Specialist Dietitian

Are you interested in nutritional support, work within a specialist oncology setting, and enjoy MDT working? An opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, motivated dietitian to join our team in Sutton. It can easily be reached from London with direct train services from Victoria, London Bridge and Clapham junction (25 minutes) and a free staff shuttle bus from the station. The post will be part of a rotation program where you will gain experience in gastro intestinal, haematology, head and neck and paediatrics at all aspects of the patients journey in both in patients and outpatients. You will work alongside experienced dietitians where there will be opportunities for you to take part in service improvement and to build on your existing knowledge and skill within the largest cancer centre in Europe. The hospital encourages professional and personal development through an in service education programme and supports study leave.

The Nutrition and Dietetics service consists of23 dietitians split over 2 sites, as well as support staff. The team is part of Therapies which is committed to a philosophy that addresses the physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs of all individuals with cancer through a genuinely MDT approach.

To make an informal enquiry please contact Jennifer Newman, Highly Specialist Dietitian, tel: or email

Main duties of the job

Provide the Royal Marsden Hospital with an effective and flexible nutrition and dietetic service to in and out patients. The post-holder should be an experienced practitioner, who is a source of knowledge and expertise for patients, carers and members of the multidisciplinary team.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals - one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey - as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information please refer to the job description and personal specification

Work autonomously to provide specialist advice to patients, carers and clinicians based on clinical evidence, with guidance from senior colleagues. This will involve:

• Formulating nutritional diagnosis (through interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometrics, clinical condition and analysis of diet history)
• The development of treatment plans (calculation of nutritional requirements and client centred goals)
• Ordering biochemical tests as appropriate
• Determining route of feeding (i.e. oral, enteral or parenteral)
• Prescription of dietary treatment for conditions where there are limited professional guidelines
• Recommendation of ACBS approved nutritional products

To monitor and review nutritional care plans against outcome measures and adjust care plans as appropriate to facilitate achievement of goals.

Participate in multidisciplinary meetings and ward rounds to provide specialist advice to facilitate

Person specification Qualifications

• HCPC registered

Experience/Knowledge

• Post registration experience in nutrition and dietetics

Experience/Knowledge

• Knowledge of dietetics in oncology
• Health and safety risk awareness
• Understanding of professional ethics and their application in practice
• Understanding of team dynamics
• Knowledge of clinical governance
• Knowledge of audit and research methodology
• Experience in oncology

Skills and abilities

• Excellent oral and written communication skills with people from a wide variety of backgrounds
• Ability to work effectively alone, with individuals and groups
• Commitment to clinical supervision
• Clinical reasoning skills
• Evidence of professional development, commitment to lifelong learning
• Evaluation and research skills
• Evidence of digital skills and dietary analysis
• Knowledge of troubleshooting regarding enteral feeding tubes
• Presentation skills - evidence informal presentations to small groups

Personal Attributes

• Confident
• Self motivated
• Flexible, adaptable and creative
• Able to respond to unpredictable work patterns and frequent interruptions
• Able to set priorities and meet daily deadlines
• Able to reflect and appraise own performance .
• Able to deal with distressed patient, carers and staff
• Ability to liaise with all professionals at all levels
• Able to organise complex information
• Maintain confidentiality

Other

• Member of BDA oncology group
• Teaching experience

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Please ensure your information is accurate to avoid errors with processing your application.

All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination - What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.