dietitian, Clinical Specialist – Renal will:

Professional and Clinical

• Be highly competent in assessing and treating a wide range of clinical presentations relevant to a renal patient cohort.
• Develop, implement and monitor a plan of care, based on assessment of the patients’ nutritional needs.
• Be responsible for the organisation, provision and evaluation of nutrition and dietetic services to renal service users / patients attending UHW.
• Develop an evidenced based nutritional care pathway for renal patients, commencing on the identification of need for treatment, through inpatient and day services and organisation of appropriate follow-up, through integration with community services or other acute centres as appropriate.
• Attend ward rounds / safety huddles as required for effective interdisciplinary communication and decision-making.
• Prioritise and manage patient caseload according to the needs of the department and service.
• Recognise the need and ensure effective self-management of workload, available time and resources.
• To provide cover for colleagues during periods of absence and to take lead in the provision of service during cover/ leave.
• Manage clinical risk within own caseload and that of the designated team at all times.
• Ensure professional standards are maintained in accordance with the requirements as set out by CORU https://coru.ie/files-recognition/standards-of-proficiency-for-dietitians.pdf
• Ensure a high standard of dietetic assessment and management and ensure that professional standards of practice are adhered to.
• Act as a positive and supportive specialist team leader in your own area.
• Lead and facilitate change management and improve service delivery in your designated clinical area.
• Lead on relevant designated projects, initiatives or duties within the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.
• Develop and maintain high standards of clinical practice.
• Provide expert opinion, advice and guidance to dietetic colleagues, medical team members and other health professionals.
• To initiate and be actively involved in continuously improving the quality of the service, through audit, quality improvement initiatives and clinical research.
• Seek ways to benchmark and assure quality of the dietetic service.
• Liaise with catering staff regarding the provision of therapeutic diets.
• Be aware of national policies, guidelines and consultations and in conjunction with the dietitian manager, develop local policies and care pathways within the specialist area and the wider department.
• Actively engage with relevant national bodies, and research-associated bodies, as appropriate.
• Serve on local or national committees to promote nutrition and dietetic practice.
• Ensure the privacy and dignity of the service user is respected at all times.
• Duties should be undertaken in collaboration with your dietitian manager or nominated person and be within the strategic goals of the organisation.
• Carry out any other duties and responsibilities appropriate to the post that may be assigned by the dietitian manager or nominated person.
• Promote a culture that values equality, diversity and respect in the workplace.

Education and Development

• Provide leadership to senior & staff grade dietitians through the process of professional supervision, clinical supervision, coaching and tutoring.
• Contribute to a structured process for the education of colleagues in renal services.
• Identify own personal and professional development needs, including mandatory training and put formal and informal structures in place to meet those needs in collaboration with the dietitian manager.
• Maintain professional knowledge on relevant scientific research and practice development.
• Engage with professional disciplines & academic institutions where appropriate.
• Actively participate in a structured continuous professional development (CPD) process and promote the professional and personal development of staff.
• Promote objective setting, effective performance management and team-based performance management within the nutrition and dietetic team.
• Ensure a clinical supervision programme is available to staff.
• Disseminate advanced clinical practice guidelines. Produce current, clear, evidence-based resources for patients and carers and/ or health professionals, suitable for use locally and / or nationally.
• Act as a resource, both regionally and nationally.
• Oversee and play a key role in the practice education of student dietitians.

Health & Safety

• Work in a safe manner with due care and attention to the safety of self and others.
• Liaise with line manager and with other departments to ensure safe and effective service delivery consistent with health service management strategies.
• Promote a safe working environment in accordance with Health and Safety legislation.
• Implement agreed policies, procedures and safe professional practice by adhering to relevant legislation, regulations and standards.
• Actively participate in risk management issues, identify risks and take responsibility for appropriate action.
• Document appropriately and report any adverse incidents, near misses, hazards and accidents in accordance with organisational guidelines.
• Adhere to HSE policies in relation to the procurement, care and safety of any equipment supplied for the fulfilment of duty.

Management

• Set and monitor performance standards. Work towards and deliver on key performance indicators and outcomes measures in the area of clinical nutrition in renal insufficency.
• Develop innovative models of dietetic care and service delivery.
• Collaborate with relevant stakeholders in relation to the strategic direction of the service.
• Analyse service demands and develop the dietetic team with other Health and Social Care Professionals (HSCP) members in line with evolving requirements including extended working hours.
• Negotiate strategic plans for service delivery in conjunction with line manager.
• Take responsibility for achieving service delivery targets by monitoring, recording and reporting activity levels.
• Identify and prioritise the requirements of the service within a constantly changing environment.
• Manage day-to-day operations of the service with regard to scheduling and assignment of staff, ensuring seamless delivery of care and equity of workloads between team members.
• Facilitate change where necessary in order to maintain services at an optimal level.
• Be involved in the collection, processing and analysis of data, for research purposes and for use as a national resource.
• Ensure compliance with a high standard of documentation, including service user files in accordance with local guidelines, Freedom of Information (FOI) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
• Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc.and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.
• Support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

The above Job Specification is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to them from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.