Community Paediatric Dietitian

To provide and develop the community Paediatric Nutrition and Dietetic Service in the borough of Ealing, West London

To provide and develop specialist clinics and domiciliary visits within agreed localities where you will assess, diagnose nutritional problems, manage and treat children with medical conditions requiring nutritional management. This may involve organising provision of enteral feeds and equipment

To work collaboratively within the multi-disciplinary teams within secondary care, primary care and local authority settings and act as source of expertise

To develop and provide nutrition education and training to professionals within Ealing and student dietitians

To clinically supervise and develop the band 6 paediatric dietitian.

1. Clinical

1.1. To work autonomously as a highly skilled band 7 independent practitioner to provide specialist/expert dietary advice to patients with a wide range of medical conditions and to carers, parents, clinicians and other professionals. Or work towards this if in the developmental band 6 role.

1.2. To work as an integral member of the multidisciplinary teams (including, community paediatricians, community paediatric health care professionals, local authority personnel) to provide a flexible, prioritised service based on clinical need within community settings. Community paediatric clinics will be provided in health centres, a domiciliary service to patients homes, day centres, schools and nurseries and other venues in Ealing.

1.3.. To advise patients, families and carers on appropriate dietary intervention using a range of developed communication and teaching skills to ensure understanding and promote the effective management of their condition.

1.5. To undertake a comprehensive assessment of a childs condition including anthropometric measurements, understanding drug treatments and interpreting other clinical test results including biochemistry results, with relevance to the dietary intervention(s) required. To diagnose nutritional problems

1.6. To plan and deliver individualised nutritional care plans based on the comprehensive assessment of the childs needs. Where appropriate, liaising with other health professionals to advise on changes and treatment / medication or requests of further investigations. To ensure you organise nutritional supplements you are responsible for or recommend nutritional supplements for prescription by doctors.

1.7. To evaluate outcomes of dietetic intervention through the monitoring and review of nutritional care plans and adjust care plans to facilitate achievement of goals.

1.8. To use current evidence and best practice to recommend and implement alternative approaches to dietetic intervention for the management of children in your care.

1.9. To participate in clinical risk assessment, clinical audit and research activities for the purpose of ensuring clinical effectiveness, measuring positive health care outcomes and the promotion of a quality service provided to children.

2 Teaching/Nutrition Education

2.1 To identify and assess community health professional nutritional training needs, plan and deliver at all levels to professionals in Ealing e.g. health visitors, nurses, medical staff, Allied Health Professionals. This could include formal training e.g. presentations to large groups as well as informal e.g. health professional shadowing you at clinics,

2.2 To provide the training, supervision and assessment of undergraduate and post-graduate student dietitians as part of the dietetic placement training.In addition, to provide support and training when appropriate for student nurses and other student allied health professionals and student doctors.

2.3 To participate in the training, orientation and induction of new members of staff and peer support of other paediatric colleagues.

2.4 To clinically supervise and professionally develop the junior paediatric team and assistant in paediatrics.

3.0 Clinical governance

3.1 To measure and evaluate your own work to ensure evidence based practice and reflective learning. To identify areas to participate in dietetic and multidisciplinary research and audit to support the development of evidence based practice,

3.2 To work in collaboration with the multidisciplinary and dietetic teams to develop, implement and evaluate local evidence based guidelines, protocols and care pathways within the specialities of paediatric community services to help ensure patients receive high quality dietetic care & management

3.3 To develop and review evidence based written information material and resources for patients and carers to support dietetic intervention. To ensure information material meets the needs of different social, ethnic and client needs, i.e. people with learning disabilities

3.4 To contribute to the implementation of national and local strategies and Initiatives.

3.5 To be responsible for equipment in your care e.g. scales, tape measures, Callipers, mobile phones, laptops

3.6 To be responsible for allocating and checking clerical work you give to theadministrative support of the department and clinical work to the assistants.

Ealing have tube feeds and oral nutritional supplements off FP10 and you will therefore be responsible for the provision of feed (without GP prescription) and equipment for Ealing patients.

The Ealing community team include specialist Nutrition Support Dietitians, Diabetes, Obesity, Cardiovascular disease and Paediatric Dietitians as well as nutrition practitioners and assistants. The department is committed to support continual professional development and clinical supervision.

Essential: - Degree in Dietetics; - Health Care Professions Council Registration as a Dietitian; - MSc in Advanced Dietetic Practice including paediatrics OR extensive clinical dietetic experience in Paediatrics at band 6 or above.; - At least 3 year's clinical experience of paediatric dietetics post registration.; - Evidence of CPD in paediatrics post registration

Desirable: - Post registration BDA Paediatric Specialist Courses

Essential: - Extensive experience of training/teaching healthcare professionals & Students; - Clinical dietetic paediatric knowledge and experience including enteral feeding in children; - Experience of clinical audit, methods of evaluation and critical appraisal; - Experience of contributing to service development and quality improvement; - Knowledge and application of counselling skills/motivational interviewing/behavioural change; - Good knowledge of evidence based practice in paediatrics; - Knowledge of diversity issues and ability to work with people from a wide variety of backgrounds; - Knowledge and application of safeguarding principles

Desirable: - Supervision of junior staff; - Advanced knowledge of evidence based practice in paediatrics; - Experience of contributing to service development including knowledge of developing and implementing policies, guidelines and standards