Senior Specialist Dietitian (Paediatric Inherited Metabolic Disorders)

Job overview

Are you looking for a clinical leadership development opportunity and a new challenge? Are you an enthusiastic, strongly motivated Dietitian with a proven record in paediatric dietetics, then this opportunity may be for you.

Due to recent additional funding and growth in the paediatric inherited metabolic disorders (IMD) caseload, a rare but exciting opportunity has arisen for a dedicated Paediatric Dietitian to work within the Specialist Metabolic Team at Leicester Children’s Hospital based at Leicester Royal Infirmary. The successful applicant will work alongside the dedicated Dietetic ACP for the speciality, another Senior Specialist Dietitian, a rotational Senior Dietitian, a dedicated Dietetic Assistant Practitioner and administrator.

There is opportunity for full time band 7 work through other dietitian vacancies within our team. Please contact us for more information.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for an experienced, motivated and proactive team player with excellent communication skills to undertake this specialist role.

You will work as a core and valued member of the Paediatric IMD MDT which covers the areas of Leicester City, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR).

You will be part of a highly regarded and friendly paediatric and neonatal dietetic team. You will have opportunity for line management and clinical supervision responsibilities.

There is a need for excellent communication and organisational skills and a proactive working style, enabling you to think “outside the box”, which equips you to work effectively with patients, carers and a wide range of health and non-health professionals in both the hospital and community. You will also require good all-round IT skills.

You should be able to work autonomously and independently alongside the Lead Medical Consultants to offer specialist advice to hospitals in the region and to take part in regional study days.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To be an expert Dietitian for children on metabolic diet treatment.

To have a diagnostic and autonomous role in ordering, assessing and interpreting biochemistry results and setting individualised care plans.

To inform on clinical decision making, treatment selection and evaluation of treatment.

To make treatment recommendations after nutritional assessment; to include the calculation of nutritional requirements based on interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometry, clinical conditions and other parameters.

To have an expert knowledge of prescribed nutritional feed products and the ability to determine when a modular feed may be necessary. To calculate feeding regimens within precise nutritional parameters for inpatients and outpatients. To advise on the prescription of specialist nutritional supplements.

To be responsible for the provision of emergency regimens, used during illness, for specific metabolic conditions.

The post holder will provide nutrition and dietetic input into dedicated outpatient clinics (MDT and Dietetic led), inpatients, day case and emergency department referrals.

To liaise with the UHL Trust catering services to ensure appropriate nutritional provision to paediatric IMD inpatients.

To provide education and support where appropriate to nurseries and schools for children under the UHL paediatric IMD caseload.

Under special circumstances, deliver training via home visits to children with metabolic conditions.

To inform on clinical decision making, treatment selection and evaluation of treatment.

To lead on developing and reviewing dietetic clinical guidelines and resources relevant to paediatric IMD and undertake audit of practice.

To work as an expert, autonomous and senior specialist dietitian in paediatric IMD and share local and national developments across the service and externally at regional, national and international level.

To raise safeguarding concerns where dietary non-compliance by carers can lead to irreversible damage to the child in their care. To co-operate with all aspects of the Safeguarding Children UHL Policy.

To deliver training and supervision to the metabolic and paediatric dietetic teams.

Please see attached job description for more information.