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Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Specialist Paediatric Dietitian - Home Enteral Nutrition

The closing date is 24 June 2025

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Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated dietitian to join our friendly and innovative Paediatric Home Enteral Nutrition Service in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham.

This is an ideal opportunity for a dietitian who would like gain experience in nutrition support, developing clinical skills working with children and young people living in the community with a feeding tube. You will work closely with the multidisciplinary team including Dietitians, Speech and Language Therapists, Specialist Nurses and Community Paediatricians.

We are committed to the personal and professional development of all staff and prioritise the wellbeing of everyone in our department.

You will be actively encouraged and supported in your personal development, which will include involvement in multi-disciplinary CPD activities, research and audit. Ongoing support and supervision are always available and is integral to the ethos of the team.

Our experienced team are ready to welcome you and we can't wait for you to start.

THIS IS A FIXED TERM CONTRACT POST to cover the team's structuring of establishing apprenticeship post

Please note: We may not be able to offer sponsorship for this post.

Main duties of the job

You will be part of our team of Specialist Paediatric Dietitians, Dietetic Assistants and administrators providing and developing the dietetic service to tube fed infants, children and young people across Lewisham, Lambeth and Southwark.

You will assess and treat a specialist dietetic caseload of children receiving home enteral feeding, liaising with their families, carers, acute and community staff. This could be in the child's own home, clinics, nursery or school. This will include both oral and enteral nutrition support.

You will contribute to training and supporting other healthcare professionals and students; and participate in audit, research, and service development projects.

About us

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
Improving the experience of staff with disability
Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
Making equalities mainstream

Date posted

10 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£37,338 to £44,962 a year per annum plus HCAS

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

197-UT6880

Job locations

University Hospital Lewisham

Community - Waldron Health Centre, Amersham Vale

London

SE13 6LH

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Summary:

To assist in the provision and the development of the paediatric dietetic service provided by the HEN team across Lewisham, Lambeth and Southwark
To assess and treat a specialist dietetic caseload receiving HEN, liaising with their families, carers, acute and community staff. This could be in the patients own home, clinics, nursery or school
To contribute to training and supporting other healthcare professionals and students visiting the HEN team as requested
To be involved in the management and clinical supervision of junior staff, including dietetic support workers
To participate in research and audit

Key Result Areas & Performance:

To provide expert, evidence based dietetic assessment and advice for children receiving home enteral nutrition
To assist in the management of the paediatric dietetic caseload ensuring high quality dietetic care is delivered. This will include the review of patients at appropriate intervals according to prioritising criteria and clinical judgement

To undertake multidisciplinary assessment and review of patients
To agree care plans with families and/ or carers to help meet their nutrition-related goals

To work in a variety of community settings, advising families, carers and health and social care professionals by telephone as well as face to face. This could be in a patients own homes, day centre, schools or clinics.
To provide practical and safe tube feeding plans to families and/ or their carers for use in the community
To work autonomously when assessing patients, making clinical decisions, and evaluating outcomes of dietetic interventions asking for advice and support when required
To advise on and order specialist Nutritional and enteral feeding products as required, including enteral feeds and tube feeding ancillaries/pumps
To accurately document and record data for all activities concerning patient care in accordance with the Trust and HEN Team policies.
To work with other health and social care professionals outside the HEN team to ensure continuity of patient care.

Workforce

To be responsible to the Clinical Lead HEN Dietitian for Children and/or Childrens Community Dietetic Service Lead.
To work with HEN Clinical Lead to manage the paediatric dietetic caseload. Within this, to be responsible for managing own workload, including designated caseload, and be accountable and responsible for own professional actions
To ensure safe practice through the development of a caseload management plan, taking into account risk management, documenting and reporting any critical incidents to the Clinical Lead HEN Dietitian for Children and/or Childrens Community Dietetic Service Lead.

To provide cover for the other paediatric dietitians within the HEN team during periods of staff absence
To make all clinical decisions and judgments autonomously, guided by broad professional and organisational policies
To be responsible for obtaining consent from patients and/or carers prior to dietetic intervention

To exercise awareness of professional responsibilities by continuously up-dating personal knowledge and skills in order to maintain continuous professional development
To actively participate in clinical supervision and appraisal process
To effectively liaise with other HEN Team members and to regularly participate in team meetings

To liaise with health care professionals regarding hospital discharges and/ or new referrals, offering joint visits with other community Healthcare Professionals if appropriate
To demonstrate skilled clinical expertise within own team and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and act as a resource in the specialism of enteral nutrition

To actively train, support and assess HEN team members where appropriate.

To be involved in providing training and up to date information on enteral tube feeding to health and social care professionals across Lewisham, Southwark and Lambeth (acute and community) as requested
To participate in formal study days, giving presentations as appropriate
To contribute to the training of student healthcare professionals as required
To ensure all equipment defects, accidents, complaints and clinical incidents are reported to the HEN Service Lead and Trust incident reporting system ensuring necessary action is taken by those concerned

To implement policies and propose areas for service development/ changes to practices and procedures for dietetics based on up to date evidence and guidance

To be involved with research, audit and service improvement initiatives as required

Any other duties appropriate to the grade as may be allocated by the Clinical Lead HEN Dietitian (Children) or Childrens Community Dietetic Service Lead.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Summary:

To assist in the provision and the development of the paediatric dietetic service provided by the HEN team across Lewisham, Lambeth and Southwark
To assess and treat a specialist dietetic caseload receiving HEN, liaising with their families, carers, acute and community staff. This could be in the patients own home, clinics, nursery or school
To contribute to training and supporting other healthcare professionals and students visiting the HEN team as requested
To be involved in the management and clinical supervision of junior staff, including dietetic support workers
To participate in research and audit

Key Result Areas & Performance:

To provide expert, evidence based dietetic assessment and advice for children receiving home enteral nutrition
To assist in the management of the paediatric dietetic caseload ensuring high quality dietetic care is delivered. This will include the review of patients at appropriate intervals according to prioritising criteria and clinical judgement

To undertake multidisciplinary assessment and review of patients
To agree care plans with families and/ or carers to help meet their nutrition-related goals

To work in a variety of community settings, advising families, carers and health and social care professionals by telephone as well as face to face. This could be in a patients own homes, day centre, schools or clinics.
To provide practical and safe tube feeding plans to families and/ or their carers for use in the community
To work autonomously when assessing patients, making clinical decisions, and evaluating outcomes of dietetic interventions asking for advice and support when required
To advise on and order specialist Nutritional and enteral feeding products as required, including enteral feeds and tube feeding ancillaries/pumps
To accurately document and record data for all activities concerning patient care in accordance with the Trust and HEN Team policies.
To work with other health and social care professionals outside the HEN team to ensure continuity of patient care.

Workforce

To be responsible to the Clinical Lead HEN Dietitian for Children and/or Childrens Community Dietetic Service Lead.
To work with HEN Clinical Lead to manage the paediatric dietetic caseload. Within this, to be responsible for managing own workload, including designated caseload, and be accountable and responsible for own professional actions
To ensure safe practice through the development of a caseload management plan, taking into account risk management, documenting and reporting any critical incidents to the Clinical Lead HEN Dietitian for Children and/or Childrens Community Dietetic Service Lead.

To provide cover for the other paediatric dietitians within the HEN team during periods of staff absence
To make all clinical decisions and judgments autonomously, guided by broad professional and organisational policies
To be responsible for obtaining consent from patients and/or carers prior to dietetic intervention

To exercise awareness of professional responsibilities by continuously up-dating personal knowledge and skills in order to maintain continuous professional development
To actively participate in clinical supervision and appraisal process
To effectively liaise with other HEN Team members and to regularly participate in team meetings

To liaise with health care professionals regarding hospital discharges and/ or new referrals, offering joint visits with other community Healthcare Professionals if appropriate
To demonstrate skilled clinical expertise within own team and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and act as a resource in the specialism of enteral nutrition

To actively train, support and assess HEN team members where appropriate.

To be involved in providing training and up to date information on enteral tube feeding to health and social care professionals across Lewisham, Southwark and Lambeth (acute and community) as requested
To participate in formal study days, giving presentations as appropriate
To contribute to the training of student healthcare professionals as required
To ensure all equipment defects, accidents, complaints and clinical incidents are reported to the HEN Service Lead and Trust incident reporting system ensuring necessary action is taken by those concerned

To implement policies and propose areas for service development/ changes to practices and procedures for dietetics based on up to date evidence and guidance

To be involved with research, audit and service improvement initiatives as required

Any other duties appropriate to the grade as may be allocated by the Clinical Lead HEN Dietitian (Children) or Childrens Community Dietetic Service Lead.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Training

Essential

oBSc in Dietetics or equivalent
oCurrent State Registration with Health and Care Professions Council
oMember of British Dietetic Association
oContinuous professional development

Desirable

oPost graduate training in Paediatric Dietetics e.g. Completion of BDA paediatric modules 1 & 2
oMember of BDA Specialist Group
oTraining in motivational interviewing or similar

Experience

Essential

oDietetic Experience - minimum 2 years as a Band 5 ideally to include some paediatric experience
oProviding nutrition support to complex patients
oWorking as part of a multidisciplinary team
oWorking with a diverse caseload
oSafe management of own workload and diary
oAdapting styles of communication to suit variety of situations

Desirable

oMultidisciplinary goal setting
oWorking in the community
oCommunicating complex and emotive information
oAppropriate use of electronic records
oConducting Audits and or research
oInvolvement in student training/training others

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

Sound Clinical knowledge of tube feeding and oral nutrition support
Understanding roles within a multidisciplinary team and how they may work together for the benefit of a patient
Knowledge of lone worker safety and community working
Computer literacy, including use of Microsoft Office

Desirable

Understanding the use of a range of anthropometric measurements
Understanding the importance of safeguarding children

Person Specification

Qualifications & Training

Essential

oBSc in Dietetics or equivalent
oCurrent State Registration with Health and Care Professions Council
oMember of British Dietetic Association
oContinuous professional development

Desirable

oPost graduate training in Paediatric Dietetics e.g. Completion of BDA paediatric modules 1 & 2
oMember of BDA Specialist Group
oTraining in motivational interviewing or similar

Experience

Essential

oDietetic Experience - minimum 2 years as a Band 5 ideally to include some paediatric experience
oProviding nutrition support to complex patients
oWorking as part of a multidisciplinary team
oWorking with a diverse caseload
oSafe management of own workload and diary
oAdapting styles of communication to suit variety of situations

Desirable

oMultidisciplinary goal setting
oWorking in the community
oCommunicating complex and emotive information
oAppropriate use of electronic records
oConducting Audits and or research
oInvolvement in student training/training others

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

Sound Clinical knowledge of tube feeding and oral nutrition support
Understanding roles within a multidisciplinary team and how they may work together for the benefit of a patient
Knowledge of lone worker safety and community working
Computer literacy, including use of Microsoft Office

Desirable

Understanding the use of a range of anthropometric measurements
Understanding the importance of safeguarding children

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Address

University Hospital Lewisham

Community - Waldron Health Centre, Amersham Vale

London

SE13 6LH

Employer's website

https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Address

University Hospital Lewisham

Community - Waldron Health Centre, Amersham Vale

London

SE13 6LH

Employer's website

https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)