Band 7 Head and Neck Dietitian

Job summary

Are you looking for a new challenge and want to work in a dynamic and forward-thinking team? Due to additional funding for 12 months we have an exciting opportunity to recruit a 0.6 wte Head and Neck Dietitian.

This is a new pathway and you will help support patients experiencing late effects of head and neck cancer treatment and will work closely with the multi disciplinary team.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and flexible Dietitian who enjoys team working and has experience in nutrition support and enteral feeding to lead the Head and Neck team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

This is the regional head and neck centre in the West Midlands and covers both inpatients and outpatients focusing supporting head and neck cancer surgery, rehabilitation following radiotherapy, and late effects.

You should work well in a MDT, strive for high levels of excellence and will be involved in audits and research to improve care for patients with late effects of head and neck cancer. You will work as an integral member of the hospital's well respected dietetic team.

You will deliver high quality nutritional care alongside our proactive and enthusiastic dietetic team made up of over 60 dietitians and assistants. If this post is for you, come and develop your clinical, multi-professional and audit skills, knowledge and practice.

The dietetic department at QEHB has a robust CPD program and is committed to providing excellent line management, supervision/support, specialist training and other forms of CPD.

Main duties of the job Provide expert nutritional rehabilitation & long-term support for people living with the late effects of head & neck cancer treatment, improving nutritional status, function & quality of life in both an inpatient & outpatient setting.

Provide specialist assessment/management of patients experiencing nutritional late effects following head & neck cancer treatment for both inpatients & outpatients Manage complex symptoms affecting oral intake including dysphagia, xerostomia, trismus, taste changes, fibrosis, strictures from surgery & radiotherapy Develop/monitor individualised nutrition care plans to optimise nutritional status, quality of life & long-term health outcomes Lead management of enteral feeding patients, including tube-feeding reviews, home enteral feeding discharges & long-term PEG/RIG support Work as a core member of the multidisciplinary late effects team, collaborating closely with SLT, oncology, surgery, dentistry, nursing, psychology & rehabilitation services Support survivorship and rehabilitation, helping patients return to oral intake, maintain muscle mass, improve function, and self-manage ongoing symptoms Coordinate & prioritise a specialist caseload including triaging referrals and ensuring timely follow-up of complex patients Develop/improve clinical pathways, guidelines & patient resources to enhance care for people living with and beyond head & neck cancer Lead audit, service evaluation & quality improvement projects to demonstrate outcomes and drive service development

About us

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued.

We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people.

As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential.

For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Job description

Job responsibilities *Please Note :

For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description* Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential -Evidence of relevant GCSE, NVQ, GNVQ, AS and A levels -Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics or equivalent -Registration with HCPC Desirable -MSc or equivalent experience e.g. advanced level of clinical practice / relevant postgraduate, professionally accredited courses Experience Essential -Significant post-graduate experience in relevant specialist area -Practical skill & in-depth experience in a multi-disciplinary setting in relevant specialist field evidenced by a learning portfolio and leading to advanced theoretical knowledge in area/s of clinical practice -Significant to substantial postgraduate experience of working in a specialist capacity in multi-disciplinary teams leading to the acquisition of advanced theoretical knowledge and highly developed skills. -Experience of training Dietetic students -Evidence of relevant continued professional development in following areas - Clinical e.g.

Accredited specialist training courses Attendance at specialist group meetings of BDA Advanced Diploma in Dietetic Practice Attendance at relevant multi-disciplinary courses/conferences -Teaching e.g.

Presentation skills Clinical supervisory skills training for student training Communication skill training / counselling skills training Cognitive behaviour therapy training (CBT) -High level of dietetic knowledge gained through attendance at postgraduate specialist courses -In depth knowledge of research and audit -In depth knowledge of nutritional assessment / nutritional screening tools -Knowledge and experience of all types of nutritional support -Maintains excellent knowledge of clinical developments -Requires working knowledge of IT / computer programmes - Desirable -Evidence of ongoing regular attendance on post-graduate training courses and clinical development at highly specialist level -Evidence of attendance at national conferences -Knowledge of the Strategic direction of the Trust -Experience of teaching professional and patient groups Additional Criteria Essential -Excellent interpersonal and team working skills -Ability to absorb, interpret and summarise complex verbal information -Ability to cope with a variety of personal and professional approaches to patient care -Ability to discuss and influence with healthcare professionals across multidisciplinary teams and other agencies -Ability to communicate where there are barriers to understanding in addition to any communication impairment -Ability to analyse, interpret and explain complex information on diagnosis, management plan and their implications in a clear and precise manner to patients, their relatives and members of the multi-professional team -Ability to use skills of motivation, negotiation and problem solving with colleagues, members of the multi professional team and other professionals on a daily basis -Ability to absorb, interpret and summarize verbal information in a pressurised clinical environment -Skills in planning treatment for patients with complex and changing needs -Ability to manage a dietetic team -Organisational skills with the ability to organise own workload and work in a systematic way -Excellent time management -Excellent interpersonal and team working skills -Demonstrates interest and enthusiasm for nutrition -Motivated to develop the service -Flexibility in the approach to a day in the knowledge that pressure of demand and throughput of patients will impact on original aims of the day -Willingness to travel all sites as required by the job role -Work onsite due to the clinical caseload Desirable -Active member of relevant professional groups Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and 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.

Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab) .

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.

Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab) .