Bank Specialist Home Enteral Feed Dietitian, Band 6

at  Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and proactive Bank Paediatric Dietitian to join the friendly and supportive Home Enteral Feed Team at Gloucester Royal Hospital.
This job opportunity would be suitable for a Paediatric Dietitian with experience of enteral feeding and nutrition support, wanting to further develop their experience and knowledge to become a specialist in this field.
The Home Enteral Feeding Team have their own dedicated Education and Training lead dietitian who you will be able to seek training support from. Post-graduate study is actively encouraged and dedicated funds for these activities.
Work autonomously in the community (countywide) within professional guidelines and policies to manage a case load of paediatric patients with highly complex medical and nutritional needs
To use specialist knowledge and clinical expertise to assess, diagnose, agree, plan, implement and monitor a nutrition and dietetic care plan based on a range of treatment options for paediatric patients who have complex medical, nutritional and psychological needs that are enterally fed within the community. To prescribe the appropriate feed for the patient.
To use proven communication/ behaviour change skills and motivational techniques to negotiate with the patient and/or their parent/carer the necessary lifelong changes to both their diet and care of Gastrostomy, Nasogastric Tubes and stoma sites, adapting according to age.
To overcome resistance to dietary change by motivating and delivering to the patient and their families the appropriate information and skills needed to meet their nutritional requirements, empowering the patient and carers to control nutritional wellbeing. This includes patients with multifaceted dietary needs of differing age groups with a wide range of medical conditions.
To undertake an extended role, following training, providing care/repair of gastrostomy tubes and care of stoma sites for paediatric patients in their own homes, escalating complex enteral tube and stoma site issues to the Paediatric Enteral Nutrition Nurse Specialist or Children’s Community Nursing Team, helping to avoid the patient returning to hospital.
We provide acute hospital services from two large district general hospitals, Cheltenham General Hospital and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Maternity Services are also provided at Stroud Maternity Hospital.
Our people are at the heart of what we do. Our caring and dedicated staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care across a range of clinical areas. We also have exceptional teams of professional services staff underpinning our vision every step of the way.
We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us to achieve our vision of providing Best Care for Everyone and our success depends on the commitment and dedication of our staff.
We are committed to diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity for everyone, valuing and celebrating differences and encouraging a workplace and culture where all can thrive. We endeavour to ensure each and every person working in our organisation feel respected and valued. Respecting and valuing differences will help to ensure that our policies and services reflect the needs and experiences of the people and community we serve.
In return, we offer the opportunity to work at a trust that is on a truly exciting Journey to Outstanding and to make a real difference to the lives of our patients, their families and the wider community. We are also committed to training and developing you to be the best you can be and offer you a rewarding career, whatever your role.

Clinical Duties

• To use specialist knowledge and clinical expertise to assess, diagnose, agree, plan, implement and monitor a nutrition and dietetic care plan based on a range of treatment options for paediatric patients who have complex medical, nutritional and psychological needs that are enterally fed within the community. To prescribe the appropriate feed for the patient.
• To use proven communication/ behaviour change skills and motivational techniques to negotiate with the patient and/or their parent/carer the necessary lifelong changes to both their diet and care of Gastrostomy, Nasogastric Tubes and stoma sites, adapting according to age.
• To overcome resistance to dietary change by motivating and delivering to the patient and their families the appropriate information and skills needed to meet their nutritional requirements, empowering the patient and carers to control nutritional wellbeing. This includes patients with multifaceted dietary needs of differing age groups with a wide range of medical conditions.
• To overcome barriers to communication due to social and emotional issues as well as cognitive or physical impairment e.g. dysphasia, deafness, blindness and depression. Being able to work with parents and carers to develop a shared goal in the best interest of the child when views and opinions may differ.
• To undertake an extended role, following training, providing care/repair of gastrostomy tubes and care of stoma sites for paediatric patients in their own homes, escalating complex enteral tube and stoma site issues to the Paediatric Enteral Nutrition Nurse Specialist or Children’s Community Nursing Team, helping to avoid the patient returning to hospital.

Quality and Clinical Governance

• To work alongside other health professionals as part of a multi-disciplinary team (MDT); communicating the dietetic treatment of paediatric patients to nursing, medical staff, and other health professions by providing appropriate verbal and written instructions to ensure they understand and can support the patients’ treatment plan
• To update the MDT on the paediatric patient’s progress and changes to the feeding plan, including changes to swallow, prescribed feeds or medical condition.
• To recognise other medical and social problems that the paediatric patient may have, identify the appropriate professional and refer the patient appropriately.
• To work to safeguard children and vulnerable adults, escalating concerns in line with trust processes and attending relevant meetings.
• To ensure patient information is accurately completed for departmental and nationwide reports.
• To ensure all written information regarding prescribed feeds is completed accurately and updated whenever changes occur.
• To maintain clear and accurate patient records in the department record systems and medical notes, writing letters to outside medical referrers, in line with department and trust policies.
• To undertake audit projects identified by the HEFT to provide information to influence service change and service development.
• To provide up to date feeding plans to respite agencies, care agencies, care homes and schools.
• To work to identify risks and appropriately escalate in line with trust procedures.
• To have an awareness of changing practices within the area of paediatric HEF, but remain compliant with statutory bodies, trust policies and frameworks

Education and Training

• Though continuous professional development, develop and maintain a high-level of clinical knowledge in HEF by undertaking clinical supervision, in-service training, external courses and reflective practice.
• To develop and deliver formal training to NHS and other care giving staff based on up to date policies and procedures for HEF in the county.
• To develop and deliver training on the specialist area of paediatric home enteral tube feeding to student Dietitians as part of the HEFT training program.
• To help develop staff with the HEF Dietetic Assistant Team
• To assist in the development of HEFT policies and assist in the implementation of (and comply with) trust/national policies.

Communications and Working Relationships

• To use specialist knowledge and clinical expertise to assess, diagnose, agree, plan, implement and monitor a nutrition and dietetic care plan based on a range of treatment options for paediatric patients who have complex medical, nutritional and psychological needs that are enterally fed within the community. To prescribe the appropriate feed for the patient.
• To use proven communication/ behaviour change skills and motivational techniques to negotiate with the patient and/or their parent/carer the necessary lifelong changes to both their diet and care of Gastrostomy, Nasogastric Tubes and stoma sites, adapting according to age.
• To overcome resistance to dietary change by motivating and delivering to the patient and their families the appropriate information and skills needed to meet their nutritional requirements, empowering the patient and carers to control nutritional wellbeing. This includes patients with multifaceted dietary needs of differing age groups with a wide range of medical conditions.
• To overcome barriers to communication due to social and emotional issues as well as cognitive or physical impairment e.g. dysphasia, deafness, blindness and depression. Being able to work with parents and carers to develop a shared goal in the best interest of the child when views and opinions may differ.
• To undertake an extended role, following training, providing care/repair of gastrostomy tubes and care of stoma sites for paediatric patients in their own homes, escalating complex enteral tube and stoma site issues to the Paediatric Enteral Nutrition Nurse Specialist or Children’s Community Nursing Team, helping to avoid the patient returning to hospital