Specialist Eating Disorders Dietitian

Job overview

We are seeking an enthusiastic Dietitian specialised in eating disorders to join our team. The postholder will provide highly specialised dietetic input to children and adolescents receiving outpatient treatment for an eating disorder at South West London and St. George’s Mental Health Trust. The role advertised is a 1.0 WTE Dietitian position, supporting the Children and Young Persons’ Outpatient Eating Disorders service, which includes the Intensive Outreach Team and holding a small ARFID caseload.

The successful applicant will manage a caseload of young people with eating disorders, conduct dietetic assessments, deliver therapeutic interventions, and work as an integral member of the multidisciplinary team. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact in the field of eating disorder treatment within a supportive and dynamic environment.

Candidates should be a Registered Dietitian; with experience of working in a mental health setting. A working knowledge of behaviour change and motivational interviewing would be beneficial.

Main duties of the job

• To be responsible and accountable to the leadership team of the CYP eating disorder service for the delivery of CAMHS Dietetics provision for children and young people diagnosed with Eating Disorders.
• The post holder will provide dietetic input (dietetic assessment, formulation, and intervention to children, young people) to the CAMHS Eating Disorders Outpatient Service, which includes the Eating Disorders Integrated Outreach Team and the ARFID team.
• The post holder will also work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to meet the needs of patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures and develop the dietetic offer as required.
• The Dietitian will be able to demonstrate safe, competent clinical decision-making and deliver care, including assessment, diagnostic skills, treatment, and evaluation.
• The Dietitian will communicate at all levels across boundaries and work closely with wider clinical team members.
• Within the scope of service-delivery (which can include education, training and consultation), providing professional advice and consultancy across South West London to non-specialist dietitians and other health professionals on your specialist area of dietetics.
• Supervision and training of CAMHS Dietitians, dietetic assistants and student dietitians on National pre-registration training programmes and other health professionals in relation to your specialist area.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide a specialist dietetic service to young people with eating  disorders in an outpatient setting. This involves working with patients,  families and multidisciplinary team members to identify and address the  complex psychological and social factors that affect compliance with  dietary treatment, thus enabling long term / permanent lifestyle changes.
• To act as lead clinician for the delivery of a comprehensive nutrition and  dietetic service to the population with diverse nutritional health needs  within a highly specialist area; working within the BDA Professional Code  of Conduct and Professional Standards of Practice.
• To be responsible for the provision and continuing development of an  effective dietetic service for your specialist area and to provide specialist  advice to a range of healthcare professionals.
• To undertake comprehensive assessments of each patient’s diet and  lifestyle to formulate individualised management and treatment plans  ensuring optimal outcome whilst minimising risk. The assessments include interpreting biochemical data and using quantitative/ qualitative analysis of nutritional information.

Promote individual rights and choice  Promote anti-discriminatory practice.

• To be aware of and able to identify patients at high psychiatric risk (e.g. of suicide) and liaise with the multidisciplinary team regarding the  management of risk in these patients
• To work autonomously within the eating disorders team with little or no  daily supervision
• To promote awareness of the role of the dietitian within the services,  negotiating priorities where appropriate.
• To communicate with health professionals, community workers and the  public and, where appropriate, undertake appropriate risk assessments and gain consent to participation in nutrition interventions.
• To plan, prioritise and take responsibility for own workload in accordance with the BDA Workload Management framework and departmental priorities and provide cover as required across other trust CAMHS eating disorder services i.e. Wisteria ward or Aquarius ward
• To liaise with external stakeholders, where required
• This requires collation of highly complex information including:  Assessment of local food, nutrition and health needs, interpretation of   national and local statistics, dietary intakes and disease risk.  Development of nutrition interventions which include calculation of   nutritional requirements, patient centred goals and prevention outcomes.
• Dietary consultations involving individuals and groups to be undertaken and delivered within a framework of behavioural approaches including  motivational and negotiative techniques in order to implement a highly  complex dietetic package of care.
• To work with people and colleagues from diverse cultural and ethnic  groups and:  Respect personal beliefs and identity of individuals    • To keep and maintain accurate, timely, comprehensive and legibly written  statistical records and reports in order to meet the requirement of funding bodies and evaluation requirement s in accordance with HCPC Standards of Conduct Performance and Ethics, departmental standards, policies and procedures in compliance with the Data Protection Act.
• To maintain strict confidentiality of patient and public information in  accordance with the Clinical Governance guidelines.