Job summary
First
Dietitians is a friendly, approachable team of 24 dietitians, dietetic
assistants and administrators, delivering adult and paediatric services across East
Surrey and parts of West Sussex in a range of community settings, including
clinics, specialist schools and patients own homes.
Our vision is to be a trailblazer for food and
nutrition and we are committed to service development through public
involvement, quality improvement and innovative new service models. We encourage
all members of the team to be involved in service development to improve the
efficiency of our services and patient experience.
This is an exciting opportunity to work with us as
a dietetic assistant. You will have an integral role supporting the delivery
of diabetes group education and the running of the service we provide to
patients with diabetes in the East Surrey area. You will also support our adult
and paediatric teams, working closely with the lead community dietitians to support
our patients in the community.
As a key
member of the multi-disciplinary team you will be uniquely placed to build
relationships with our patients and their families, positively influencing
their health and wellbeing. You will work as
an autonomous assistant practitioner, with appropriate levels of supervision
and 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 a
dietetic assistant, you will work across our diabetes, adult and paediatric
services and in a variety of settings. The role offers a good deal of
opportunity to gain experience in different areas of dietetics. Tasks will
include:
- Organising, planning and delivering group education to patients newly
diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (appropriate training will be given to become a
DESMOND accredited educator)
- Contacting patients by phone, e-mail or letter to book education
sessions, clinic appointments and home visits
- Visiting patients in care homes or their own homes to carry out nutritional
assessments
- Working with the lead community dietitians to improve the service
where possible
This list
is not exhaustive and all tasks are important to ensure the service runs
smoothly and that patients receive the best possible care. Excellent communication and people skills are
paramount as you will be communicating with a wide range of individuals on a
daily basis, but a background in general administration and evidence of good
planning and organisational skills would be desirable.
We are looking for a team player who cares about
patients and has an interest in food and nutrition. Our mission is changing
lives through food and we pride ourselves on the wide variety of skills and
knowledge the team possesses. There will be ample opportunities to contribute
to 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 owned
social enterprise rated Good by CQC, which delivers NHS community services across
east Surrey and parts of West Sussex. We
are looking for individuals who share our values First-rate care, First-rate people,
First-rate value.
First Community is a great place
to work, everyone has a voice and is supported to develop their career to its
full potential. We offer all our staff: NHS terms and conditions, high quality
training and development opportunities, flexible working to enable a good work
life balance, an inclusive and friendly work environment, an NHS pension,
flexible retirement options and various employee benefits.
Please talk to us before applying
or at interview about the flexibility you need. We may not be able to meet your
needs exactly, but we do promise to fully consider your request and meet your needs
where possible. Please note, flexible working options may vary depending on the
role.
At First Community we welcome
applications from black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+
candidates and candidates with disabilities. We ensure that all applicants are
treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process,
including the consideration of reasonable adjustments.
Sustainability is integral to
First Community achieving the NHS Net Zero target.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post-holder will act as an autonomous assistant
practitioner, although with supervision and support, contributing to the
delivery of excellent nutritional care by the First Dietitians Team.
To assist the qualified dietitians in providing
high quality interventions within the service, to maintain or improve the
health, independence, and quality of life of patients by working as part of the
multi-disciplinary/multi-agency team.
Manage own workload, prioritising time and
activities on a daily basis and planning ongoing tasks to meet the changing
needs of the total group of patients.
This role is non-routine in order to meet the various changing demands
within the team caseload.
The role also includes a wide range of support
tasks in addition to patient focused time.
All the tasks are important to ensure the service runs smoothly and that
patients receive the best possible service.
Good communication and people skills are at the core of all of the
duties involved in this post as information exchanged can be complex.
The post-holder may support the delivery of
education and training to other professionals and patients, including the
delivery 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, the
post-holder will also visit patients in their own homes and schools.
When completing your application please refer to both the
Application Guide and full Job Description - these can be found under
supporting documents.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post-holder will act as an autonomous assistant
practitioner, although with supervision and support, contributing to the
delivery of excellent nutritional care by the First Dietitians Team.
To assist the qualified dietitians in providing
high quality interventions within the service, to maintain or improve the
health, independence, and quality of life of patients by working as part of the
multi-disciplinary/multi-agency team.
Manage own workload, prioritising time and
activities on a daily basis and planning ongoing tasks to meet the changing
needs of the total group of patients.
This role is non-routine in order to meet the various changing demands
within the team caseload.
The role also includes a wide range of support
tasks in addition to patient focused time.
All the tasks are important to ensure the service runs smoothly and that
patients receive the best possible service.
Good communication and people skills are at the core of all of the
duties involved in this post as information exchanged can be complex.
The post-holder may support the delivery of
education and training to other professionals and patients, including the
delivery 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, the
post-holder will also visit patients in their own homes and schools.
When completing your application please refer to both the
Application Guide and full Job Description - these can be found under
supporting 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
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
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
