On her almost first anniversary of working in primary care, Nusrat Kausar joins Ben on the podcast this week to discuss the parameters of her role as a dietitian specialising in supporting pre-diabetic patients and those diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes within primary care. Based in a West Yorkshire PCN, Nusrat fills us in on her experiences so far; how her previous roles have influenced her journey into general practice, the value that dietitians can add in terms of supporting the PCN and her patients, her top tips for attracting, keeping and getting the most from a good dietitian, how dietitians can blend in seamlessly with existing staff (and the more newly established additional roles teams) and turning to the future, how she foresees the role developing even further.

Introduction (1 min 10 secs)

Designing a job description (1 min 56 secs)

Nusrat’s background as a dietitian (2 mins 40 secs)

Making the move into primary care (3 mins 29 secs)

What does a day in the life of a dietitian look like? (4 mins 6 secs)

The referral process and caseload (4 mins 37 secs)

PCN demographic and how each practice works within the system (5 mins 47 secs)

Maximising service engagement (6 mins 17 secs)

Monitoring the impact so far (7 mins 28 secs)

How is the service making a difference to patients? (8 mins 26 secs)

Working alongside other ARRS team members (9 mins 24 secs)

Encouraging a sense of belonging (10 mins 12 secs)

Line management and clinical supervision (11 mins 21 secs)

How can PCNs make the best use of their dietitian? (12 mins 3 secs)

Is a more flexible approach to role design better? (13 mins 28 secs)

Nusrat’s top tips for recruiting and retaining a dietitian (15 mins 9 secs)

Advice for dietitians who are considering working in general practice (16 mins 18 secs)

Looking ahead: How will the role develop going forwards? (17 mins 44 secs)

Recommended resources (19 mins 11 secs)

 

Applications for the second round of the incredibly popular New to General Practice Partnership training programme are now open! If you are considering stepping into partnership, or are a newly appointed GP partner, our training course scheduled to begin again in February 2022, in collaboration with McCartney Health Associates and THC Primary Care, might just be for you. If you’d like to know more, or if you’re already sold and keen to sign up, please get in touch with Ben at [email protected]