Paediatric Dietitian – Team Leader

Job Description

Job Purpose

This post holder will work with the Clinical Lead Paediatric Dietetics, to lead and line manage a Paediatric Dietetic Service by working in a multidisciplinary and integrated way.

You will be responsible for using current evidence and knowledge to lead an outcomes-focused Paediatric Dietetics Service. You will propose and evaluate alternative approaches to dietary practice in paediatric dietetics, to improve outcomes within available resources. This will support government policy e.g. NICE Guidance

You will be an integral member of the Paediatric Team of dietitians, contributing to the effective management of children’s clinical conditions, and you will maintain a specialist paediatric clinical caseload in designated areas across the city. You will possess excellent communication skills and have significant experience in managing teams, developing services and monitoring quality. The post holder will support the Clinical Lead Paediatric Dietetics with aspects of line management of the wider team.

Responsible for

Direct management responsibility for dietitians within the team and liaison with peripatetic clinical staff. Performance management of Paediatric Dietetics Service in terms of financial, activity monitoring and reporting of targets as agreed with commissioners.

Authorised signatory for amounts up to £500 and for timesheets.

Main Duties

Professional

1. To adhere to the standards of conduct, performance and ethics and the dietitians standards of proficiency of the Health and Care Professions Council and provide leadership to staff to do the same.

2. To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients within your care to ensure staff in the team are clear about their responsibilities.
3. To be aware of your level of responsibility and accountability within the service, being guided by policies, procedures and the support of peers and to ensure the staff you supervise / line manage do the same.
4. To remain aware of the limitation of own knowledge and experience and seek advice and guidance as required and to promote this culture amongst staff.
5. To act in a professional manner promoting the organisation, the role of the dietitian and the importance of nutritional care and encouraging staff to do the same.

6. To be responsible for maintaining and demonstrating own competence to practice through participation in appraisal process and CPD within the framework of the professional portfolio. This will include membership of a national and / or BDA specialist interest group for paediatrics, and any other relevant organisations.

Management and Clinical Governance

7. To work with the Clinical Lead Paediatric Dietetics in taking responsibility for the strategic development and promotion of the Paediatric Dietetics Service across Birmingham, taking into account national guidelines and the needs of the diverse local population.

8. To take responsibility for the day to day line management of staff within the Paediatric Dietetics Service, following the relevant codes of conduct and Trust policies. 

9. To undertake appraisals on an annual basis and provide regular opportunities for review of individual objectives and personal development plans.

10. To support the development, delivery and evaluation of an ongoing training programme for health professionals in children’s nutrition.

11. To be involved in planning and organising team caseload and other work priorities, ensuring appropriate skill mix to meet service and patient priorities,
12. To promote an environment, which motivates supports and develops individuals within the Paediatric Dietetics Service.
13. To lead on the recruitment and selection of staff within the Paediatric Dietetics team, as appropriate.

14. To ensure adequate staffing levels to cover the service requirements within the financial limitations, this may include organising and managing locum cover.

15. To work with other teams and the Head of Birmingham Community Nutrition to ensure consistency within the Dietetic Service.

16. To work with the Clinical Lead Paediatric Dietetics to ensure effective communication and to lead the co-ordination and the production of reports for Paediatric Dietetics Services provided through a Service Level Agreement.
17. To manage the delivery of a customer focussed service within the resources available.
18. To communicate effectively with colleagues within and outside the department to facilitate effective patient care, service development and multidisciplinary working.
19. To identify and manage clinical risk within the team.
20. To participate in the management, supervision, teaching, co-ordination and assessment of students, assistants, junior dietitians and others.

21. To ensure activity statistics and outcomes data are collected within agreed timescales and meet the requirements of our Service Level Agreements.
22. To identify opportunities for service development and improvement both within and beyond the current service. Working with the Clinical Lead Paediatric Dietetics and your team to implement and monitor these.
23. To contribute to dietetic staff meetings, journal reviews, peer review, team meetings, supervision and working groups.
24. To contribute to the annual business planning process through accurate and timely reporting and identifying future opportunities and pressures.

25. To support your team to set and achieve individual and service-wide objectives. 

26. To ensure clinical effectiveness by contributing to the planning and implementation of the department audit programme, quality assurance and Trust and NHS policies 

Clinical

27. To provide specialist dietetic support, in relation to paediatric dietetics, to members of the dietetic team and other professionals.

28. To provide paediatric dietetic clinical services in health centres, special schools, Community Clinics, GP clinics, patient’s homes and other suitable venues for children.

29. To develop the clinical specialist role and services. This may include research, extended roles and networking at a regional level.

30. To utilise specialist anthropometric measurement skills, such as use of callipers to measure skinfold thickness.

31. To work as part of the wider multi-disciplinary teams, providing a Paediatric Dietetics Service to the population of Birmingham by liaising with other agencies.

32. To take the lead on implementing the operational dietetic aspects of the NICE guidelines and provide a strategic plan for paediatric dietetians working for Birmingham community nutrition.

33. To develop and maintain links with Children & Families division staff to ensure that all paediatric dietetics services are delivered to a high standard and meet the needs of patients and commissioners.

34. To work in collaboration with others, such as the dietitians specialising in management of home enteral feeding to develop, implement and evaluate local, evidence based guidelines, to include protocols and care pathways. This includes work with national specialist groups.

35. To work in collaboration with the departmental initiatives to ensure an integrated approach to prevention and management of childhood nutrition.

36. To lead in department initiatives, local and national, around childhood nutrition issues.

37. To use current evidence and best practice to recommend and implement alternative approaches to dietetic intervention for the management of paediatric clinical conditions.

38. To undertake regular audits of clinical practice within the department.

39. To undertake comprehensive assessment of patients including those with diverse or complex nutritional needs. This will include clinical assessment and decisions regarding patients with multiple chronic conditions.
40. To plan and deliver individualised nutritional care plans based on comprehensive assessment of needs and knowledge of evidence based practice, modifying the care plan as required.
41. To negotiate and agree dietary or nutritional goals with individual patients and or their carers using motivational interviewing, counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy tools as applicable. This may include identifying individual barriers to change and helping clients to manage them.

42. To communicate complex and sensitive information to patients and other healthcare professionals.
43. To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient records in line with the code of conduct and Trust policies.
44. To disseminate appropriate evidence/research findings and wherever possible ensure the integration of research/evidence into practice within the department, in relation to paediatric dietetics.

45. Be familiar with the safeguarding children aspects of this role within own clinical practice and be able to support the work of the paediatric dietitians in keeping children safe from harm.

Health Education

46. To work with your team to identify, implement and evaluate strategies, which can be used to influence nutritional choices for the individual and within the community, recognising the diversity within the City.
47. To co-ordinate the production of practical advice and resources for specialist paediatric dietetics and general childhood nutrition by interpreting, translating and critically evaluating evidence and making this relevant to the intended audience.

Management and Leadership Responsibilities

48. Develop and empower all members of your team to perform to high standards and innovate.

49. Ensure supportive staff management arrangements to enable all staff to be managed in accordance with all BCHC policies.

50. Develop staff knowledge and skills to promote equality and diversity and address inequalities both in employment and service delivery. Ensure specific equality objective are included in PDR’s.

51. Develop a culture that ensure that the standards of Improving Working Lives and Investors in People are achieved and maintained for all staff and that staff’s perception about their working lives are measured and improvements made.

52. To undertake other duties commensurate with this grade of post in agreement with the relevant line manager.

53. To minimise the Trust’s environmental impact wherever possible, including recycling, switching off lights, computers, monitors and equipment when not in use. Helping to reduce paper waste by minimising printing/copying and reducing water usage, reporting faults and heating/cooling concerns promptly and minimising travel. Where the role includes the ordering and use of supplies or equipment the post holder will consider the environmental impact of purchases. 

54. Responsible for undertaking appraisal of identified staff, including identifying the learning and development needs of individuals in line with the Knowledge and Skills Outline Framework.

55. Responsible for leading in training and development of identified staff.

56. To undertake other duties commensurate with this grade of post in agreement with the relevant line manager.

57. To minimise the Trust’s environmental impact wherever possible, including recycling, switching off lights, computers, monitors and equipment when not in use. Helping to reduce paper waste by minimising printing/copying and reducing water usage, reporting faults and heating/cooling concerns promptly and minimising travel. Where the role includes the ordering and use of supplies or equipment the post holder will consider the environmental impact of purchases.

58. Responsible for ensuring identified training and development is undertaken appropriate to the postholder’s role. 

Key Relationships

To establish effective working relation with the following: Multidisciplinary members of the Paediatric Dietetics Team, other Team Leaders within the department, multidisciplinary Children & Families division staff, multiagency teams around the child in education and social care, home enteral feeding delivery companies.

Performance Management

All employees have a responsibility to participate in regular appraisal with their manager and to identify performance standards of the post.  As part of the appraisal process every employee is responsible for participating in identifying their own training and development needs. 

Health & Safety at Work

Attention is drawn to the responsibility of all employees to take reasonable care for the health & safety of themselves and other people who may be affected by their actions at work.

Equal Opportunities

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from people irrespective of age, gender, race and disability.

Safeguarding

It is the responsibility of all staff to safeguard and protect children and adults at risk at all times and staff must report any concerns as per Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Adults polices, which are available on the Trust’s intranet. Every member of staff must undertake regular mandatory safeguarding training at a level relevant to the role.

Smoking

The Trust operates a No Smoking policy.

Mobility

Whilst the postholder will be based at Gee Business Centre this is a Trust wide appointment and travel around the Trust may be required.

Confidentiality

Your attention is drawn to the confidential nature of information collected within the National Health Service.  The unauthorised use or disclosures of patient or other personal information is regarded as gross misconduct and will be subject to the Trust’s Disciplinary Procedure and, in the case of both computerised and paper-based information, could result in a prosecution for an offence or action for civil damages under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Sustainability

The Trust attaches great importance to sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. It is therefore the responsibility of all members of staff to ensure that the Trusts resources are used efficiently with minimum wastage throughout their daily activities

Dignity in Care 

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC) is committed to providing dignity in care for all our patients and service users across the Trust.

All staff, workers, volunteers, students and individuals undertaking work experience/shadowing, irrespective of the role they specifically undertake, are required to adhere to BCHC’s vision, values and professional standards.  This also involves working with and alongside colleagues and partners, demonstrating a duty of candour (i.e. honesty and straightforwardness), openness and accountability in order to achieve high quality and the best possible care outcomes for our patients, service users and the local community.

Infection Prevention and Control

The Trust is committed to minimising any risks of healthcare associated infection to patients, visitors and staff. All employees must attend Infection Prevention and Control training as required for their post. Employees must be familiar with and comply with Infection Prevention and Control policies available on the Intranet.

Job Description

This job description will be subject to discussion and reviewed on an annual basis within the appraisal process.