Community Children's Dietitian

Job Summary

Do you want the exciting opportunity to join our paediatric team in First Dietitians? First Community Health and Care are looking for an enthusiastic and dynamic person to manage a paediatric caseload including home enterally fed patients, complex community patients and clinics.

Join our friendly team of 19 dietitians, dietetic assistants and administrators delivering adult and childrens services across east Surrey and parts of West Sussex. The post holder will need to have excellent communication skills and clinical skills covering nutrition support, tube feeding, general paediatric dietetics and more complex special needs. This role will also support student training placements.

You will support the team to continue to deliver excellent patient care based on the needs of the local community. This is a great opportunity to learn and develop your paediatric dietetic skills within a friendly, supportive and innovative team of dietitians.

Main duties of the job

You will manage a caseload of HEF patients, providing specialist nutritional assessment, support, and ongoing monitoring in the community setting.

You will have regular general clinics and clinics in special schools.

You will work as a part of a multiagency team (including community paediatricians, acute paediatricians, community nurses, SLT, school nurses, health visitors etc) and have regular liaison with tertiary centres, special schools and social care.

You may have children under safeguarding plans and be a part of the core groups and multiagency support networks managing these cases.

We run different parent education groups for conditions such as complex feeding/ARFID and cows milk protein allergy that you will be involved in delivering.

The dietetic team undertakes regular student placements from different universities, and they all spend some time in the paediatric team. You will also have the opportunity to contribute to service development.

About Us

Do you want to be part of an organisation that was rated best provider of NHS care to work for nationwide? (2023 staff survey results)

First Community is a staff owned social enterprise rated Good by CQC, which delivers NHS community services across east Surrey and parts of West Sussex. We are looking for individuals who share our values First-rate care, First-rate people, First-rate value.

First Community is a great place to work, everyone has a voice and is supported to develop their career to its full potential. We offer all our staff: NHS terms and conditions, high quality training and development opportunities, flexible working to enable a good work life balance, an inclusive and friendly work environment, an NHS pension, flexible retirement options and various employee benefits.

Please talk to us before applying or at interview about the flexibility you need. We may not be able to meet your needs exactly, but we do promise to fully consider your request and meet your needs where possible. Please note, flexible working options may vary depending on the role.

At First Community we welcome applications from black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities. We ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments.

Sustainability is integral to First Community achieving the NHS Net Zero target.

Details

Date posted

06 March 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year +5% HCAS per annum, pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

B9078-FC1086

Job locations

The Caterham Dene Hospital

Church Road

Caterham

Surrey

CR3 5RA

Job Description

Job responsibilities

The post holder is responsible for managing a paediatric caseload and contributing to the First Dietitians Team for First Community Health and Care.

Responsibility for providing clinics (face to face and virtual) and domiciliary visits within First Dietitians localities where you will assess nutritional problems and manage and treat children with medical conditions requiring nutritional management.

This Includes To:

• Manage a caseload of home enterally fed and complex community paediatric patients.
• Undertake child protection cases as required - attend team around the family, core groups & case conferences and ensure nutritional needs are highlighted and actioned with the support of the childrens safeguarding team and senior colleagues.
• Work autonomously as a dietitian but also to be part of the wider paediatric MDT to provide holistic, appropriate patient care, even if they are part of a different organisation.
• Liaise with other dietitians and HCPs from the local acute trust and tertiary care centres, possibly providing shared care for patients.
• Act as source of expertise to members of Secondary/Primary Health Care Paediatric Teams, other health professionals, local authority professionals and community groups.

Develop and provide nutrition education and training to professionals within our locality, student dietitians and possibly community groups.

Support the development of paediatric skills within the department.

When completing your application please refer to both the Application Guide and full Job Description & Person Specification - these can be found under supporting documents.

Job Description

Job responsibilities

The post holder is responsible for managing a paediatric caseload and contributing to the First Dietitians Team for First Community Health and Care.

Responsibility for providing clinics (face to face and virtual) and domiciliary visits within First Dietitians localities where you will assess nutritional problems and manage and treat children with medical conditions requiring nutritional management.

This Includes To:

• Manage a caseload of home enterally fed and complex community paediatric patients.
• Undertake child protection cases as required - attend team around the family, core groups & case conferences and ensure nutritional needs are highlighted and actioned with the support of the childrens safeguarding team and senior colleagues.

Work autonomously as a dietitian but also to be part of the wider paediatric MDT to provide holistic, appropriate patient care, even if they are part of a different organisation.

Liaise with other dietitians and HCPs from the local acute trust and tertiary care centres, possibly providing shared care for patients.

Act as source of expertise to members of Secondary/Primary Health Care Paediatric Teams, other health professionals, local authority professionals and community groups.

Develop and provide nutrition education and training to professionals within our locality, student dietitians and possibly community groups.

Support the development of paediatric skills within the department.

When completing your application please refer to both the Application Guide and full Job Description & Person Specification - these can be found under supporting documents.

Person Specification

Other

Essential

• Organised with good time management
• Ability to work as a team member
• Ability to work under pressure and work to tight deadlines
• Trustworthy and reliable
• Proactive and committed

Presentable appearance

Member of the BDA

Car owner

Full UK driving licence

Desirable

• Member of the Paediatric Group of the BDA
  
  

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree or post grad qualification in Dietetics
• HCPC Registered
  
  

Desirable

• Completion of some or all of the paediatric modules.
  
  

Skills

Essential

• Working as part of an MDT
• Excellent communication skills
• Able to work autonomously
• Able to manage complex and clinically challenging case loads
• Good teaching & education skills
• Excellent time management
  
  

Desirable

• Experience of shared care working
• Run specialist clinics/services e.g. Feeding clinic, allergy groups
• Teaching qualification or training
  
  

Knowledge

Essential

• General dietetics knowledge base
• Understanding of clinical nutrition product ranges.
• Use of Microsoft packages (Outlook, Excel, word and powerpoint)
  
  

Desirable

• Use of patient administration system eg. Emis
• General paediatric dietetics knowledge base
• Understanding of paediatric clinical nutrition product range
  
  

Experience

Essential

• At least 2 years clinical work
• Experience of Enteral Nutrition patients
  
  

Desirable

• Experience of community and/or paediatric clinician working
• Experience of Paediatric Home Enteral Nutrition
• Experience in working in paediatrics
• Experience of Child Protection cases
• Student training
  
  

Person Specification

Essential

• At least 2 years clinical work
• Experience of Enteral Nutrition patients
  
  

Desirable

• Experience of community and/or paediatric clinician working
• Experience of Paediatric Home Enteral Nutrition
• Experience in working in paediatrics
• Experience of Child Protection cases
• Student training
  
  

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further inform

ation please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

First Community Health and Care

Address

The Caterham Dene Hospital

Church Road

Caterham

Surrey

CR3 5RA

Employer's website

https://www.firstcommunityhealthcare.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

First Community Health and Care

Address

The Caterham Dene Hospital

Church Road

Caterham

Surrey

CR3 5RA

Employer's website

https://www.firstcommunityhealthcare.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

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