Learning Disabilities Dietitian (Weight Management)

Job overview

We invite you to apply to this novel and rewarding 18-month fixed term opportunity to provide dietetic leadership into the newly established weight management service for people with learning disabilities in Bedford Borough. This prevention service is designed to complement other clinical pathways within the Specialist Learning Disabilities Service in Bedfordshire in partnership with Bedford Borough Council. Your role will be part-time or full-time, working alongside multi-professional colleagues to promote access for this under-served group. If you would like to discuss the opportunity before applying, please be in touch with Simone Mingay ([email protected]).

Main duties of the job

• 1.     Manage a small caseload of service users with LD requiring weight management as supervised by the Senior LD Dietitian. 2.     Promoting the programme to stakeholders eg. Service users, provider organisations, GPs 3.     Assist in triaging referrals to establish eligibility for the programme

4.     Planning and organising programme delivery – identifying participants for each cohort, venues, gathering and developing programme resources, session planning, identifying and supporting volunteer peer coaches

5.     Support programme delivery – working closely with participants and their support networks to develop and review individualised goals and timetables, delivery of programme content to participants, both in groups and 1:1 and delivery of the carer training programme.

6.     Data gathering and reporting to support service evaluation – measurement and collation of baseline and repeat data for participants, data entry, monitoring data and preparing quarterly reports; gathering service user feedback

7.     Developing working relationships with clients, provider organisations, GPs, local community resources

8.     Support in the delivery of the dietetic service within SPLD.

• 9.     Participate in clinical and professional supervision with Senior Dietitian.

10.  Supervise student dietitians and support workers in the team as required

• 11.  Responsibly account costs for, handle and store all programme physical resources

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This exciting fixed-term contract, part-time or full-time opportunity is open to both newly qualified Band 5 and established Band 6 dietitians. This busy and rewarding post will provide a rare opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills in the specialist fields of Learning Disabilities (LD and weight management), supervised by the Senior LD Dietitian, the wider support of the Health Equalities Service and East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) Dietitians.

The postholder will deliver the ELFT LD Shape Up programme, a novel service in Bedfordshire, and be proactive in working closely with partners to ensure its success. The post-holder will be enthusiastic about working with people with LD; have a warm, compassionate manner and an appreciation of the challenges that individuals with an LD experience. This role requires excellent time management and organisational skills and the ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team.

The post holder will work closely with dietetics to support the delivery of ELFT’s Shape Up, the Tier 2 weight management programme for adults with learning disabilities within Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire.

This role focuses on the management of overweight, obesity and associated comorbidities and health promotion. This project aims to address the weight management needs of people with mental illness and/or learning disabilities in our care. We recognise this is a health inequality issue and we want to bring the physical health, life expectancy and quality of life of our service users in line with those of the general population.

This will include:

• Coordinating and delivering the 12-week programme offering weekly group sessions covering healthy eating and fitness as well as individual keyworking sessions to support people to lose weight and to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles.  The 12-week programme will be offered to cohorts of 6-10 people (plus carers/support workers) and cohorts will run concurrently.
• One-to-One programme delivery for those unable to join a group.
• Delivery of an adapted training programme for family/unpaid carers.
• With follow-up visits for staff working in supported living settings within the borough.

The post holder will be based within the Health Equalities Service which sits as part of SPLD and will work with service users and their support networks across a range of settings, for example, day services, community settings, homes.

The post holder will be supervised by SPLD and ELFT Dietetics with varied professional development opportunities. Dietitians meet monthly and share practice across the mental health specialism, including forensics and eating disorder amongst others.

• 1.     Manage a small caseload of service users with LD requiring weight management as supervised by the Senior LD Dietitian. 2.     Promoting the programme to stakeholders eg. Service users, provider organisations, GPs 3.     Assist in triaging referrals to establish eligibility for the programme

4.     Planning and organising programme delivery – identifying participants for each cohort, venues, gathering and developing programme resources, session planning, identifying and supporting volunteer peer coaches

5.     Support programme delivery – working closely with participants and their support networks to develop and review individualised goals and timetables, delivery of programme content to participants, both in groups and 1:1 and delivery of the carer training programme.

6.     Data gathering and reporting to support service evaluation – measurement and collation of baseline and repeat data for participants, data entry, monitoring data and preparing quarterly reports; gathering service user feedback

7.     Developing working relationships with clients, provider organisations, GPs, local community resources

8.     Support in the delivery of the dietetic service within SPLD.

• 9.     Participate in clinical and professional supervision with Senior Dietitian.

10.  Supervise student dietitians and support workers in the team as required

• 11.  Responsibly account costs for, handle and store all programme physical resources