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.

Main Duties

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.

1.10. To communicate complex and sensitive information effectively with

patients /carers/extended families from a wide range of backgrounds, to gain consent, ensure understanding of condition treatment options, risks, acceptance and compliance with dietary treatment which may include unwelcome or difficult to accept information e.g. children on lifelong synthetic diets or terminally ill

1.11. To apply highly developed communication and interpersonal skills to facilitate change taking into account emotional, physical, social and

Psychological barriers e.g. behavioural problems, resistant parental

attitudes. To effectively use interpreters, sign language, Information

Technology or other means of communication appropriate to the

clients requirements

1.12 To be or work towards being an expert source of advice for patients/carers, nursing and other staff on home enteral tube feeding including feeding plans and prescription/provision of appropriate feed and equipment, care of tubes, complications and problem solving. This will include organising new and modifying existing feeding packages for patients, advising/liaising with paediatric home nursing team, nurses, health visitors, hospital staff, social services, feed companies, pharmacists, General Practitioners and speech and language therapists.

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.

Education/ Qualifications

Knowledge & Experience