Job summary
- Main area
- Dietitics
- Grade
- NHS AfC Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 334-CLI-7773492
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Maudsley Hospital
- Town
- Denmark Hill
- Salary
- £46,419 - £55,046 per annum inclusive of HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 08/03/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Specialist Mental Health Dietitian
NHS AfC Band 6
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
Are you Dietitian who has a passion for providing excellence in the nutritional and dietetic care and who would like to specialise in mental health Dietetics? If yes, we would love to hear from you!
In this role all service users have a mental health diagnosis. And Nutrition and Dietetic Services provide dietary treatment to support the prevention and management of physical health conditions and to promote recovery of mental wellness. Prior working within mental health dietetics is desirable.
The post has a base at the Maudsley Hospital. However, the work is across all SLaM sites covering the boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon with another Dietetic office situated at the Bethlem Royal Hospital.
Main duties of the job
The post includes in-person inpatient working on psychiatric intensive care units, acute, rehab and special care units. And outpatient clinic work with dietetic assessments and reviews offered both virtually and in-person. This role provides dietetic care to young people, adults and older adult service users. There is opportunity to work on forensic and National and Specialist units within the trust.
Referrals are mostly for under-nutrition, underweight and re-feeding syndrome, including tube feeding and over-nutrition and metabolic syndrome linked to mental ill health and psychiatric medications, especially antipsychotics. We provide dietetic support for disordered eating linked to emotional dysregulation and restrictive intake self-harm. Referrals for food allergies / food intolerances, gut issues and specific food likes and dislikes resulting in fewer foods eaten with risk of nutritional deficiencies are common.
The post requires the ability to work safely, effectively, and cordially with individuals and groups. To be flexible, to manage own caseload as well as to provide cover for colleagues in their absence and/or to cover vacancies along with the wider team. Professionalism and excellent communication skills, including use of motivational interviewing techniques to help support behavioural change are key.
As a team we work together to support KCL Dietetic students on placements.
Working for our organisation
The team comprises 16 Dietitians and one Dietetic Assistant practitioner. The dietitians have specialised in mental health dietetics and/or eating disorders. We are a welcoming and friendly team, who are supportive of one another and our MDT colleagues. We work collaboratively and innovatively, building upon the evidence base to advance dietetic practice within mental health, striving to always be at the fore front of mental health dietetics and to provide excellence in dietetic care. Our dietetic offices are located at the Bethlem Royal Hospital and Maudsley Hospitals.
We offer flexible working and are happy to discuss at the interview stage. In this role you work Monday to Friday within the time frames from 7am to 7pm, supporting work life balance. The majority of time spent in this role requires in-person working on site.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.
Overall Job Purpose and responsibilities include:
· To provide a kind, caring and responsive, evidence-based clinical nutrition and dietetics service to young people, adults and older adult service users, who have a mental health diagnosis, on inpatient wards, rehabilitation and special care units and in dietetic outpatient clinics.
· To be an integral part of the multidisciplinary team, representing and advocating for excellence in nutrition and dietetic care for all service users within the clinical remit.
· Support the service by providing nutrition knowledge, dietary advice and training for staff from a variety of other disciplines, which is sound, evidence based and up to date.
· Raise awareness, understanding and effective implementation of the trust nutrition policy.
· To support the development, knowledge and use of the menus, which provide nutrition and hydration within the clinical remit together with the trust lead catering dietitian and trust stakeholders.
· To deliver and develop together with dietetic colleagues a well-established weight management programme for service users living in the community.
· To evaluate and develop dietetic care pathways, integrating, and adding to the latest evidence base, providing excellence, and advancing nutrition and dietetic care.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- HCPC Registered Dietitian
- Relevant Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics
- Strong evidence of continuing professional development
- Membership of British Dietetic Association (BDA) or other body conferring professional indemnity insurance
Desirable criteria
- Membership of relevant professional special interest groups i.e BDA Specialist Mental Health Group
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience in clinical dietetic practice specifically in nutrition support, including refeeding syndrome, use of oral nutritional supplements and enteral tube feeding
- Experience in clinical dietetic practice specifically in weight management and metabolic syndrome
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working on a psychiatric ward or mental health setting
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Excellent overall knowledge of clinical nutrition and dietetic care.
- Knowledge of the cultural diversity of the client population, in particular food choices, cooking and eating practices
Skills / Abilities
Essential criteria
- Excellent written communication skills
- Skills in evaluating stage of change, motivation, barriers and supporting behavioural change
- Ability to work effectively with individuals and groups
- Able to use word processing and other IT applications
- Able to demonstrate knowledge and adherence to appropriate professional standards
Desirable criteria
- Experience working in research
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Kate Moffat
- Job title
- Head of Nutrition and Dietetic Services
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07875967678
- Additional information
Monday to Thursday between 9am and 5pm
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