We invite you to apply to this novel and rewarding 2-year 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 up to 3-days per week, supervising a junior post-holder and 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 Hannah Style. or Simone Mingay.
The post-holder will lead the embedment of the ELFT Shape Up programme, a weight management service for people with learning disabilities in Bedfordshire, and will be the driving force behind its workstreams and service development. The Shape Up programme comprises service-user intervention and training in practical nutrition for carers and staff, and has been co-developed with service users and re-run in ELFT specialist learning disabilities services in other boroughs after demonstrable positive impact. This will involve working with the specialist learning disabilities service, care providers, primary care and community services to promote and deliver the programme effectively, and identify opportunities for improvement.
The post-holder will be both autonomous and team-spirited, proactive and organised, and approachable. The post-holder will work effectively with multidisciplinary professionals across sites, and will seek opportunities to support the weight management service to develop locally. This role is an exciting opportunity to address dietary health inequalities at a borough-wide level within the Trust, and expand current practices surrounding nutrition in the trust for the benefit of the disadvantaged people we serve.
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
To provide dietetic input for adults diagnosed with a learning disability within Bedford and Central Bedfordshire.
2. Manage a specialist caseload of overweight and obese clients who are at risk of metabolic complications, offering tailored dietetic advice in group and individual settings to patients, and their families/carers
3. To support healthy eating promotion and education to people with learning disabilities, and their carers, in collaboration with multidisciplinary team members and local services
4. Attend and contribute to multidisciplinary meetings for dietetic referrals and joint care planning for client’s requiring dietetic intervention including those on psychotropic medication, those with behaviours that challenge or those at risk of constipation and complications.
5. Identify patients at risk of malnutrition, and provide appropriate advice on oral nutritional support, working closely with Speech and Language Therapists and specialist nurses.
6. Lead on the development and implementation of easy-read nutritional resources and diet sheets for adults with learning disabilities, and advise local teams tailor-made resources and reasonable adjustments
7. Ensure acute dietary assessments (interpretation of anthropometry, biochemistry, clinical condition and diet history), expert advice based on evidence-based practice, and implement patient-centred treatment plans (involving calculation of nutritional requirements)
8. To facilitate access to mainstream Dietetics services in conjunction with the wider MDT, who provide support for people with learning disabilities around enteral feeding,
9. To support pathways for clients who present with disordered eating in conjunction with the wider MDT linking with mainstream services
10. To support individuals who present with behaviours of concern relating to eating conjunction with the wider MDT, this may include behaviours around food avoidance.
11. Ensure effective communication with healthcare professionals, outside of the learning disability service. This will include GPs, Acute Services and other Dietetic Services.
12. Ensure that accurate and comprehensive electronic dietetic records of assessment, treatment, progress and discharge summaries are maintained in accordance with legal and trust standards
13. Provide support and advice to people with learning disabilities and carers on the dietetic and nutritional requirements of people with learning disabilities involving the interpretation and communication of complex and sensitive information in an accessible form
14. Provide training and advice to other members of the learning disability service in relation to the dietetic and nutritional requirements of people with learning disabilities, with a particular focus on weight management
15. Provide training and workshops for staff and carers at homes and day services regarding dietary modification and menu-planning to support healthy eating training, nutrition support for clients with dysphagia
16. To monitor effectiveness of dietary interventions through goal setting, audit, outcome measurements and evaluation.
17. Review, update and develop dietary information and education materials for patients and carers in order to ensure dietary advice is evidence-based, patient-centred, accessible and meets cultural needs
18. Manage the dietetic aspect of the service, prioritisng referrals.
19. To contribute to Continuing Health Care assessments related to a persons’ nutritional status and needs
20. To have a thorough understanding of the current legislation relating to people with learning disabilities and their health needs.
21. To work in a range of community settings, including people with learning disabilities’ homes, and day services, supported living, residential and nursing placements.
22. To contribute to shaping local health services (e.g. development of local protocols and policies), promoting an inclusive service for people with learning
This advert closes on Tuesday 4 Mar 2025