Paediatric Dietetic Allergy Assistant Practitioner

at  Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Would you like to be part of a friendly hospital based paediatric allergy team? We are looking for a dynamic, enthusiastic and confident individual to join us as a Dietetic Assistant Practitioner.
As a result of new funding, we have created a new hybrid role. Your time will be split between supporting the paediatric allergy specialist nurses and the paediatric allergy dietitians.
The role will include direct contact with families arranging day case admissions for hospital food challenges and supervised feeds and practical support where needed on the daycare unit during the admission. You will support the dietetic team in arranging appointments and carrying out nutritional analysis. There will be an opportunity to be trained up in skin prick testing to support multidisciplinary allergy clinics. You will also be involved in annual allergy audits.
You should have the ability to work well within teams, be able to manage your time effectively, and have excellent communication and prioritisation skills. The successful applicant will be confident in Excel, Word and general computer skills and enjoy working with patients and families. All other training will be provided.
Arranging day case admissions for hospital food challenges and supervised feeds.
Providing practical support on the daycare unit during admissions.
Assisting the dietetic team in scheduling appointments and conducting nutritional analysis, updating prescription requests and arranging samples of nutritional products
Participating in annual allergy audits.
Become competent in skin prick testing to support multidisciplinary allergy clinics.
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is a community focused provider of local and acute care, providing high quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich and Bexley. With a turnover of around £700 million, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham and a range of community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.
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

JOB SUMMARY:

The post holder will be a member of the Community Children’s Dietetics Team (Looking after children with special educational needs and disability in Lewisham and children with home enteral nutrition in Lambeth Southwark and Lewisham) . They will deliver elements of delegated dietetic care and undertake clinical work under the direction of a Paediatric Dietitian. The role will support and assist the team in the nutritional management of children under their care, together with supporting nutritional training programmes, audit projects and team administration. 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.
Key Result Areas & Performance
To work using protocols and guidance to support qualified dietitians and ensure the effective implementation of dietetic treatment for patients. This may be face-to-face, telephone contact or attend anywhere.
To work on specific projects agreed with the registered dietitian within boundaries of knowledge and skills
To monitor patients on nutritional supplements at home or in school, together with home visits and telephone reviews. This may include weighing children with hoist scales or using knee height callipers to estimate total height.
To deliver clinics within a care framework, under the supervision of a dietitian.
To keep electronic records of all patient contacts on Rio information system in accordance with trust and departmental standards for record keeping and complete any associated administration.
Plan, organise and maintain effective office systems including departmental resources and database.
Participate in the collection and collation of data for audit purposes,
To be computer literate and use dietary analysis programs, word processing and database management software packages.
To employ appropriate skills such as persuasion, motivation and negotiation to gain co-operation in the continuation of the agreed treatment programme.
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 appointments, prescription of nutritional products or dietary intake. This will involve sensitive and tactful communication with the child where possible and the family.
To be familiar with and adhere to Trust procedures and guidelines about safeguarding children
To contribute to the evaluation and development of the post
To show willingness to adopt a flexible approach at work.
Work force
This post will be a member of the Paediatric Dietetics Team
The clinical lead dietitians or the Service Lead will delegate work.
The Lead Paediatric Dietitian will directly supervise the role, set objectives with the post holder and meet, initially weekly, for 1:1 meetings.
To work co-operatively with others as part of the team, assisting team members with any routine work associated with patient care.
Participate in dietetic service meetings, departmental meetings, MDT meetings, care plan meetings and feeding clinic
To participate in supervision, appraisal and 1-1 meetings
Financial
To monitor usage and stock control of nutritional supplements used by patients as part of dietetic review to ensure appropriate ordering with limited wastage
To have personal duty of care in relation to Trust’s equipment resource and stock control
To ensure economical use of resources through example and teaching
Partnerships
This post will be responsible for working and communicating with a wide range of professionals and service users by a variety of methods. These include, School Nurses, School Caters, Community Nursing Team, Speech & Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists HEN team, Paediatricians and acute Dietitians.
Communications and Relationships
Internally, the post will be expected to communicate sensitive and confidential information to other members of the
External communications will be needed with a variety of other services, such as Health care professionals at other NHS Trusts, social workers, the voluntary sector and/or members of the multidisciplinary teams of special needs schools and Children’s Development Centres.
To communicate regularly with the Nutrition companies; ensuring any feedback/complaints about their service are recorded and shared with clinical staff

Please refer the Job description for details