About this role
Job summary
Welcome to the Nutrition and Dietetics team at Dorset County Hospital! We are a forward-thinking, positive and friendly team made up of administrative staff, dietetic apprentices, dietetic support workers, dietitians and nutrition nurses.
This is a full time, permanent position for a Dietetic Support Worker to join the Acute Dietetic team at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester. The post holder will work within the well-established team, under the guidance of Dietitians to provide support to adult patients at Dorset County Hospital.
Main duties of the job
A suitable applicant should have experience working as part of a team, IT and organisational skills as well as a proactivity and a positive can-do attitude. Experience of working or volunteering within a healthcare environment is essential. The applicant should have a caring nature and exceptional interpersonal skills as you will be working closely with patients and other health professionals.
Dorchester has excellent road and transport links to Poole, Bournemouth, Southampton and London whilst offering the very best of a rural and sea side lifestyle. West Dorset includes some of the UK's best beaches, a number of National Trust properties to visit and the picturesque Jurassic Coastline. If you are looking for an opportunity to develop your skills within a friendly and supportive team, we would love to hear from you.
Right to Work in the UK: This role is not available for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Unfortunately, we are unable to support visa applications for this post in line with UKVI regulations.
About us
You will be part of the Dorset County Hospital Dietetic Department with a team of 30 Dietetic, Nurse and Admin staff and you will have easy access to them for peer and senior support.
Your line manager will provide regular guidance/support, reviews and help you develop your skills. The Department encourages CPD and benefits from good relationships with neighbouring Dietetic Teams, in addition to monthly Departmental meetings that the post holder would be actively involved in.
We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidate's individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.
All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.
Job description Job responsibilities
Please see Job Description and Person specification attached for the full list of roles and responsibilities.
Person Specification
Education, Qualifications & Training Essential
5 GCSEs or equivalent including Maths and English 1 A level or NVQ at level 3 in a relevant area or BTEC award
Desirable
Food hygiene certificate BDA Nutrition Support Worker course
Physical Requirements Essential
Standard keyboard skills Drivers licence and own transport
Living the Trust values: Integrity, Respect, Teamwork and Excellence Essential
Works within and promotes the DCH Trust strategy giving Outstanding Care for People in Ways that Matters to Them. Behaves in a professional manner at all times by setting and maintaining a high personal and professional standard that enables effective working relationships with others.
Knowledge & Experience Essential
Experience of working with and communicating with people Working both independently and as part of a team Experience of working under pressure
Desirable
Experience working in a healthcare/ care provision environment Experience working in NHS Experience of malnutrition/nutrition support Experience of project/audit work Previous teaching experience/ teaching certificate.
Skills & Abilities Essential
Excellent verbal communication skills, including being able to deal with people with communication difficulties Good written skills/record keeping IT skills - use of IT systems - Microsoft Work, Excel, Outlook, Power Point Presentations skills Written and Verbal Skills in time management, setting priorities and managing a caseload Openness to report to line manager on work undertaken when required and recognise/work within own limitations Able to evaluate a range of factors (e.g. clinical, social, environmental and emotional) to inform optimal patient care Able to work collaboratively with patients/carers to achieve optimal nutrition for patients Ability to recognise issues around safeguarding and take appropriate action the time following the episode
Desirable
Additional IT skills - use of dietary analysis packages, use of hospital outpatient system, Internet search skills Audit and data collection/data analysis skills
Personal Qualities Essential
Self-motivation and reliability and able to work under pressure Excellent time management and prioritisation skills Interest in nutrition & Dietetics Able to display empathy to people with chronic illness and emotional distress
Desirable
Ability to respond positively to change "Can do" attitude Effectively uses initiative within the role Ability to motivate others Actively engage in CPD and willingness to learn and develop relevant competencies
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.
Employer details Employer name Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address Damers House, Dorset County Hospital
Damers Road
Dorchester
DT1 2LB
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.dchft.nhs.uk/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)