Rotational Dietitian

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

FIXED TERM/SECONDMENT (4 MONTHS)

Have you recently graduated or seeking to build on your current experience?

The Tayside Nutrition and Dietetic Service (TNDS) have short term funding for a Quality Improvement project in Oncology treatment pathways to identify patients at nutritional risk.

Malnutrition in cancer patients is multifactorial and often the result of anorexia, cachexia and sarcopenia. Cancer patients may also have physical restrictions that reduce food intake and nutrient absorption such as mouth ulcers, diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, pain, intestinal obstructions or malabsorption. Research shows a prevalence of 40-80% of patients in oncology units have signs of nutritional impairment even in early disease stages. Muscle wasting/sarcopenia also occurs in overweight and obese patients. Expert guidelines advise nutritional screening and assessment for all cancer patients.

This successful post holder for this exciting project will take a lead role using their nutritional knowledge and expertise to implement nutritional screening in Oncology outpatient settings in Ninewells Hospital. Through nutritional screening, patients at risk of malnutrition and sarcopenia in the early stages of their diagnosis will be identified with the opportunity for timely intervention and self-management through signposting to resources and services that can offer support.

The project will involve training and education of clinical nurse specialists and healthcare assistants in the use and interpretation of screening tools. A focus on data collection and outcome measures will be key to the success of the project. The ambition of the project is to highlight the potential for timely nutritional intervention to ensure patients are better nourished, have fewer nutritional complications, better able to tolerate treatments leading to improved clinical outcomes, reduced length of hospital stay, reduction in hospital admissions with improved functionality and wellbeing.

The Tayside Nutrition & Dietetic Service promotes collaborative working across all our teams. This enables and encourages the development and implementation of pathways, standards and innovative practice. It also allows for extensive peer support and opportunities for professional development. Good communication and interpersonal skills are essential.

We are committed to the training of dietetic students, medical students and other healthcare professionals. Leadership and clinical supervision will be provided. Newly qualified dietitians are supported to work through the Flying Start NHS Programme in their first year of practice

Hours of Work 37.0 Monday to Friday

Leadership and clinical supervision will be provided. All applicants will require to be registered with the Health Care Professions Council prior to starting in post. This is a fixed term post for 4 months and written approval must be sought from your line manager prior if applying for this as a secondment. You will be required to bring this if shortlisted for interview.

Applicants Interested In These Posts Are Encouraged To Contact

Helen Webster, Dietetic Oncology Team Lead, Ninewells Hospital, [email protected], tel 01382 633875

Internal candidates: *Written approval must be sought from your line manager prior to applying for this secondment. You will be required to bring this if shortlisted for interview.

NHS Tayside is committed to equality and diversity and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community.

Short-listed applicants will be contacted by email. Please check your emails regularly, including your junk/spam folder.

Additional Information For Candidates

• You should apply for this post by completing the application process on Jobtrain.
• DO NOT upload a CV as this will not be used for shortlisting purposes.
• Posts close at midnight on the indicated date.
• For help to complete an application on Job Train please follow this link:
• To view our accessibility statement, please follow this link:
• If you wish to participate in the Job Interview Guarantee Scheme and have been invited to interview, please contact the Hiring Manager as detailed in the advert to discuss any special requirements that you will need to enable you to attend the interview.
• Please note that our correspondence method is by e-mail, therefore please ensure you enter your email address accurately.
• Please check your e-mail regularly (including junk folders) and your Jobtrain account for updates
• Please contact Jobtrain Candidate Support Hub for advice and support with any system issues
• We recommend using the Internet Browser "Google Chrome" or "Microsoft Edge" when using Jobtrain
• Once you have submitted your application form you will be unable to make any amendments
• Some of our vacancies are for internal candidates only. If you are a member of staff, please ensure you update your Jobtrain profile to reflect that you are employed by NHS Tayside