Specialist Mental Health Dietitian in Welwyn Garden City

Are you a passionate Dietitian? Are you looking for a specialist career pathway? Do you want to be influential in delivering dietetic programs to meet the nutritional needs of adults with eating disorders within a MDT? Then you may be the person we are looking for to be involved in shaping our services.

We are currently looking to recruit a keen, enthusiastic, and highly motivated Dietitian to join our new A-EDIT team. The Adult Eating Disorders Intensive Treatment service (A-EDIT) is a regionwide service offering treatment as an alternative to Specialist Eating Disorder (SEDU) inpatient admission to adults receiving treatment from an east of England Community Eating Disorders service (CEDS) who have a severe eating disorder which makes them eligible for SEDU admission.

For this post you will be required to work collaboratively and independently within our service. Developing and improving clinical care form the key elements of this post and you will be required to give expert dietetic advice and support to patients, their families/carers, the multidisciplinary team, and other healthcare professionals.

If you are looking for a new challenge, are passionate about or have an interest in the field of eating disorders and enjoy variety in your work and wish to be part of a team striving to make a difference for our community, then we want to hear from you.

• The Dietitian will be responsible for assessment and collaborative creation of meal plans for service users on the A-EDIT pathway, supporting them to achieve the required weight restoration.
• This will include weekly goal setting and review in relation to improving nutrition.
• As part of a multi-disciplinary team the Dietitian will provide guidance to staff delivering meal support and nutrition-based interventions.
• The Dietitian will work closely with the nurse practitioner(s), and team leads to ensure any risks associated with nutrition are managed safely.
• The Dietitian will plan and deliver education to A-EDIT staff on improving nutrition for those with an eating disorder.
• The Dietitian will collaborate with colleagues to ensure delivery of the service specification and participate in and contribute to the evaluation of the A-EDIT.

About us: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead a fulfilling life. Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community.

These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development. To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values.

As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications. Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.

• Provide specialist assessment of nutrition for people under the care of A-EDIT.
• Provide dietetic input over a range of mediums and in different locations.
• Provide nutritional psycho-education groups to those under the Day Unit.
• In collaboration with service users and carers the Dietitian will formulate a meal plan and set weekly goals related to improving nutrition resulting in a minimum 0.5kg weight restoration and the likelihood of 0.8-1kg restoration rate.
• Use high level skills to identify and overcome barriers to nutritional change using interviewing, counselling, and motivational skills.
• This will require well developed skills in negotiation, persuasion, tact and diplomacy.
• Guide staff supporting delivery of nutritional goals.
• Be responsible for the development and delivery of an evidenced based dietetic service for service users under the A-EDIT.
• Work collaboratively with the A-EDIT and any other health providers working with service users.
• Provide nutritional psychoeducation to service users and carers under the care of A-EDIT.
• Work closely with the A-EDIT nurse practitioner(s), and Consultant Psychiatrist to ensure any risks associated with nutritional changes are managed safely.
• Participate in the services clinical meetings.
• Participate in other service user meetings as required/appropriate (A-EDIT review meetings, CEDS team meeting, ward meetings, CPAs, etc.).
• Contribute to delivery of the A-EDIT Operational Policy and contribute to data collection and evaluation.
• Participate in clinical, managerial, and professional supervision.
• Maintain registration to required professional bodies.

Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.

• Experience of assessing and delivering tailored evidence based dietetic interventions.
• Experience of motivating people when there are barriers to making change.
• Experience of working with people with an eating disorder and their carers.
• Awareness of NICE recommended interventions for those with an eating disorder.

• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing through all communication mediums.
• Use high level skills to identify and overcome barriers to nutritional change.
• Ability to undertake nutritional assessments and to formulate meals plans/set goals in collaboration with service users and if appropriate carers.
• Identify the need for and deliver guidance for colleagues in relation to health improvement through nutrition.
• Good organisational ability.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.

• Ability to travel independently around the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area meeting required timescales.
• A full driving licence and access to a vehicle is essential.
• Skills and sensitivity in working with service users who may be vulnerable and have complex care needs.
• Manage stress levels within a busy working environment.
• Regular requirement to deal with distressing or emotionally charged situations.
• Good use of supervision and self-management strategies required.

• Degree/Post Graduate Diploma in nutrition and Dietetics.
• HCPC registration.
• Additional training in the field of eating disorders.

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.