Advanced Specialist Paediatric Dietitian

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to work with our forward-looking specialist teams providing clinical care for children and young people with complex neuro-disability.   We are seeking a highly specialist paediatric dietitian to work as a member of the specialist nutrition team on a one-year fixed-term contract to cover maternity leave. You will provide clinical support to children and young adults who require your expertise in prescribing and monitoring specialist clinical diets, as well as blended food given enterally.

We invite applications from dietitians wanting to develop their specialist knowledge, as well as dietitians who already have the requisite specialist skills.

You will work closely with an experienced Dietetic Assistant 0.6 WTE.

The post-holder will receive regular clinical supervision from specialist paediatric dietitians, as well as management and peer supervision. Full support will be given where required, from the wider Dietetics team and from the Professional and Operational leads.

The position would be suitable for remote working if preferred.

Main duties of the job

The dedicated Nutrition Team at Chailey Clinical Services comprises a consultant neuro-developmental specialist paediatrician, specialist speech and language therapist, paediatric nurse, dietetic assistant and an administrator.

You will work with a designated caseload of children and young adults with complex neuro-disability who attend Chailey Heritage School and other Chailey Clinical Services out-patient clinics.

You will provide highly specialist dietetic and nutritional management advice for the designated caseload, including those who are enterally fed. A number of children are supported to receive blended diet given enterally. Other children receive other specialist diets to treat underling health conditions e.g. ketogenic diet.

This specialist post has provided the  current post-holder with opportunities to participate in important national research projects such as YourTube - YourTube, University of York and Gastrostomy feeding and psychosocial support (G-PATH SUPPORT) | Research | Uni of Herts  .

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Our Highly Specialist Dietitian is a key member of the multi-disciplinary Nutrition team at Chailey Clinical Services.

The role involves providing a specialist service, including weekly dietetic clinics which run during term time. These clinics are accessed by the children and young people who attend Chailey Heritage Foundation, Chailey Rehabilitation Service and outpatient clinics. There are regular Nutrition Team meetings and out patient clinics with members of the nutrition team.

You will work as an autonomous practitioner alongside the different professional groups at Chailey Clinical Services. You will contribute to multi-professional assessments, treatment planning, monitoring and reviews. You will ensure systems are in place to enable the prescribing, monitoring and maintenance of high standards of nutritional care for children attending Chailey Clinical Services whose needs are frequently changing to support growth and well-being.

You will join the Nutrition Team which compromises a Consultant Paediatrician in Neuro-disability, Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (Dysphagia), Specialist Nurse Practitioner for Nutrition and Enteral Feeding, Dietetic Assistant and Administrator. The Nutrition team works together to support good decision making with children and their families in out patient clinics, including the Joint Surgical Clinic with a visiting paediatric surgeon from the local children's hospital . You will have the opportunity to take a leading role in the joint Chailey Clinical Services and Chailey Heritage Foundation quarterly Food and Nutrition Group and ensure it provides a forum for discussion around best practices.

You will undertake nutritional assessments of the patients using the results to plan their dietary care, by:

• Investigating, and obtaining patient information
• Interpreting sensitive medical and social information
• Interpreting biochemistry, clinical condition, anthropometry and other physical parameters
• Using highly developed computer skills including data entry and data analysis
• Using advanced skills in the utilising the specialist nutritional analysis package as a diagnostic tool, a means to provide a plan of action, a method of monitoring progress, and / or interpreting clinical information
• Using highly developed skills for managing complex calculations as part of nutritional assessment, monitoring and prescribing.

You will make use of your highly developed communication and teaching skills to support nutrition counselling to suit individual children and young people, family and carers needs, these would include:

• Overcoming/negotiating barriers to change
• Use of reassurance and motivation skills

Please see attached JD and PS for further details.