Job summary
Employer heading
MacMillan Cancer services Dietitian
NHS AfC: Band 6
Job overview
To provide specialist nutritional advice alongside the band 7 Macmillan dietitian’s and support to patients with a diagnosis of cancer within South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust as part of the multi-professional Cancer Support Team. To be a source of expertise on nutrition and cancer issues within the Trust and South Devon. We are committed to supporting our teams and the individuals that join cancer services to develop and to thrive within their career pathways offering excellent opportunities for professional and personal development.
A Band 5 developmental positional may be considered ( Band 5 £25,655-£31,534 per annum progressing to Band 6 £32,306 - £39,027 per annum).
Main duties of the job
To work alongside the Macmillan dietitians to deliver a nutrition service and provide support and advice to patients with cancer.
This is a patient facing post with daily presence within the acute ward setting.
To assist in the formulation and integration of specialist dietetic care into overall cancer care as required by the clinical need of the patient.
Working for our organisation
Torbay and South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust provides a service to a population of approximately 250,000 people, of which there are 1,500 new cases of cancer diagnosed annually.
Patients with a diagnosis of cancer will be seen by this service in any of the following settings: Turner ward (18 bed Oncology/ Haematology ward), any other hospital wards at Torbay (approximately 300 beds), Ricky Grant Day Unit, Radiotherapy treatment, clinics (Oncology, Haematology, Surgical, Heart & Lung), Endoscopy, Dietetic clinic and by telephone contact. Occasionally a visit to the hospice, peripheral hospitals (4 in SDHCT) or in the patient’s own home may be required.
We are a forward thinking innovative service working closely with healthcare professionals as part of the Cancer service team at Torbay hospital.
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Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To provide evidence based, comprehensive and holistic nutritional and dietetic support to patients, carers and families who are referred to the service.
To be responsible for the assessment of the patient’s current nutritional intake and status, calculation of the patient’s nutritional intake and status, calculation of the patient’s nutritional requirements and providing advice on achieving and maintaining optimum nutrition.
To be responsible in collaboration with the Specialist lead cancer dietitian for providing appropriate and continual follow up throughout the patient’s cancer care pathway to ensure advice is followed and its aims are being achieved and that advice is altered according to the patients changing situation.
To be responsible for all aspects of the dietary treatment prescribed, which will be for enteral or parenteral nutrition as indicated by the patient’s clinical condition.
To formulate feeding regimes and prescribe a wide range of artificial feeds based on medical condition, fluid management and biochemistry.
To write individual diet sheets, meal plans and recipes to support verbal advice and support change.
To provide appropriate emotional support to patients and their families/carers as required and to identify any other problems and issues (eg. symptoms, financial, mobility) an individual patient is experiencing and refer on to the appropriate cancer support team member.
To be responsible for communicating complex clinical and nutritional information to other members of the Cancer Support Team, Upper GI MDT, Haematology MDT and other relevant health care professionals.
To be responsible for the training, support and follow up of patients with cancer going home with enteral tube feeding after complex upper GI cancer surgery.
To identify patients are moving from active treatment to palliative care and change your dietetic aims and planned input accordingly.
To identify when a received dietetic referral may not be appropriate and to document reasons for not seeing patient.
Person specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential criteria
- • BSc in Human Nutrition and Dietetics or equivalent Diploma
- • Registration as a dietitian with the Health Professions Council. (HCPC)
- • Evidence of recent CPD
- • Membership of the BDA or professional indemnity insurance
- Cancer patient experience
Desirable criteria
- Teaching/training qualification
- Counselling Skills certificate
- Participation in post-graduate study
- Advanced communication qualification
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
- • Demonstrate experience in clinical dietetics and nutrition support within a clinical setting.
- • Provide evidence of CPD in oncology and nutrition
Desirable criteria
- Experience with Upper GI and haematology patients
- Experience with palliative care
Specific skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent communicator
- Ability to work as part of a Multidisciplinary team
- Ability to prioritise workload
- Previous experience of home enteral feeding
Desirable criteria
- Experience of delivering education and training to groups of patients and other healthcare professionals
- Experience of student training
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Fiona Ross
- Job title
- MacMillan Specialist Lead Dietitian
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01803 654385
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