Cystic Fibrosis Dietitian (Paediatric & Adult Joint Post)

Main area Cystic fibrosis dietitian (Paediatric/Adult post) Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract 10 months (Fixed term contract ends 30th May 2026.) Hours Full time – 37.5 hours per week Job ref 321-NOTSS-7090678-B6-PUB

Employer Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site John Radcliffe Hospital Town Headington, Oxford Salary pa Closing 15/07/2025 23:59 Interview date 21/07/2025

Cystic Fibrosis Dietitian (Paediatric & Adult Joint Post)

NHS AfC: Band 6

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research.

The Trust comprises of four hospitals – the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call thisDelivering Compassionate Excellenceand its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence.

Many of our recruitment programmes useValue Based Interviewingto identify those who have the skills we seek, who share our values and who are able to deliver compassionate excellence from the outset. We know that this makes a significant difference to your job satisfaction and above all the outcomes and experience of our patients and their families. For more information about our Values and Value Based Interviewing please visitwww.ouh.nhs.uk/about/vision-and-values

Job overview

An excellent opportunity has arisen to join the Adult and Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis Dietetic teams at the regional Oxford Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital for a fixed contract (ending 30/5/26).

We are looking for an enthusiastic Band 6 Dietitian to join our team, working alongside both the Band 7 Paediatric and Adult CF Dietitians.

This is a rewarding role where you will work closely with patients and families and help them manage their condition to optimise their health and life outcomes. This post is well established and provides a unique opportunity to build experience in working with patients across all age groups whilst gaining specialist skills

You will be working in both the Paediatric Dietetic Office and the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Dietetic Office alongside the Paediatric Dietitians and Adult Multi -Disciplinary Cystic Fibrosis Team. Additionally, we have close links with the large adult dietetic department.

Main duties of the job

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

Clinical responsibilities include providing specialist dietetic support for both Adult and Paediatric patients whom have Cystic Fibrosis to inpatients and outpatients as both face to face and virtual clinics.

You will provide dietetic provision to across the Paediatric shared care CF network for Oxfordshire. This involves attending outreach clinics in Reading, Wexham, Northamptonshire, Wycombe, Milton Keynes.

Depending on the needs of the service and at the discretion of your line manager, you may be required to work across other locations servicing Oxford University Hospital (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust.

The Role is split as follows:

• 0.5WTE Paediatric dietetic service to the Paediatric CF centre,
• 0.1WTE Paediatric dietetic service to the acute service provision
• 0.4WTE dietetic provision to the Adult Oxford CF centre

As part of this role, you will be able to build your paediatric skills by providing 0.1wte dietetic provision to the acute paediatric dietetic service, no previous paediatric or cystic fibrosis experience is necessary, and you will be given full training.

Working for our organisation

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training, and research. Find out more here www.ouh.nhs.uk

The Trust comprises of four hospitals – the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Principle Duties
Work as an integral member of the multidisciplinary team to ensure a holistic approach to patient care. This involves reviewing patients jointly with the Paediatric/Adult CF consultant and/or Paediatric/Adult CF specialist nurse during out patient appointments, on the ward or in the patient’s own home.

To maximise clinical outcomes for all children and adults with cystic fibrosis by matching dietetic management of cystic fibrosis related diabetes with optimisation of insulin therapy and optimising those with pancreatic insufficiency with pancreatic replacement therapy and practical skills for each individual.

Work as an integral member of relevant MDTs to ensure a holistic approach to patient care. This involves regular liaison with individual team members regarding specific issues of patient care e.g. discussion with clinicians and clinical nurse specialists (CNS) regarding treatment plans/symptom management or enteral feeding tube placements and tube after care.

To assess the nutritional status of individual patients based on anthropometric measurements e.g. weight, height, weight history as well as biochemical parameters, diet history, reported symptoms and other methods of nutritional assessment as appropriate.

Obtain and analyse relevant information from different sources in order to make a comprehensive assessment for each patient, including social, medical, drug, diagnosis, prognosis and recommend an appropriate dietetic treatment plan.

To formulate individualised advice on appropriate foods, fluids and/or artificial feeding regimens in liaison with patients, carers or relatives considering factors which may affect requirements or help/hinder provision of nutrition support such as: treatment side-effects, prescribed drugs, biochemical derangements, financial and social situation.

Work effectively within the paediatric and adult CF and other multi-disciplinary teams to contribute to the holistic care of the child and family, and potentially in circumstances that may be difficult and distressing.

To monitor nutritional and fluid intake, the effectiveness of nutritional goals and modify as necessary based on ongoing analysis and assessment of information available, such as weight and blood electrolyte/micronutrient monitoring, changing medical condition.

Effectively use clinical judgement and reasoning when calculating and estimating children’s and adults nutritional requirements and advising on possible routes of feeding, to ensure provision of appropriate nutritional interventions.

Plan dietetic input to patients in own care and alter or revise treatment plans according to patient’s blood results or progress of disease/condition.

Monitor and evaluate outcomes to ensure to ensure that goals and objectives of nutritional care plans have been achieved.

To organise and coordinate supplies of supplements, enteral feed and plastics as required for patients living locally or out of area, and patient follow-up liaising with appropriate community staff (e.g. home delivery companies, G.P, dietetic colleagues, district nurses).

Liaise with Catering to ensure that age appropriate nutritionally adequate meals are available within the Children’s Hospital and advising on the selection, provision and use of therapeutic products (special feeds and formulas).

Refer patients to other specialists as appropriate, e.g. Speech and Language Therapists, clinical nurse specialists, community children’s nurses

To adhere to Trust referral guidelines to ensure effective use of time and resources and review in collaboration with the changing demands of the service.

To work closely with all Trust dietitians– sharing /covering workload where necessary and keeping each other up to date.

You should be able to demonstrate the ability to work within a changing environment, commitment to team working, have good communication skills and provide evidence of ongoing professional development relevant to this post. Evidence of leadership skills including that of service evaluation and development is desirable. Regular supervision and support will be provided. If you have an interest in research there will be opportunities to be involved in producing abstracts and attending conferences.

Communication

To communicate effectively and at an appropriate level with patients, carers/relatives and other health professionals. Skills of empathy, motivation, explanation are used in a wide variety of different, often sensitive situations.

Attend multidisciplinary team meetings, case conferences and ward rounds as necessary

Liaise and communicate with dietetic colleagues in other hospitals regionally and nationally with regard to patient care, both on discharge from the Children’s Hospital and those having shared care; also to seek advice and information on dietary management of patients from other centres of expertise as necessary.

To attend and participate in regular department and team meetings.

Service Development and Delivery

To initiate and participate in audits r research and make recommendations for change in order to improve patient care/outcomes; and to disseminate results via reports, abstracts, posters or presentations.

To provide specialist advice, teaching and training to all members of the MDT, clinicians, dietetic colleagues regarding the nutritional management of gastro/neuro patients.

To be actively involved with the development of evidence based, trust-wide guidelines, feeding protocols and other resources such as diet sheets and patient information, working in partnership with patients and the relevant MDT as required

To be involved with a cross-county specialist dietetic network for shared CF care

To provide specialist training and supervision of dietetic colleagues and students using skills of reflective practice.

Planning & Organisational

To plan and manage own caseload and determine priorities for own work area based on clinical need and balance patient caseload with professional demands.

To collect data as required by the department, trust and outside agencies.

To maintain accurate and up to date documentation of patient interventions on electronic patient records with consideration for confidentiality and data protection legislation.

To be involved with setting agenda items, chairing and taking minutes for departmental and team meetings, on a rotational basis.

Arrange cover with the CF team lead dietitian’s during periods of annual leave, sickness absence or study leave, and provide this as necessary. Be part of the paediatric and adult on-call service to cover Bank Holidays.

To collect data as required by the department, trust and outside agencies.

Contribute to the collation of audit data on the outcomes of CF care for the Cystic Fibrosis trust.

To determine priorities for own work area based on clinical need and balance patient caseload with professional demands.

To maintain accurate and up-to-date documentation of patient interventions on dietetic record cards/electronic patient records. To communicate any changes in day to day management including insulin dose changes, equipment updates, dietetic interventions to appropriate members of the multidisciplinary team. This is achieved by documenting within nursing/medical notes or by means of generating a letter/report

Other Duties
Undertake any other duties requested as appropriate to the banding.

Person specification

Shortlist offline

COVID-19: The COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course our patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. Whilst COVID-19 vaccination is not a condition of employment , we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated. If you are unvaccinated there is helpful advice and information at Oxfordshire County Council Website where you can also find out more about how to access vaccination.

Vacancy Closures: Please note, this vacancy may close early if a high volume of applications are received.

Probation Period: This post is subject to a 6 month probationary period. If you currently hold a contract of employment with the Oxford University Hospitals, this will not apply. This statement does not apply to Medical staff or Executive Appointments.

Referencing: When providing employment reference details please provide correct work related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your first referee will need to be your line manager, supervisor or clinical lead from your current or most recent post or place of study. Please note that if you have previously worked for the Trust we will require a reference from your last Manager, this information is essential if your offer of employment is to be confirmed.

Next Steps: Please make sure that you read the job description and person specification, and that your supporting statement reflects this as your application will be judged against these criteria. Candidates selected for interview will be contacted after the short-listing process, usually within 2 weeks. (Please note that shortlisting times vary when applying for a Medical position within the Trust). The majority of correspondence will be via the e-recruitment system; therefore you should check your emails regularly including junk mail folders in web-based email products.

No unsolicited recruitment agency telephone calls or emails.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Gillian Reynolds Paediatric CF Dietitian Job title Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis Dietitian Email address Gillian.reynolds@ouh.nhs.uk Telephone number 01865 231234 Additional information

Rose Milner Adult Cystic Fibrosis Dietitian 01865 227985

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