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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To work as an autonomous practitioner, working at an advanced level of clinical practice in the expert assessment and treatment of patients who often have highly complex and/or chronic presentations, using expert clinical reasoning skills in order to determine diagnosis, differential diagnosis, prognosis and optimal nutritional management.

To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own clinical caseload and to manage the clinical risk within own caseload. The post holder is wholly accountable for their practice in line with the HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics (current version).

Undertake expert assessment and treatment of patients to an advanced level, including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi pathologies. This will require highly developed physical skills where a high degree of precision and high levels of hand, eye and sensory co-ordination are essential.

To manage patients along their clinical pathway as a continuum, formulate a clinical opinion in order to; recommend best course of nutritional intervention, to reassess and progress treatments accordingly in order to develop, inform and influence discharge plans, to advise and plan further nutritional management elsewhere.

To take action where patients fail to meet expected milestones in their recovery, and, escalate concerns where patients’ nutritional needs are not met and propose solutions.

Understand complex facts or situations requiring analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options

To propose improvements to clinical pathways by challenge existing organisational and professional boundaries and link together innovations in practice.

To lead the development of new clinical guidelines, policies and procedures and ensure existing documents are regularly reviewed and updated in order to reflect best practice

To be responsible for initiating and influencing the development of clinical assurance processes relating to clinical practice e.g. expanded clinical protocols and PGDs that are required as part of own clinical practice delivery, and to advise upon others that may impact upon Dietetic practice.

To regularly review clinical practice delivery in light of new models of care and to identify new ways of working, this includes the advancement of advanced clinical skills in this post of self and others.

To demonstrate a robust understanding and application of governance and risk, and to be able to apply this understanding to own clinical practice and clinical practice of others.

Maintain a high standard of personal behaviour, consistent with professional expectation, and, reflective of the Trust’s values, and ensure effective communication with all members of the multidisciplinary team, patients carers and relatives. Act with personal and professional integrity within ethical and legal frameworks and process to maintain and improve standard

To interpret clinical professional and national standards relevant to own area of specialism, and advise on their application in the provision of practice within Medway NHS Foundation Trust.

To take a lead role on the risk management of new clinical practice developments in Dietetics

To have lead responsibility for the initiation, development, and evaluation of clinical practice standards within Dietetics, and for ensuring that quality standards and effectiveness of patient care are continually improved and evaluated through robust audit programmes.

To implement and suggest changes to policies and protocols relating to delivery of dietetic service; to actively contribute to relevant trsut-wide policy development

To be responsible for training budget within Dietetics

To ensure that, as an individual practitioner, the post holder maintains timely and effective communication with the Head of Therapies e.g. concerning changes to the service and to ensure the quality and effectiveness of care for their patients.

To contribute to the professional agenda at a local, regional and national level by offering expert information in a Clinical Specialist capacity by providing appropriate advice to own and other professionals on care practices, service delivery and service development.

To represent the Therapies Department and Dietetic Service at multi-professional meetings as required at both internal and external meetings

To continually develop the role of the Clinical Lead for Dietetics within the service with particular relevance to own clinical fields by promoting awareness of the role throughout the Trust, local ICB, and nationally.