Job overview

The post holder will provide a highly specialist dietetics service for children and young people with severe and complex learning difficulties in Perseid special schools, in accordance with the service level agreement for Sutton Health and Care Alliance.

They will contribute to the development of the special schools dietetics service for children. They will plan and provide highly specialist dietetics assessment, advice and treatment to a defined caseload of children with severe and complex needs. They will work in partnership with the children, their families and with other professions and agencies, including school staff and the wider health team, to reduce the impact of these difficulties on children’s social and emotional development, their learning and their ability to participate in daily life.

They will work autonomously and without direct supervision, and be accountable for their own actions.

Main duties of the job

·To be responsible for a clinical caseload of children and young people attending Perseid Special Schools as identified by the service specification, managing the defined caseload independently and prioritising own workload to ensure effective service provision

·To provide expert advice to patients, parents / carers, and clinicians regarding provision of nutritional intervention based on clinical evidence. This will involve nutritional diagnosis (interpretation of biochemistry, anthropometrics, clinical condition and diet history), the development of treatment plans (calculation of nutritional requirements and client-centred goals), and prescription of dietary treatment and ACBS products.

·To provide appropriate dietetic service to children attending Perseid schools who have complex special needs and / or enteral tube feeding

Working for our organisation

·To manage a specialist and highly complex clinical caseload as an autonomous practitioner.

·To use and demonstrate highly specialist knowledge to inform sound clinical judgements / decision making for complex case management and advise others on the same

·To make appropriate differential diagnoses and highly specialist clinical decisions based on assessment findings.

·To make clinical decisions about the appropriate and safe administration of enteral nutrition to the patient or recommendations as to alternative nutrition support.

·To develop clear care plans and pathways based on best practice and to update these according to departmental standards.

·To write reports reflecting highly specialist knowledge according to departmental standards.

·To provide appropriate highly specialist intervention based on evidence-based practice and to evaluate therapy using outcome measures.

·To support other staff within the school regarding the management and care of children with nutritional / dietetic needs

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

·

·To assist the Service Manager in planning and providing the commissioned dietetics input to children attending Perseid schools, including attendance at appropriate meetings, developing guidelines and protocols and reviewing service provision.

·To keep the Service Manager up to date with service provision issues and report promptly any untoward incidences, clinical or non-clinical, co-operating with any investigation undertaken.

·To actively review efficacy of service delivery and facilitate setting up of new standards or amendment of existing ones, in close liaison with the Service Manager

·To actively contribute to formulating policies for specialist area and proposals for general service changes.

·To support the development of the dietetics service in the special schools, facilitating development and implementation of effective client / care pathways and outcomes for children in conjunction with the Service Manager.

·To keep up to date with the Department and Trust standards and policies and facilitate dissemination of this knowledge to colleagues.

·To develop good working relationships multi disciplinary teams, outside agencies and voluntary agencies to ensure that professionalism and service delivery are maintained.

Person specification

Professional Registation

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

6 Months Experience

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Our mission: ‘to put the patient first by delivering great care to every patient, every day.’

There’s never been a better time to join the Epsom and St Helier team. Our hospitals are facing a bright and busy future, and our staff have a proven track record in providing high quality, compassionate care for our patients.

Boasting incredible staff benefits and dedicated training schemes, working for us will not only take your career forward, but could help to transform the lives of our patients and visitors.

We offer all employees some fantastic staff benefits, and are the only hospitals in Surrey to offer staff the London high cost area supplement. Our hospitals also benefit from great locations, so whether you're attracted to the bright lights of the city or the countryside of Epsom Downs, both are within easy reach.

FURTHER INFORMATION

**PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POSITION MAY CLOSE EARLIER THAN THE STATED CLOSING DATE IF A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS ARE RECEIVED. IF YOU WISH TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION, YOU ARE ADVISED TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE**

**PLEASE NOTE THAT WE CONTACT ALL APPLICANTS VIA EMAIL AND NOT BY POST. YOU ARE ADVISED TO CHECK YOUR RECRUITMENT SYSTEM ACCOUNT ON A REGULAR BASIS. YOU CAN ACCESS THIS ACCOUNT VIA OUR WEB SITE> Work for Us > Current Vacancies > My Job Account**

For new entrants into the NHS, your pay under the Agenda for Change or Medical & Dental Pay Bands, will normally be set at the minimum of the pay band as advertised.

If you apply for this position and do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been short-listed for interview on this occasion.

ESTH values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Internal applicants from underrepresented minority groups are encouraged to seek development support such as work shadowing and interview skills coaching.