Specialist Paediatric Dietitian

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for three consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a confident and enthusiastic Dietitian with experience in paediatrics, to become an integral members of the North East London Foundation Trust's (NELFT) Children's Feeding and Dietetic Service (CFADS) based in Wickford, Essex.

The service provides an established community dietetic service to the Basildon, Bentwood, Wickford and Thurrock regions of Essex but is now expanding, following a change in provider, to provide paediatric home enteral feeding support to Mid Essex and is developing a remote dietetic infant Non-IgE cows milk allergy pathway across the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System.

The post holders will work within the established community dietetic team ( WTE) providing paediatric dietetic advice, education and support to patients, carers and other health professionals within NELFT’s communities, with a range of needs including: Enteral feeding, allergies, under 1 delayed cows milk allergy, faltering growth, nutrition support, coeliac disease, fussy eaters / limited diets, nutritional deficiencies, weight management and constipation however the role will have a focus on supporting babies children with a enteral feeding tube.

There will be some remote working opportunity but it is expected that the post holder will work closely with the Speech and Language and Community Nursing Teams assessing and reviewing children in clinic, at home and education settings, as needed, traveling across Mid and South Essex.

Main duties of the job

The development of the new HEF and Milk Allergy pathway requires the number of dietetic staff to increase to 9 full time dietitians. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to be part of an expanding service with opportunities to explore development and innovation.

The role requires dietetic assessment and management in children aged 0-18 (19 in SEN), across a range of settings including clinics, home visits, education settings and virtually, autonomously and in partnership with other clinicians and supported by the 8a Pathway Lead and wider CFADS team.

You will also be actively involved in the development and implementation of evidence based guidance in order to deliver best practice. Currently some of our inhouse developed Blended Diet and general feeding resources are being used by other Dietetic Departments within the UK and the services Virtual offer was shortlisted for the 2023 CAHPO awards.

Working for our organisation

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

High Cost Area Supplement - Fringe

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,192 to a maximum of £2,011 pro rata for part time).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Essential criteria for the post :

•Degree in Nutrition & Dietetics or equivalent post graduate degree
•Up to date registration with HCPC
•Paediatric experience is Essential.
•Excellent Communication skills & organisational skills

Main responsibilities from the Job Description

•To provide high quality, evidence based dietetic assessment and management to children.
•To be able to cope with, be sensitive and be non-judgemental with patients and their families who have a variety of medical conditions.
•To be able to provide advice in a sensitive manner within the child’s environment.
•To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients/clients in your care.
•Work within NELFT Trust clinical guidelines and professional guidelines and to have a good working knowledge of national and local standards including safeguarding.
•To be responsible for maintaining own accurate and comprehensive patient/client treatment records, in line with professional standards of practice and within the parameters laid down in the NELFT Trust’s Note Keeping Policy.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Degree in Nutrition & Dietetics or equivalent Registered as a Dietitian with the Health Professions Council Membership of the British Dietetics Association Evidence of further postgraduate study paediatric course tier 1 / 2

Desirable criteria

Membership of the British Dietetics specialist group Evidence of completing Supplementary Prescribing Course

Experience

Essential criteria

Minimum 4 years experience in Dietetics UK NHS experience (minimum 1 year) Evidence of the dietetic management of a wide range of complex clinical conditions Experience of working with multi-disciplinary teams: nutrition nurses, nurses, children’s nutrition team, speech & language team Community/Specialist Nurses, GP’s, Health Care Assistants, consultants, paediatricians

Desirable criteria

Experience of working in a community setting, particularly paediatric experience

Skills

Essential criteria

Awareness of IT and IT skills Experience of using electronic health care record systems ( System One)

Other

Essential criteria

To be able to travel efficiently throughout the area

Benefits

We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:

A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.

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