Band 6 Mental Health Dietitian - Bristol

Job description

Job overview

Are you an experienced dietitian looking for development opportunities in Forensics Mental Health? We are currently recruiting a Band 6 Specialist Mental Health Dietitian in Secure Services. This role will be based with the BNSSG Dietetics team at Callington Road Hospital in Brislington with in-reach to secure services based at Blackberry Hill Hospital. This role would suit someone with an interest in weight management and diabetes.

We welcome candidates contacting us to discuss this post prior to interview and / or making an application.

Right to Work in the UK: This position is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants must already hold the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application, as the organisation is unable to support sponsorship for this post.

Main duties of the job

Under the guidance of the Lead Dietitian for BNSSG, this role will contribute to the work of the AWP Nutrition and Dietetics service in the following capacity:

• Providing, maintaining and developing a clinical dietetic service.
• Plan, justify and be responsible for the delivery of specialised dietary advice to service users and their families / carers.
• Plan, manage and prioritise own clinical workload and to ensure maximum efficiency in all areas.
• Plan, coordinate and deliver nutrition / dietetic training for professional and support staff.
• Participate in dietetic student training.
• Ensure safe practice at all times through the recognition and appreciation of clinical governance.
• Maintain accurate and appropriate clinical records and statistical information as required, in accordance with professional standards.
• Maintain clear links with your professions structures and your professions lead within the trust. Support the professions development and modernisation and the adherence to your professions standards and codes of practice.
• Undertake training relevant to the post.
• Work as a member of a clinical multi-disciplinary team, this will include close working with Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Community teams.

Working for our organisation

We are the lead provider of healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

We aim to provide High Quality, Compassionate Care everywhere, every day. This means our services will be safe, clinically effective and provide a positive all round experience for our patients, families and carers. And we believe passionately in treating everyone with kindness, respect and empathy.

Key to this is providing a supportive and safe environment for our 4,000 staff where we all feel welcome and able to do the best we can for those we support. Our staff and teams work incredibly hard delivering services across more than 90 locations, covering 2,200miles, to more than 1.8million people.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To take a lead role in the planning, development and delivery of the Dietetic service.

To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients and to organise this effectively with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.

To assess the nutritional status and lifestyle of appropriately referred Inpatients within the Mental Health services and collaborate with the service users to establish realistic and achievable aims and objectives, plans and interventions.

To formulate individualised management and treatment plans to help promote optimal physical and mental health and nutritional status with regular supervision from Dietetic Manager. This will include providing advice on the appropriate timing of interventions such as food fortification, nutritional supplements and Enteral nutrition.

To monitor patients and alter treatment plans according to changes in physical or psychological conditions taking into account biochemical and anthropometric measurements, changes in medication and dietary compliance.

To provide highly effective dietary and medical information in a clear and straightforward manner, in conjunction with carers and interpreters when necessary (e.g. sign and language interpreters).

To communicate effectively with patients in an empathic and sensitive way.

To also communicate effectively with medical and nursing staff and other members of the multidisciplinary team through personal, written or telephone contact. This will include the provision of high quality written reports to GPs, Consultant Psychiatrists and other health care professionals regarding patient progress and Dietetic concerns.

To have an appreciation of the barriers to communication that can occur when working with clients within the mental health setting.

To participate in multidisciplinary team working and ensure that Dietetic intervention is evidence-based, timely and tailored to the individual patients needs.

To attend multidisciplinary meetings to discuss patients care and discharge planning.

To liaise with catering services on the provision and implementation of appropriate diets for inpatients.

To use motivational techniques to enable to comply with dietetic treatment plans when there are barriers to understanding or acceptance of the need for treatment.

To provide group education and training to patients, health care professionals and students on a regular basis.

To record and submit professional activity data in accordance with departmental and Trust standards.

To maintain accurate and up to date patient records that meet departmental, Trust and British Dietetic Association (BDA) standards.

Person specification

Other requirements

Essential criteria

• Car driver
• Aware of and meets professional code of conduct
• Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems
• Ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times

Desirable criteria

• Member of the BDA

Skills and abilities

Essential criteria

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Good presentation and teaching skills
• Experience of evaluation of practice / managing a project
• Demonstrates ability to reflect on practice with peers or mentor

Desirable criteria

• Able to demonstrate leadership qualities

Experience and knowledge

Essential criteria

• Experience / interest in working in mental health setting
• Clinical experience in Malnutrition, Diabetes, Weight Management
• Comprehensive, in depth knowledge and understanding of clinical nutrition and dietetics and a wide range of clinical conditions

Desirable criteria

• Experience of providing clinical supervision

Education and qualifications

Essential criteria

• BSc degree in nutrition and dietetics or post graduate diploma in dietetics
• HCPC registration

Desirable criteria

• Teaching qualification
• Motivational interviewing qualification

We are proud to be fostering a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. A key commitment to this is improving staff representation from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those from the LGBTQ+ communities, people with 'lived-experience' of mental health conditions and people living with disabilities,- we are a 'Disability Confident Employer' offering a guaranteed interview to Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. This includes people with a variety of disabilities and neurodivergent conditions (for example autism, ADHD, sensory, physical and learning disabilities).

We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service users.

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