The Nutrition Support Team Dietitian and the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics

The Nutrition Support Team Dietitian needs to be a senior figure within the Department of Dietetics. He/she provides a vital operational and organisational link between the Team and the Department.

The Department:

1. Maintains itself as the  principal  source of evidence-based information on food and nutrition and is an important contributor on nutritional assessment and support
2. Supervises and supports dietitians and dietetic assistants
3. Provides nutritional advice and expertise in all units of the hospital, including Catering.
4. Liaises closely with Nutrition Steering Committee and the Nutrition Support Team(s)
5. Participates in education and training
6. Assesses diet and nutrition  in more detail than a basic screen.
7. Provides dietetic advice tailored to individual patient’s needs
8. Tailors food and supplements to special dietary/nutritional needs
9. Supervises, analyses and interprets dietary records and recalls.
10. Prescribes  or helps prescribe enteral feeds and supplements, liaising with doctors, nurses and the nutrition support team
11. Is “part of the ward” – understands wards and patient problems in order to help solve them
12. Liaises with clinical staff including ward nurses, SALT, doctors, occupational therapists and social workers etc
13. Advises about enteral feeding techniques
14. Advises about parenteral nutrition in liaison with Nutrition  Support Team
15. Provides community liaison and care (extended roles –links with NNS)
16. Provides out patient nutritional care and follow up