Highly Specialist Dietitian for Paediatric Allergy & Acute Services

You will be a clinical lead specialist responsible for the nutrition and dietetic management of paediatric allergy patients and patients on acute medical wards under the care of the Children's Service Delivery Unit.

You will take the clinical lead and will work independently to deliver the service and be an expert in your field. You will have a significant in-depth level of understanding across paediatric disease groups acquired through experience within the specialism, and continuing post graduate training and study.

You will work within the multidisciplinary team, and demonstrate expertise within this specialist area. You will play a key role in the nutritional management of this patient group, and will provide highly specialist advice, education and support to patients, carers and other health professionals. In addition you will be actively involved in the trusts clinical governance programme by taking lead responsibility for ensuring continuing professional development, audit and research activities within this specialist area

To take the lead in providing highly specialist dietetic advice to the multidisciplinary team through attendance and participation in multidisciplinary team meetings and ward rounds.

To provide expert advice to clinicians, patients and carers regarding provision of nutritional support for paediatric patients based on clinical evidence. This will involve nutritional assessment, to include the calculation of nutritional requirements for highly complex clinical cases, based on the analysis and interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometry, clinical condition and other physical parameters.

To use highly developed skills for making clinical judgements in highly complex clinical cases where there is no evidence available and expert opinion differs. As the expert in the field, this requires decisions to be made on the best course of treatment taking into account a number of treatment options.

To prescribe and modify on a daily basis specialised feeds made up by the special feed production unit.

To directly prescribe and modify nutritional supplements based on nutritional status and to inform the medical team.

To provide highly complex nutrition counselling to carers and paediatric patients, where post graduate training in cognitive behavioural therapy is required, as well as the use of reassurance and motivational skills to overcome barriers to change particularly where there is non-compliance.

Ability to utilise developed communication and teaching skills, to educate and convey essential, highly complex and highly sensitive paediatric nutritional information to a diverse and multicultural population, with barriers to understanding.

To initiate and participate in regular research and audit within the area of paediatric medicine in line with departmental research and audit procedures. This includes co-ordination and supervision of research projects for undergraduate dietetic students. It will be expected that any relevant findings should be published or presented at appropriate conferences.

To have the ability to manage appropriately situations which are distressing, involving the treatment of terminally ill and very unwell children, which leads to exposure to distressed parents and complex situations.

St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey.Our sites include St George's Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC).

After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education, and training of our 17,000-strong workforce.

At gesh we are committed to supporting flexible working arrangements. Applicants are encouraged to discuss any flexibility they may need during the recruitment process.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential: - Postgraduate experience of working in acute paediatric dietetic services at advanced level within Paediatric Allergy

Desirable: - Experience of undertaking clinical audit/research in relevant clinical area

Experience

Essential: - Experience in working within the NHS at a senior level

Desirable: - Experience in working in a tertiary allergy service