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Elsa

Who am I? Elsa

Name: Elsa Taylor
Job Title: Advanced Specialist Dietitian and Team Lead
Department: Oldham Community Children's Dietitians
Care Organisation: Oldham
Length of service in the NCA: 4 years
Length of service in the NHS: 30 years

  1. Why did you want to join the NHS?
    I have always had an interest in healthcare from an early age. I have always been fascinated how nutrition has such a big impact on health and disease.
  2. What is the best thing about working at the Northern Care Alliance?
    The support I get from my Team and my other colleagues across children's services, both acute and community
  3. What are your main responsibilities in your current job?
    I lead a small team of children's community dietitians making sure we deliver the very best care we can. I work with the other therapies team leads across the Oldham community. I hold a caseload of complex children.
  4. What does a typical day look like to you?
    My job is so varied and often unpredictable. I speak with parents on a daily basis, problem solving and reviewing their childrens dietetic care. Many of these children are fed through tubes and require regular review. I might be in a clinic seeing the children face to face, or visiting them at home. I may be in a planning meeting reviewing the service, or working with colleagues from other NCA dietetic teams. We are student trainers, so I may be supervising a student in clinic.
  5. What skills have you developed during your career?
    Resilience, to be able to listen to others, and compassion.
  6. What achievements are you/your team most proud of?
    Personally I am most proud of my non-medical prescribing qualification. There are not many dietitians with it currently. As a profession we are striving to be given Independent prescribing rights rather than supplementary prescribing rights which we have now. I am most proud of my team's ability to keep delivering excellent care to the children even though at times we are under a great deal of pressure.
  7. If someone wanted a similar career to yours, what would be your biggest advice?
    Just go for it. If you love people, science, health and food then dietetics is a fantastic and rewarding career.
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