Highly Specialist Dietitian

You will support Adults with Learning Disabilities who have both dysphagia and nutritional needs including nutrition support, weight management, bowel health management, fluid intake and other health diagnoses with a nutritional status implication i.e. diabetes, coeliac disease etc. As such you will gain experience in a wide range of dietetic areas. Service Users range from having a borderline Learning Disability, to having profound and multiple Learning Disabilities, in addition to comorbidities (such as Epilepsy, Dementia and acquired neurological conditions). You will receive regular clinical supervision and support from the members of the dietetic and Speech and Language Therapy team, peer supervision and will be actively encouraged to participate in continuing professional development. You will have the opportunity to work creatively and support with service development. The team is an integrated MDT and joint working is typical of the team's working style.

• BSc Nutrition & Dietetics Degree or equivalent
• State registration with HCPC
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Specialist knowledge and application of dietetic assessments and interventions
• Range of clinical experience and ability to demonstrate application of clinical skills
• Range of clinical experience
• Clear communication through written, verbal and non-verbal modes
• Broad knowledge of current best practice in dietetics and Learning Disabilities
• Planning and co-ordination of treatment packages
• Ability to use problem solving techniques
• Ability to analyze professional and ethical issues
• Knowledge of risk assessment and management
• Commitment to client-centered, non-discriminatory practice
• Treating service users with dignity
• Computer literacy
• Basic word processing skills
• Car driver essential, or access to a car (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 which prevents you from driving).
• Regular car user with considerable amounts of travel
• Frequent sitting at desk using computer
• Ability to manage own workload and determine priorities
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
• Application of health, safety and risk management policies
• Working with service users with barriers to understanding and/or challenging behaviour
• Regular requirement to deal with distressing or emotionally charged situations.
• Willingness to work flexibly
Desirable criteria
• Post graduate training in learning disabilities, mental health/challenging behaviour and physical/sensory disabilities
• Evidence of having met Entry Level and working at Enhanced level criteria in line with the Post Registration Professional Development Framework, BDA
• Broad base of clinical experience and ability to demonstrate application of clinical skills
• Experience of delivering care to service users with complex needs (e.g. dysphagia) living within the community
• Experience of supervising junior staff and students
• Post registration experience in a relevant clinical setting
• Broad base of clinical experience
• Applied knowledge of mental health legislation, You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
  
  Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission.
Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is rated by the Care Quality Commission as an Outstanding provider of mental health and learning disability services. In 2021, we won the prestigious Health Service Journal award for Mental Health Trust of the Year, with the judges saying they were "blown away" by our people's achievements and that everything they saw "sings and hums". This year, our staff rated us the 4^th best mental health and learning disability trust to work for out of all 52 trusts in the country. Our staff tell us that they are proud to be part of the HPFT team, proud of the standard of care we provide and proud that service users are our top priority. Our people tell us they feel supported though a great development, wellbeing and work-life balance offer and a highly compassionate, values-driven culture. We are equally proud of our staff, who live our values of being welcoming, kind, positive, respectful and professional