Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Home Enteral Nutrition Assistant – Children's Service

The closing date is 27 January 2026

Job summary

If you are looking to be a part of a multi-disciplinary team, situated in a vibrant area of Southeast London that has excellent transport links, delivering a service to a diverse population with a high level of job satisfaction, then look no further.

We have an exciting opportunity to join our friendly community dietetics team, working as part of our Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) Team that supports people of all ages with their eating, drinking and tube feeding at home.

The position will suit you if you enjoy working as part of a team, are keen to learn, have a strong interest in Nutrition and want to make a difference in people's lives.

You will need to be reliable and conscientious. You should have excellent communication, organisational and problem-solving skills. You also need to feel comfortable working independently and knowing when to seek support.

The role is based at the Waldron Health Centre in New Cross and Kaleidoscope Children's Centre in Catford. It involves travelling to see children in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham.

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this post

Main duties of the job

You will work as part of the HEN team, carrying out tasks that do not need the expertise of a Registered Dietitian. The role will include:

Clinical and administrative support to the Children's HEN Service.
Contributing to the safe and seamless discharge of children with feeding tubes from hospital to the community setting.
Weighing and measuring babies, children and young people
Using dietary analysis tools to assess nutrient intake
Supporting the clinical team in research, audit and service development projects

As your skills and knowledge develop so will your role, responsibilities and level of autonomy.

The Nutrition and Dietetics Service at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust provide a range of inpatient, outpatient and community services to adults and children.

The HEN Team is a specialist service providing expert support for people of all ages to safely manage their eating and drinking and tube feeding at home in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham. Our paediatric team comprises Dietitians, HEN Assistants and Administrators.

We work closely with the HEN Team for adults, the Dietetic Service for Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and the wider multidisciplinary team, including Children's Community Nurses, Speech and Language Therapists and Paediatricians.

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this post

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

19 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year per annum plus HCAS (pro rata if part-time)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

197-R-UT7787

Job locations

University Hospital Lewisham

Waldron Health Centre, Amersham Vale, SE14 6LD

London

SE13 6LH

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Summary:

The post holder will be a member of the HEN Team. The roles, responsibilities and level of autonomy will develop as the post holder develops their skills and knowledge. The post holder will need to be able to work under their own initiative and be able to see patients in a community setting, where they may be acting as a lone worker. They will work under close supervision of the HEN Team clinicians but the level of supervision will decrease as the post holder becomes more skilled in their role. The role will include:

1. The provision of clinical and administrative support as appropriate to clinicians in the HEN Team.

2. Contributing to the safe and seamless discharge of children and adults with feeding tubes from hospital to the community setting.

3. The provision of on-going support to patients, their families/ carers and/or other agencies of patients registered with the HEN Team through tasks not requiring the expertise of a Registered Dietitian/Nurse/Speech and Language Therapist. This will include visiting patients in their home as a lone worker.

Key Result Areas & Performance

To assist with initial assessments of new patients by telephone contact or a face-to-face visit and complete any associated documentation e.g. progress notes, change of regimens, letters and reports.

To contact families/carers to feedback general information, e.g. weights following a School HEN clinic.

To gather information from patients/caregivers to help the HEN Team clinician to complete their assessment or review, by telephone contact or face-to-face visits (own home, therapy groups, day centres, school/nursery, multi-disciplinary health care professional clinics). Information may include weights, compliance with tube feeding plans and oral nutritional advice, tolerance of nutritional products, management of feeding tube and/or patient concerns. This work will be undertaken autonomously, with a supervisor available when necessary.

To support the Dietitian in close monitoring of dietetically unstable patients and/or patients who are experiencing significant dietetic change, e.g. tube weaning.

After appropriate training, to be able to offer basic advice; this could include oral hygiene, introduction of solid food and/or day-to-day management of feeding tubes.

To support the paediatric HEN service in the administrative processes for tube changes, investigations and replacements.

To collect relevant patient-related information from other health professionals, e.g. by email/telephone contact with professionals, attending planning discharge and/or multi-professional meetings.

To communicate effectively with a wide range of professionals including: School Nurses, Community Childrens Nursing Team, Speech & Language Therapists, other members of the HEN team and acute Dietitians.

To record any actions on electronic patient clinical records/notes and complete any associated administration.

After training, to be able to plot weights and heights on UK growth charts. To raise any weight concerns to the relevant dietitian.

To use dietary analysis programme to analyse nutritional intake

To complete supportive administration duties including typing reports or letters, arranging appointments, creating or amending feeding regimens, under supervision from the HEN clinicians.

To respond to general/basic enquiries from families and carers relating to their deliveries and supplies

To report any concerns and queries about patients to the HEN Team clinicians and other health care professionals (if required) in a timely manner.

To be familiar with and adhere to Trust procedures and guidelines about safeguarding children and vulnerable adults

To actively participate in department meetings, development sessions and clinical supervision.

To contribute to service development by taking part in audit or project work.

To work autonomously and under own initiative but within boundaries of knowledge and skills

To contribute to the evaluation and development of the post

Work force

This post will be a member of the multidisciplinary HEN Team.

Work will be delegated by the HEN Team clinicians or the Service Lead.

The Clinical Lead Paediatric HEN Dietitian will directly supervise the role, set objectives with the post holder and meet for 1:1 meetings.

To work co-operatively with others as part of the multidisciplinary team, assisting team members with any routine work associated with patient care.

For more details see Job Description