Dietitian

Being a Dietitian is so much more than just knowing what foods to eat, it's creating a nutritional bespoke plan that gives some of the most vulnerable people the energy and determination to build a brighter future. 

Feel valued and supported when you join the team as a Dietitian, working 37.5 hours at Gardens and Jacobs Neurological Centre service type a purpose-built neurological centre for men and women over the age of 18 years, who have an acquired brain injury.

With experience from the NHS and/or private sector, you will manage a complex caseload, which will see you create individual rapports with service users as you learn about their health concerns, goals and dietary restrictions and preferences to create a healthy nutrition plan.

As a Dietitian, you will deliver and offer contributions to the development of the specialist treatment plans and pathways as you maintain close contact with local community teams.

Working alongside a multidisciplinary team, you will contribute to the delivery of the service, offering assessment, formulation and treatment to people and their families/carers.  You will act as a key link between the nursing team, the catering department, leading on the management of the dining room and nutrition support strategies on the unit.

A range of training opportunities are available that can see your career grow and you achieve your career aspirations.

As a Dietitian you will be:

• Assessing service users’ weight and advise regarding, weight, calories, and special meal plans
• Working as an autonomous dietetic practitioner to carry a complex inpatient and outpatient caseload, using evidence-based and people-focused principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions in service users. 
• Conducting pre-admission screenings for new referrals while laying out the plan for future interventions
• Liaising with the hospital’s catering department and ensure that the menu is reviewed regularly, the allergen list, portioning sizes and special menus are up to date
• Supporting in the development and co-facilitation of any group or activity and staff training
• Providing a weekly progress review and feedback to the multi-disciplinary team in ward rounds
• Carrying out one to one nutrition counselling sessions to determine: eating behaviours, beliefs and attitudes about food and health, rationale for food choices, factors affecting eating behaviour and nutrition status. These sessions will also be used for exploring stage of change and to explore ambivalence and barriers to behaviour change.
• Delivering the Nourish to Flourish psychoeducation group, which is set up to help patients understand their eating disorders and critically explore their beliefs about food and bodies.
• Carrying out one to one family support, helping families understand the complex relationship between food and health, as well as strategies for supporting the patient to eat at home.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• HCPC registered
• BSc in Dietetics or post graduate diploma in Dietetics
• Post qualification training
• Post-qualifying experience of working with people with eating disorders ideally in an inpatient settling.
• Knowledge and understanding of acquired brain injury and specialist neurological care
• To ensure knowledge and skills are maintained at a high level of professional competence

Where you will be working

Gardens Neurological Centre and Jacobs Neurological Centre have a combined total of 132 beds on the same site in Sawbridgeworth (CM21 0HH), which is on the Hertfordshire and Essex border within easy travelling distance of London and Cambridge.

The two Centres deliver specialist 24-hour nursing and therapy services for people with complex long-term neurological conditions, and brain or spinal injuries who require ongoing support and assistance to maximise functional ability.

Recovery is assisted wherever possible, with emphasis placed on maximising each individual's abilities, comfort and quality of life.

Each service has communal lounges, dining rooms, and all bedrooms have en-suite facilities with over 95% on single occupancy. All rooms are adapted to each resident's requirements according to their assessments and needs.

What you will get:        

• Annual salary of £50,000
• The equivalent of 33 days annual leave (inc Bank Holidays) – plus your birthday off!
• Free meals and parking
• Wellbeing support and activities to help you maintain a great work-life balance.
• Career development and training to help you achieve your career goals.
• Pension contribution to secure your future.
• Life Assurance for added peace of mind.
• Enhanced Maternity Package so you can truly enjoy this special time.

There is also a range of other benefits including retail discounts, special offers and much more.

About your next employer:

You will be working for an established, stable and agile company with over 8,000 employees and a unique approach to the delivery of care. With a network of over 90 services across England and Wales covering Mental Health, Neurological, Learning Disabilities & Autism, Children & Education, there is opportunity for you to grow and move. 

Elysium Healthcare is part of Ramsay Health Care with a global network that extends across 10 countries and employs over 86,000 people globally. 

Elysium Healthcare follows safer recruitment of staff for all appointments and is a Disability Confident employer, committed to inclusive and accessible recruitment. It is a requirement that all staff understand it is each person’s individual responsibility to promote and safeguard the welfare of service users. All candidates will be subject to a DBS disclosure.