Paediatric Dietitian

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

This post will work under the line management of the Head of Service for the Childre and Young Peoples Specialist weight management services. The role will be varied, challenging and rewarding as you support and develop the service through implementation, delivery and ongoing innovation and service development.

Key responsibilities will be:

• Working with adults and carers via telephone, digital platforms 1:1 and groups to achieve a healthier weight and lifestyle. This includes working with clients wanting bariatric surgery, pharmacology to aid weight loss or alternative diet approaches used within ABL.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers to maximise obesity management, including co-morbidities, understand of condition, prevention of complications and improving quality of life.
• Play an active part in MDT meetings to provide a holistic approach to patient care.
• Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patient in your care. To ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your management and support nutritional staff to do likewise.

Willingness to undertake any further training as identified in the job role.

• Accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and to organise this effectively and efficiently regarding clinical priorities and use of time for example decide the order of which patients are seen and the frequency with which they need to be reviewed.

Maintain accurate, comprehensive, and up to date documentation with a patient centred approach in line with legal and departmental requirements and communicate assessments and treatment results to patients and the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports and letters documented on the Database used by ABL Health.

Critically review papers in scientific journals on diet, morbid obesity and bariatric surgery and promote the use of appropriate and evidence-based advice as available to patients with obesity, carers and health professionals.

Undertake service audits for quality assurance and driving change if needed.

• Apply the basic principles of clinical governance and risk management to work situations. Report any incidents or near misses using the DATIX incident reporting system.

To support and develop patient information and nutritional education in collaboration with colleagues as well as developing and using innovative approaches into this specialist area.

• Support the implementing the ABL Community Engagement Strategy and working with the communication team to help raise the profile of the Specialist weight management service.
• Attending local health forums/groups/meetings where required to represent ABL, promote the Specialist weight management service and maintain local partnerships. This may involve some public speaking/presenting to small/medium groups of people.
• Supporting the monitoring and evaluation of the service and using formal and informal feedback to constructively shape and develop the service.
• Attending and contributing to all relevant team meetings.
• Supporting all co-production activities with residents and stakeholders to support ongoing development of the service.

Updating colleagues regarding the specialist dietetic management of patients with obesity after the publication of new recommendations and after attending conferences, study days, webinars etc.

Work flexibly, including from home or on site, or running an evening clinic, and be able to travel to other areas as and when required.

Skills and Competencies Required

BSc in nutrition and dietetics.

Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council or evidence of waiting for registration.

Ability to work on own initiative, to deadlines and demonstrate innovative practise.

Computer literate.

Excellent verbal, written interpersonal and communication skills at all levels.

Keen interests and passionate in supporting clients who struggle with obesity.

Be able to demonstrate empathy, tact and diplomacy and skills in behaviour chance strategies.

Able to plan and deliver training sessions to patients or other health care professionals.

Taking part in community engagement and partnership working in a community health environment

Quality driven; you naturally seek high standards and actively seek to improve them.

Value and remain open to new ideas and perspectives.

Qualifications

Essential

• BSC in Dietetics or equivalent.
• Current registration as Dietitian with HCPC or awaiting registration.
• Post-graduate training in paediatric Dietetics.
• Registered/working towards registration with the Health and Care Professions Council

Experience

Essential

• Experience in a community setting.
• Experience of working in a health care environment with Children and Young People.
• Demonstrable experience of partnership working.
• Demonstrable experience of speaking to large groups.

Desirable

• Experience in a leadership role.
• Previous experience of delivering training programmes.
• Experience of delivering focus groups.
• Experience of public speaking.
• Experience of partnership working/collaborating with various different organisations.

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• Demonstrable experience of excellent active listening skills.
• Demonstrable understanding of broad behaviour theory.
• Ability to communicate excellently both verbally and in writing at all levels, with individuals, groups, organisations and the public.
• Ability to prioritise work tasks and develop effective work streams.
• Awareness of the barriers facing adults engaging with a healthy lifestyle.
• Excellent organisational/time management skills.
• Positive and Can Do attitude.
• Non-judgemental, friendly and approachable.
• Excellent IT skills including Microsoft office.
• Excellent team player and able to work autonomously and use own initiative.
• Confident and outgoing yet approachable and willing to take direction.

Desirable

• Ability to read and interpret data.
• Understanding of public health guidance.
• Understanding of health care commissioning environment.
• Capable of producing performance reports.
• Good knowledge of working with adults, young people and families in a related health project.
• Knowledge of strength based approaches to working with people
• Knowledge of asset based community development
• Clear understanding and experience of Confidentiality and Information Governance
• Understanding of, or willingness to learn about, whole systems approaches within healthcare.

Job Specific Requirements

Essential

• The ability to travel independently across the service footprint.
• Work flexibly and adapt to suit service need including evenings and weekends.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).