Highly Specialised Occupational Therapist – Urgent + Emergency Care

Job overview

Here at Whittington Health we have an opportunity for a band 7 Dietitian in an exciting and challenging post working within Paediatrics. We are looking for an enthusiastic, self motivated, confident and flexible team player to fill this position.

Main duties of the job

This post holder would become an integral member of the clinical paediatric team providing a clinical service to inpatients on the Children’s ward, in our Paediatric Rapid Access Clinic (PRAC), the Neonatal Intensive Care NICU and Special Care Baby Unit SCBU. The post holder will also run outpatient clinics and attend joint appointments with consultant paediatricians in paediatric outpatient clinics. They will also run the feeding clinic alongside the Speech and language therapist. This will involve seeing infants and children with a wide variety of conditions including faltering growth, nutritional deficiencies, feeding difficulties, food allergy, gastrointestinal symptoms, prematurity and diabetes. The Paediatric Dietitian is also a key member of the Paediatric Oncology team. Experience in paediatric dietetics is therefore essential.

Working for our organisation

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff.We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief.The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To work within the nutrition and dietetics paediatrics team at the Whittington Hospital. The post provides highly specialist advice, education and support to patients, carers and other health professionals.

To be responsible for providing specialist nutritional care within paediatrics, including assessment, nutrition therapy and monitoring to patients and their carers.

To act as an expert resource for the management of paediatric patients and educate and train dietetic students and other health care professionals within the organisation.

To be actively involved in the trusts clinical governance programme by taking lead responsibility for ensuring continuing professional development, audit, research and service development activities within this specialist area.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

BSc Nutrition & Dietetics or BSc in relevant science subject plus post-graduate diploma Nutrition & Dietetics.

Current HCPC registration.

Desirable criteria

Practice Educators courses e.g. facilitating learning etc.

Evidence of further postgraduate study in paediatric dietetics e.g. MSc, or working towards MSc (accredited paediatric / neonatal / allergy modules).

Attended Behavioural change / therapy management course.

Member of BDA Paediatric Special Interest Group.

Other

Desirable criteria

Member of the BDA.

Member of specialist groups e.g. BDA Paediatrics Specialist Group, Neonatal Dietitians Interest Group (NDIG).

Experience

Essential criteria

Wide experience in paediatric dietetics to including neonatal, oncology, and feeding specialist.

Working with a multi-disciplinary team.

Health promotion and nutrition facilitation.

Experience of student training e.g. facilitating learning and under- taking assessments.

Experience conducting education / training sessions to carers and patients, nurses and doctors, other health care professionals

Experience of conducting audits/research.

Evidence of CPD: To keep a professional portfolio of CPD activities undertaken to comply with HPC requirements.

Involvement in staff appraisal schemes.

skills and abilities

Essential criteria

Excellent written and verbal communication.

Ability to work independently.

Demonstrate computer literacy.

Organisational and time management.

Good presentation skills.

Ability to problem solve, prioritise & demonstrate clinical reasoning based on experience & knowledge.

Skills in the assessment and treatment of paediatric patients.

Ability to liaise and communicate well with professionals and patients at all levels.

Team worker.

Ability to evaluate work and undertake research and audit projects.

Flexible approach to service provision.

Motivated, accepts a challenge and shows initiative.

Knowledge

Essential criteria

Sound clinical nutrition knowledge in paediatrics including neonatal, oncology and feeding difficulties.

Knowledge of current research and guidance locally, nationally and internationally in paediatric dietetics.

Knowledge of research appraisal and analysis and interpretation of statistics.

Evidence of CPD.

Knowledge of current NHS issues.

Other qualities

Essential criteria

Ability to work effectively as part of a team.

Flexible and adaptable in different situations.

Enthusiastic, motivated and shows initiative and assertiveness.

Able to work to promote the service.

Able to manage work pressure and workload effectively.

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS

To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies , procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:

Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.

Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.

Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.

Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.

Participate in required training and supervision.

Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct

Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.