Job summary
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.
Main duties of the job
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.
About us
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.
Job responsibilities
1. 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 clients 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, prioritising referrals.
19. To contribute to Continuing Health Care assessments related to a person's 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 disabilities.
Person Specification
Meets all essential criteria
Essential
* UK registered with Health Professional Council.
* Member of the British Dietetic Association.
* Broad dietetic experience across a range of clinical areas.
* Undergraduate or a post graduate degree in Nutrition & Dietetics.
* Post graduate professional practice in Dietetics.
Desirable
* Experience working in the community.
* Post registration training or experience in psychological approaches to patient care i.e. CBT.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.
Employer details
Employer name: East London NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Services for People who have a Learning Disability (SPLD), Twinwoods Resource Centre, Milton Road, Clapham, Bedford, MK41 6AT
Employer's website: https://www.elft.nhs.uk/
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