Dietetic Assistant

Job summary

FirstDietitians is a friendly, approachable team of 24 dietitians, dieteticassistants and administrators, delivering adult and paediatric services across EastSurrey and parts of West Sussex in a range of community settings, includingclinics, specialist schools and patients own homes.

Our vision is to be a trailblazer for food andnutrition and we are committed to service development through publicinvolvement, quality improvement and innovative new service models. We encourageall members of the team to be involved in service development to improve theefficiency of our services and patient experience.

This is an exciting opportunity to work with us asa dietetic assistant. You will have an integral role supporting the deliveryof diabetes group education and the running of the service we provide topatients with diabetes in the East Surrey area. You will also support our adultand paediatric teams, working closely with the lead community dietitians to supportour patients in the community.

As a keymember of the multi-disciplinary team you will be uniquely placed to buildrelationships with our patients and their families, positively influencingtheir health and wellbeing. You will work asan autonomous assistant practitioner, with appropriate levels of supervisionand support, contributing to the delivery of excellent nutritional care by the team.

We recognise the importance of flexible working;we encourage you to discuss opportunities for this at interview.

Main duties of the job

As adietetic assistant, you will work across our diabetes, adult and paediatricservices and in a variety of settings. The role offers a good deal ofopportunity to gain experience in different areas of dietetics. Tasks willinclude:

Organising, planning and delivering group education to patients newlydiagnosed with type 2 diabetes (appropriate training will be given to become aDESMOND accredited educator) Contacting patients by phone, e-mail or letter to book educationsessions, clinic appointments and home visits Visiting patients in care homes or their own homes to carry out nutritionalassessments Working with the lead community dietitians to improve the servicewhere possible

This listis not exhaustive and all tasks are important to ensure the service runssmoothly and that patients receive the best possible care. Excellent communication and people skills areparamount as you will be communicating with a wide range of individuals on adaily basis, but a background in general administration and evidence of goodplanning and organisational skills would be desirable.

We are looking for a team player who cares aboutpatients and has an interest in food and nutrition. Our mission is changinglives through food and we pride ourselves on the wide variety of skills andknowledge the team possesses. There will be ample opportunities to contributeto and take part in continuing professional development.

About us

Do you want to be part of an organisation that was rated best provider of NHS care to work for nationwide? (2023 staff survey results)

First Community is a staff ownedsocial enterprise rated Good by CQC, which delivers NHS community services acrosseast Surrey and parts of West Sussex. Weare looking for individuals who share our values First-rate care, First-rate people,First-rate value.

First Community is a great placeto work, everyone has a voice and is supported to develop their career to itsfull potential. We offer all our staff: NHS terms and conditions, high qualitytraining and development opportunities, flexible working to enable a good worklife balance, an inclusive and friendly work environment, an NHS pension,flexible retirement options and various employee benefits.

Please talk to us before applyingor at interview about the flexibility you need. We may not be able to meet yourneeds exactly, but we do promise to fully consider your request and meet your needswhere possible. Please note, flexible working options may vary depending on therole.

At First Community we welcomeapplications from black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+candidates and candidates with disabilities. We ensure that all applicants aretreated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process,including the consideration of reasonable adjustments.

Sustainability is integral toFirst Community achieving the NHS Net Zero target.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post-holder will act as an autonomous assistantpractitioner, although with supervision and support, contributing to thedelivery of excellent nutritional care by the First Dietitians Team.

To assist the qualified dietitians in providinghigh quality interventions within the service, to maintain or improve thehealth, independence, and quality of life of patients by working as part of themulti-disciplinary/multi-agency team.

Manage own workload, prioritising time andactivities on a daily basis and planning ongoing tasks to meet the changingneeds of the total group of patients.This role is non-routine in order to meet the various changing demandswithin the team caseload.

The role also includes a wide range of supporttasks in addition to patient focused time.All the tasks are important to ensure the service runs smoothly and thatpatients receive the best possible service.Good communication and people skills are at the core of all of theduties involved in this post as information exchanged can be complex.

The post-holder may support the delivery ofeducation and training to other professionals and patients, including thedelivery of diabetes education. They will work in close liaison with the team,other Healthcare Professionals and Homecare Companies.

Although many duties will be office-based, thepost-holder will also visit patients in their own homes and schools.

When completing your application please refer to both theApplication Guide and full Job Description - these can be found undersupporting documents.

Person Specification

Skills

Essential

Ability to prioritise workload and work autonomously Good IT (MS Office) and able to learn to use new programs quickly Able to learn new skills quickly Excellent verbal and written skills Ability to concentrate in a busy and occasionally noisy environment Ability to cope with unpredictable events and varying work pressures Ability to develop and prepare dietetic resources

Desirable

Teaching and presentation skills

Other

Essential

Car owner and driver Flexible Reliable and trustworthy Assertive and confidant in expressing a view Demonstrates initiative Team player Good time-management skills Willing to drive their personal development Understands principles of equal opportunity Willing to contribute to audit and development Professional appearance

Qualifications

Essential

GCSE (or equivalent) Maths and English

Desirable

Educated to A-level (or equivalent) NVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Experience

Essential

Experience of being part of a team

Desirable

Experience of working with Dietitians Experience of working with patients Experience of educating/training/ teaching groups and individuals Working within an NHS setting

Knowledge

Essential

Aware of boundaries of your role Appreciate the issues involved with working in a variety of community and paediatric healthcare settings An inquisitive attitude Interest in food and nutrition

Desirable

Show understanding of how service reviews can improve quality Can demonstrate learning in food and nutrition

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