Specialist Mental Health Dietitian

This post will support the nutritional care of clients on adult and older people's mental health wards and mental health outpatient services.

You would be working as part of a multidisciplinary countywide team with a wealth of experience. There will be training provided but some knowledge of dietary factors in mental health would be of benefit. Engagement in regular support including 1:1’s and clinical supervision is part of the model of care.

The successful person will be joining our community based dietetic department, consisting of 33 staff, 23 dietitians, and 10 Dietetic Health Care Assistants (HCAs) with good admin support. We provide training for student dietitians from Hertfordshire University.

An essential requirement of the post is that the person is registered as a dietitian with the Health Care Professions Council. You must also be able to travel around the county without reliance on public transport.
- To deliver a specialist mental health role (adults and older people) in the Nutrition and Dietetic Service in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Foundation Trust (CPFT).
- To work as a dietetic practitioner within uni-professional and multi-professional team environments with regular supervision.
- To assess and treat a case load of patients in line with the Model and Process for Dietetic Consultations and maintain associated records.
- Deliver a high standard of dietetic care.

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health & social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health & wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting & empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services not only via inpatient and primary care setting but also with the community. These services include Children, Adult & Older Peoples mental & physical health, Forensic & Specialist mental health, Learning Disabilities, Primary Care & Liaison psychiatry, Substance misuse, Social care, Research & Development.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities
1. Provide a dietetic service to the adult and older people's mental health wards in Cambridge and Peterborough. To take into account such factors as the client’s presenting condition, past medical history, social factors and to nutritionally diagnose, give appropriate advice and formulate treatment plans when consulting with patients, relatives and carers.
2. If the service requires, to run group sessions for patients and or carers.
3. To be a specialist topic lead (allocated by the team lead) and work with the team lead in the development and maintenance of clinical standards, guidelines, pathways and evidence based practice in Adult and Older People's Mental Health.
4. To support the Team Lead in development and delivery of new ways of working to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the service, while continually monitoring and evaluating progress.
5. To liaise with wider MDT and external providers to attain optimal patient outcome.
6. Advise on the safe and appropriate use of prescribed nutritional supplements for patients taking account of the influence they have on any wider physical health condition.
7. To develop and update written resources, for example diet sheets and patient advice leaflets.
8. Act as a point of reference on the dietetic management and treatment of patients for non-specialist colleagues and other health professionals, giving advice and supporting their clinical practice.
9. Provide training and updates about nutrition in in Mental Health and related issues to a wide range of audiences including colleagues, catering staff, health and social care staff, carers and clients when asked and appropriate to role.
10. To liaise with local hospitals to hand over care and receive care.
11. Maintain accurate records of all patient consultations and related work carried out at each clinical session, using the Nutrition and Care Process and Model for consultations.
12. Provide cover to colleagues as required and to work in opposing shifts to other team members to ensure covering during the working week.
13. To work within the dietetic departmental clinical standards and evidence based practice and within professional boundaries.
14. To support the department's Preceptorship Scheme when appropriate.
15. To participate in the Nutrition and Dietetic Service specific emergency preparedness process.
16. To attend all relevant business, team and education meetings, unless on authorised leave or permission has been obtained from line manager.
17. To complete department competency frameworks relevant to your post.
18. To be peer reviewed at least twice per year. At least one must be undertaken in a clinical setting and be conducted by a more experience dietitian within your specialist area. The second can be undertaken in other areas such as staff training or group education. Attend regul