Dietitian in Mental Health
About us
At Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust we provide a range of mental health, learning disability, substance misuse, primary care and other specialist services designed around the needs of people in our city.
We have a dedicated and skilful team of people caring in Sheffield, which you could become a part of.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do. These are: working together for our service users, respect and kindness, everyone counts, commitment to quality, improving lives.
Job overview
We are seeking an enthusiastic dietitian to join our small and friendly team. Applicants should have clinical, communication & quality improvement skills to help us ensure that the Service Users receive excellent nutritional care.
We understand that working in mental health is a new, up and coming area in Dietetics and full support will be given to you from post grad training opportunities to regular supervision and we can offer a flexible working pattern to suit you.
This role could be a preceptorship role with a developmental opportunity for you to start at band 5 level with bespoke training to support your development to a band 6 within 12months or for you to experience and specialise in dietetic work in mental health with the development of different skills for you if already at band 6 level.
Your role will involve supplying and developing services to inpatient units across the Trust: Dementia services, Rehabilitation base and Forensic service but with a particular emphasis into our Acute Adult Mental Health Wards
Main duties of the job
The role will involve intervention and development of services in the inpatient units across the Trust: predominately the Acute inpatient adult wards but also Dementia services, Rehabilitation base, and Forensic services.
The role involves group work and individualised support for services users as well as staff training, supporting dietetic students and junior staff.
Working for our organisation
We are passionate about providing the very best care to the people we support, and we're looking for amazing people who share this passion to join us.
What is it that makes our Trust such a special place to work? Well, it's all about the people. Our staff, service users, carers and families all come from such diverse backgrounds and all have expertise and stories to share.
It’s important that you feel supported in your role, that the people who you work with are as passionate as you are and that your health and wellbeing is taken care of
If you're interested in developing your career, you'll have access to a range of training and education opportunities, including apprenticeships, work experience and placements, as well as the chance to get involved in research.
We are all very proud of the difference we make to people's lives each and every day and if that's something that you'd like to be part of we'd love to have you with us.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
These are some of the main duties of the job but please see full job description for more details
You will:
Determine/diagnose the appropriate dietetic treatment and develop effective management plans in respect of planned medical intervention and prognosis.
Dietetic assessment and calculation of dietetic requirements of referred patients considering medical, biochemical, social, cultural, and psychological factors.
Provide nutrition and dietary advice suitable to the patient’s medical, biochemical, social and cultural factors which is based on current evidence, incorporating local professional and national guidelines and standards.
Work with patients to enable them to achieve targets overcoming barriers to change including dietary, environmental, and social factors.
Undertake the assessment of clients using investigative and analytical skills to formulate individual treatment plans
You will establish and maintain effective communication with individuals, and groups about difficult or complex matters by:-- Using counselling skills to establish rapport and a client centered relationship in order to identify barriers to understanding and implications for change for staff and patients.
- Using empathic, motivational, negotiating and cognitive behavioral management skills in formulating a plan, establishing change and maintaining change for staff and patients.
Undertake the supervision and appraisal of junior staff as delegated by a senior member of staff.
Person specification
Knowledge
Essential criteria- Excellent communication skills and able to communicate effectively with various groups of people including service users and health care professionals, both as individuals and in a group setting. Able to utilise a range of resources to enhance communication if required e.g. use of an interpreter, visual aids etc.
- Is able to use behaviour change/ motivational interviewing/ advanced communication skills to support implementation of dietetic treatment plans
- Able to work autonomously but also demonstrate a good understanding of teamwork and how this can be used to improve patient care
- Is able to give examples of own involvement of working as part of a team e.g. experience of being part of a multi-disciplinary team
- Can demonstrate confidence, leadership and self-motivation
- Working knowledge of local and national clinical and professional policies, guidelines and procedures e.g. NICE/British Dietetic Association/Health and Care Professionals Council Code of Conduct/Ethics, Health and Safety, Infection Control, Equality and Diversity, Confidentiality, Data Protection
- Has excellent knowledge of national strategies, guidelines and current evidence base related to adult nutrition support, weight management, cardiovascular, lipid modification and diabetes care e.g. NICE
Qualifications
Essential criteria- 4 year BSc Dietetics or equivalent
- Current HPC registration
- Clinical Supervisory skills
- Behavioural Change qualification
Experience
Essential criteria- Able to demonstrate a variety of dietetics experience. At least one year experience of working as a Band 5 Dietitian in the NHS
- Experience of working with service users with mental health conditions e.g. in an acute or community setting
- Experience of managing own caseload including the management of complex cases and able to support others in effectively managing their caseload
- Can demonstrate evidence of continued professional development (e.g. keeps a professional portfolio)
- Experience of developing and/or delivering training
- Experience of supervising students on clinical placements and supervision of staff members
- Post registration experience in relevant clinical setting
- Experience of research and audit
Other
Essential criteria- • Possess basic IT and computer skills
- Can give examples of quality initiatives to improve the delivery of patient care and own involvement in specific initiatives
- • Can prioritise workload and is flexible in approach and has an influence on developing these skills in colleagues.
- •Able to travel to various locations across Sheffield if required (by bus/tram or personal vehicle)
- • Membership of Professional Body
Please think about your personal values and how these align with our values when you are applying. Find out more about our organisation through our website.
We are a Disability Confident employer level 2 and hope to achieve level 3 this year. We offer a guaranteed interview to disabled applicants who meet all of the essential criteria for a role. When you apply you will have the opportunity to let us know if you require adjustments to be made, please contact us if you are not sure or if you require adjustments to the application process itself.
Our six staff network groups welcome new members, these are:
- The Ethnically Diverse Staff Network Group
- The Disability Staff Network Group
- The Lived Experience Staff Network Group
- The Rainbow Staff Network Group
- The Staff Carers Staff Network Group
- The Women’s Staff Network Group
We know how important flexible working can be to applicants and therefore we encourage you to discuss any working arrangements as part of this process. We will always aim to accommodate requests, wherever possible.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding adults and children and as part of our safe recruitment practice the successful applicant(s) will be subject to a check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) if it is deemed appropriate for the role.The cost of the DBS check (currently up to £48.23) must be met by the successful applicant(s).
When applying for this post you will redirected to complete your application in our preferred applicant management system, Trac. If you are successfully offered a role, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.In addition, in submitting an application, you authorise our Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the ESR IAT process should you be appointed.
Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications
If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting statement.
While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for, nor can they accurately reflect your skills, knowledge, and experience. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice.
Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting statement is not advocated by SHSC and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.
For example, AI responses…- usually lack relevance and fail to address the key criteria outlined in the job description and person specification.
- may come across as generic and fail to distinguish you from other applicants.
- may be ambiguous or open to misinterpretation. Without careful review and editing, the supporting statement could convey messages that are unclear or misconstrued by hiring managers.
- may include qualifications, skills, knowledge or experience that you do not possess, potentially leading to misrepresentation.
Supporting Statement
The supporting statement is an opportunity for you to showcase how your qualifications, knowledge, skill and experiences align with the requirements and criteria outlined in the job description and person.
Recruiting managers score applications based on the criteria listed in the person specification. Managers will be looking for evidence of how you meet these criteria. To increase your chances of securing an interview, provide examples of how you have applied your skills and knowledge in real-life situations.Share work-related successes and challenges you’ve navigated that align with the criteria. These could be from various aspects of your life, including work, education, and personal experiences.
Consider structuring your statement with clear headings or bullet points. This approach will help both you and the recruiting manager navigate through your application more effectively.