Highly Specialist Mental Health Dietitian

Job overview

We are looking for an experienced Dietitian to lead dietetic input within a specialist weight management and metabolic health service for people with severe mental illness, called 'TUNE-UP'.

Delivered in partnership between South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, the service brings together multidisciplinary expertise to address weight gain, obesity and associated cardiometabolic risk in people whose needs may be affected by mental illness and psychiatric medication.

You will need a relevant dietetic qualification, current HCPC registration, NHS experience and significant post-registration clinical dietetic experience, including within mental health services. Your expertise should include weight management, metabolic syndrome, disordered eating and nutrition support, supported by evidence of ongoing professional development.

You will combine strong clinical skills with empathy and a motivational approach to behaviour change, adapting care to each person’s needs and circumstances. This is an opportunity to help shape specialist dietetic care, contribute to service development and evaluation, and support improvements in both physical health and mental wellbeing.

If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

You will lead dietetic input within the specialist multidisciplinary weight management and metabolic health service, managing a complex, predominantly outpatient caseload of adults with severe mental illness.

Working autonomously, you will undertake comprehensive nutritional assessments and develop individualised care plans that account for mental illness, psychiatric medication, physical health, eating patterns and social circumstances. You will deliver and review interventions for weight management through individual appointments and group sessions, using face-to-face and virtual formats as appropriate.

You will work closely with service users, carers and colleagues in medicine, nursing, physiotherapy and psychology, alongside partner dietetic services at Guy’s and St Thomas’, to integrate dietary care into the wider treatment pathway.

You will contribute to developing and refining dietetic pathways and resources, provide education and training, and lead or contribute to audit, service evaluation, quality improvement and research. You will also support student placements and provide supervision to junior dietetic colleagues as agreed with the Head of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of the responsibilities and requirements.

Overall job purpose and responsibilities include:

• Lead the delivery of dietetic input within the specialist multidisciplinary weight management and metabolic health service for people with severe mental illness.
• Work as an autonomous practitioner, assessing, planning, delivering and evaluating evidence-based, person-centred interventions for a complex and predominantly outpatient caseload.
• Deliver dietary care for overweight, obesity, metabolic syndrome, disordered eating and nutritional needs associated with mental illness and psychiatric medication. This includes dietary support for people prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists.
• Work closely with SLaM colleagues and partner services at Guy’s and St Thomas’ to provide coordinated care and integrate dietetic interventions into multidisciplinary pathways.
• Contribute to the development and evaluation of care pathways, educational materials and service delivery.
• Provide information, education and training for service users, carers and healthcare colleagues on nutrition, hydration and dietary management of disease.
• Contribute specialist advice on food provision and nutritional supplements, taking account of clinical needs and cultural, religious and personal preferences.
• Identify and lead or contribute to research, audit, service evaluation and quality improvement priorities.

Applicant requirements

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.