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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To act as part of the dietetic team to provide specialist dietetic services to patients with a variety 
of solid tumours attending the Trust. This will include patients receiving radiotherapy, 
chemotherapy and/or supportive care on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.
 To participate in multidisciplinary team meetings to advise on issues related to nutrition.
 Use developed communication skills to educate staff and patients in complex dietary therapies 
and nutrition support regimes.
 To effectively manage a clinical caseload to ensure efficient use of dietetic resources.
 To contribute to the development of dietetic services within the Trust.
 To work collaboratively with the Band 7 Oncology Dietitians and the Nutrition Nurse practitioner 
to develop evidence based best practice clinical nutrition guidelines.
 To contribute to a multi professional approach to patient care.
 To contribute to the development of policies and procedures for delivering effective nutritional 
care.

To participate in research and audit related to the service that will lead to improvement in quality 
and service outcomes.
 To liaise with specialist dietitians e.g. home enteral feeding, nutrition support, over specific 
dietary problems or queries and to develop and evaluate evidence based resources and 
information sheets.
 To undertake comprehensive assessment of patients, understanding drug treatments and other 
clinical tests results with relevance to the dietary intervention required.
 To undertake clinical and nutritional assessment of complex oncology patients, including 
subjective and objective measurements and lifestyle patterns and document comprehensively.
 To evaluate outcomes of dietetic interventions through the monitoring and review of nutritional 
care plans and adjust to achieve goals.
 To ensure safe and timely discharge of patients on home enteral feeding and sip feeds including 
liaison with GP’s, community dietitians and other key agencies.
 To liaise with catering department regarding specialised dietary requirements of individuals. 
eg. patients receiving renal dialysis, patients who have insulin dependent diabetes, coeliac 
disease, or food allergies.
 Maintenance of own knowledge and skills by attending local and national study courses or 
training as required.
 Monitoring of developments in oncology and the implications these may have on dietetic 
intervention.
 Assists with the development/review of nutrition related policies e.g. nasogastric feeding 
protocol, food intake record, MUST (nutrition screening). Responsible for the interpretation of 
laboratory blood results where these would impact on nutritional status and planned 
interventions.
 Responsible for assessing anthropometric data (weight, height, body mass index and 
percentage weight loss) when planning and evaluating interventions.
 Develop and implement nutritional care plans for patients:
o at nutritional risk.
o requiring therapeutic diets.
o requiring nutritional support such as nutritional sip feeds, nasogastric, gastrostomy, 
jejunostomy or parental nutrition feeding regimes.
o with complex medical conditions, such as head and neck cancer patients undergoing 
chemoradiation.
o requiring healthy diet advice and advice for patients following alternative or complimentary 
therapies.
 Clinical monitoring and assessment of patient compliance, modifying nutritional care plan as 
required, informing relevant ward or therapy staff. 
 Responsibility to identify and make appropriate referrals to other health professionals such as 
PEG nurse and Clinical Nurse Specialists 
 Support and advise staff on management of parenteral nutrition.
 Participate in the development of education/training for nursing and radiography staff to identify 
patients that are at nutritional risk according to established screening criteria, such as the MUST 
tool.
 From a nutritional perspective advise of patients’ suitability to be discharged.
 Coordinate with other health care professionals to ensure seamless care on transfer to the 
patient’s home, local hospital or local hospice.
 Recommend to GP in writing of nutritional products to be prescribed.

Liaise with GP, community dietitians and other key health professional’s of the ongoing 
nutritional care of patients. 
 Provide dietetic advice and support to ward staff in provision of specialised diets not included in 
the standard menu. 
 Responsibility to provide advice to the catering department of specialised dietary requirements 
of individuals not included in the standard menu.
 Establish a link between clinical areas and catering to ensure nutritional needs of patients are 
met. 
 Attend and contribute to departmental meetings.
 Active participation in patient care ward rounds and discharge planning meetings as required.
 Respond to referrals from the multi-professional team and initiate the nutrition care process.
 Develop and assist in reviewing a selection of evidence based education materials relevant for 
use within the nutrition and dietetic service as well as Trust wide. 
 Assist in the development and evaluation of methods of service provision considering outcomes, 
user satisfaction and quality of the service provided.
 Enhance professional development through participating and assisting in Trust wide programs 
Identify, participate, assist and develop education programs/ lectures both informally and 
formally on relevant aspects of nutrition care within CCO and external to the Trust as required. 
 Contribute to the development of practice within CCO through participation in relevant working 
groups and SRGs.
 To promote healthy eating to staff and patients.