Specialist Paediatric Dietitian - Reading - ref. s79997819

Job overview

Are you looking for a new and exciting community-based role, working within a supportive and friendly team?

We have a vacancy within our team for a Specialist Paediatric Dietetic on a fixed term contract for one year.

We are looking for somebody who is passionate about working with children and young people (CYP) with complex health needs who are enterally fed and/or those who have feeding difficulties across Berkshire.

You will be based at a University of Reading site but will be required to work with CYP and their families across a wide range of community settings within Reading, West Berkshire and Wokingham including their home, special schools and respite or short break settings, delivering high-quality dietetic, support, training and advice.

You will manage a designated case load, working within a multi-disciplinary team and with multi-agency colleagues.

For this role you will need to have good clinical and organisational skills and the ability to work independently and autonomously, whilst also remaining part of the wider team. Effective communication with the multi-disciplinary team is vital with a good knowledge of safeguarding.

Your working pattern will be 22.5 hours per week between Monday – Friday. Flexible hours will be considered.

• To provide expert clinical dietary/nutritional assessment, management and education for CYP with complex needs who require enteral feeding
• To manage and balance nutritional requirements against other co-morbidities, including the calculation of nutritional requirements based on interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometry and clinical condition(s)
• To provide specialist skills and knowledge to CYP with disabilities and/or complex needs who are at risk of nutritional imbalance
• To provide specialist supervision and support to newly qualified dieticians and students within the team using expertise and learning to share best practice.
• To set up and manage feeding delivery accounts and relevant equipment for enterally fed CYP from home delivery companies, managing issues related to financial prudence and effective use of resources
• To work in partnership with Community Children’s Nurses, Specialist School Nurses, Special Needs Schools, Primary Care, Short break settings, Children’s Services, and other appropriate agencies, to develop, plan and implement individualised care plans
• Work within Berkshire Safeguarding Children’s Board and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BHFT) policy and procedures, prioritising attendance at Case Conferences, reviews, and planning meetings. To be responsible for the provision of case conference reports and court reports as required, contributing to safeguarding of all children

Working for our organisation

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

FOR SECONDMENT ROLES ONLY - If the secondment role becomes permanent, the successful candidate may be offered the permanent position.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The “must haves” for this role:

• UK registered with Health Professional Council
• Member of the British Dietetic Association
• Post graduate training in Paediatric Dietetics or equivalent experience in a specialist area of dietetics that complements the role e.g. Enteral nutrition
• Ability and willingness to travel across the BHFT footprint

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Claire Thompson on 07760 415776 who’ll be delighted to help.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

• A four-year undergraduate first or a two year post graduate degree in Nutrition & Dietetics
• UK registered with Health Professional Council
• Member of the British Dietetic Association
• Evidence of post graduate training at Master’s level, in paediatric nutrition and/ or enteral feeding such as BDA Paediatric module 2 and experience suitable for area of Paediatric enteral feeding.
• Post graduate training Dietetics

• Attended a clinical/non-clinical Teaching Skills course

Continuous Professional Development

• Documented evidence of continuous professional development.
• Willingness to undertake relevant training and development.

Previous Experience

• Minimum 2 years’ experience as a Dietitian
• Experience in working with Paediatric and / or enteral feeding in complex patients’ caseloads

• Experience of enteral feeding

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Is able to demonstrate a good understanding of general dietetics and in particular Paediatric issues Knowledge and understanding of current government policies relating to health care.
• Effective oral and written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to use data to support caseload management
• Able to facilitate and manage change
• Experience of quantitative and qualitative audit methodology.
• Ability to develop service development and improvement plans
• Ability to present analyse and present data in report format for a wide range of audience.
• Excellent organisational skills

Additional Requirements

• Demonstrates motivation, reliability and innovative outlook to self-development and team working.

These are the values that we live by at Berkshire Healthcare:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.

Please find attached the behaviour framework that underpins these values for this job role.

At Berkshire Healthcare, we foster an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs.

Watch our careers video to learn more.

We welcome talent from all backgrounds and offer guaranteed interviews to disabled applicants and armed forces community members who meet the minimum criteria.

Please note we may close positions before the advertised date.

If you need help with your application, please contact us on [email protected]

Once you have applied, please check your email regularly for updates. All appointments are subject to NHS Employment Checks, and false information may result in withdrawal of offers. For information on how we store your information, please review our privacy statement.

No agencies, please.