Paediatric Diabetes Dietitian

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and enthusiastic to join our dietetic team as Paediatric Diabetes Dietitian. The successful candidate will work closely with the Paediatric Diabetes team. You should be able to demonstrate the ability to work within a changing environment and have good communication skills and provide evidence of ongoing professional development relevant to the post.

This post can involve a combination of face to face and remote working subject to agreement and ensuring the needs of the service are able to be met. 

Main duties of the job

1. As a member of the Dietetics Team and working with the Paediatric Diabetes Team to lead a specialist dietetic service to children (0-16 years old) with Diabetes and their families as inpatients and outpatients.

1. To work with other Paediatric Dietitians and Specialist Diabetes Dietitian to provide a Dietetic Service to a paediatric patients and lead on paediatric patient education in diabetes.

1. Lead on audit, development and writing of clinical policies in own area of work.

1. To provide clinical supervision and guidance to junior members of staff, Dietetic Assistants and student Dietitians.

1. Take an active part in the education and training of all levels of health care professional and medical staff.

Working for our organisation

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) King’s Lynn is located near some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK, along the north Norfolk coast, and not far from Sandringham House.

We provide a comprehensive range of specialist, acute, obstetrics and community-based healthcare services to around 331,000 people across west and north Norfolk, in addition to parts of Breckland, Cambridgeshire and South Lincolnshire.

We have more than 4,000 staff and volunteers, approximately 530 beds, and a helipad for air ambulances. We work with neighbouring hospitals for the provision of tertiary services, including as part of regional partnership and network models of care, such as the trauma network.

In February 2022 the significant progress that has been made at QEH was recognised by the Care Quality Commission who rated the Trust as ‘Good’ in all of the core services they inspected. They recommended the Trust moves out of the recovery support system (formerly special measures).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further details about this vacancy, please see the attached job description and person specification.

Person specification

Qualifications/ training and professional development

Essential criteria

• Undergraduate or postgraduate degree in Nutrition and Dietetics or similar non-UK qualification.
• Dietitian registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Completion of Supervisory skills course
• Competent to deliver structured education programmes for carbohydrate counting
• Postgraduate training in communication skills
• Evidence of further postgraduate study in dietetics

Desirable criteria

• British Dietetic Association (BDA) membership.
• Membership of relevant BDA Specialist Interest Group.
• Completion of Appraisal skills course
• Completion of BDA Paediatric Group modules
• Evidence of further postgraduate study in specialisation up to MSc level

Experience

Essential criteria

• Minimum of 5 years working as a Dietitian
• Experience of working in paediatrics and diabetes
• Experience of working within a diabetes MDT setting
• Experience of conducting patient teaching individually and in groups
• Previous experience of conducting audits and/or research
• Experience of managing own caseload including the management of complex cases and able to support others in effectively managing their caseload.
• Experience of supervising and facilitating a supportive role with students on clinical placements and supervision of staff members.
• Experience of developing and delivering training.

Desirable criteria

• Able to demonstrate a variety of dietetics experience
• Familiarity with Twinkle software

Skills, abilities, and knowledge

Essential criteria

• Highly self-motivated
• Uses own initiative
• Able to manage difficult and complex situations calmly and logically
• Able to plan, implement and evaluate training sessions to patients, carers and staff
• Able to organise and prioritise own workload effectively.
• Able to supervise and guide junior staff
• Able to provide clear and effective treatment regimens and advice for patients in their area of work, including complex clinical dietetic problems
• Able to communicate well in complex and sensitive situations with children and adults
• Able to contribute effectively to MDTs.
• Able to apply Evidence Based Practice principles to own area of work
• Able to carry out/lead on audit and research work on own area of work.
• Able to use basic Windows applications and nutritional analysis software
• Ability to adapt style of verbal communication to meet the need of audience/person
• Ability to use Behaviour Change interview skills
• Ability to respond to unpredictable work patterns
• Ability to work with patients who may be unwell and have a new diagnosis that causes them, their families/carers to be distressed
• Knowledge of insulin pumps and their use in children with diabetes.
• Possess up to date knowledge of dietetic management of diabetes in children

Applications are welcome from anyone who meets the criteria specified in the person specification regardless of age, gender, disability, race ,ethnicity, religion, belief, sexual orientation or other personal circumstances. Only those applicants who demonstrate in the application form how they meet the criteria in the person specification will be shortlisted for interview. We not only recruit employees based on their qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who possess and can demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our core values.