About this role
Job summary
Are you an experienced Dietitian looking to make a real difference in mental health care? Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a dynamic and innovative Lead Dietitian for Inpatient Mental Health Services to champion nutrition as a key part of recovery and wellbeing across our inpatient services.
In this role, you will provide expert dietetic assessment and intervention for individuals with complex mental health needs, lead service development initiatives, support catering and food standards across mental health sites, and promote evidence-based, person-centred care. You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams, influence policy and practice.
We are looking for an HCPC-registered Dietitian with substantial post-registration experience, excellent communication and leadership skills, and a passion for improving physical health outcomes for people experiencing mental illness.
You will be supported by a well-established multidisciplinary team and benefit from strong professional links with Dietetic colleagues across the Trust, ensuring opportunities for collaboration, peer support, and continued professional development.
This is an exciting opportunity to shape and develop the dietetic service within our mental health inpatient service, work autonomously at an advanced level, and contribute to innovative models of care across Somerset. Travel across multiple sites will be required.
Main duties of the job
To provide highly specialist dietetic advice/input and training throughout mental health inpatient services within the Trust.To take a lead role in supporting a Trust-wide Nutrition and Dietetic Service for mental health inpatient services.To work with catering services to ensure the Trust's catering provisions are fit for purpose and meet national guidelines for hospital food standards.To provide highly specialised dietetic assessments and interventions to individuals or groups of clients with mental health illness or learning disabilities admitted to a mental health inpatient ward.To provide clinical supervision, support and training to band 5 and 6 Dietitians and Dietetics Students, with the aim of upskilling the wider dietetic workforce in supporting patients with mental health difficulties in other care settings.To carry out delegated tasks in policy and service development.This post often involves working with people who are highly distressed, and being faced with severe behavioural, emotional and mental health issues, verbal and physical aggression, highly distressing self-injurious behaviour, family breakdown, physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect.
About us
At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:
Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential
Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.
We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.
Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.
The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.
Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.
Job description Job responsibilities
As the Lead Dietitian for Mental Health Inpatient Services, you will be recognised as a specialist resource within the Trust, providing expert clinical leadership and influencing the development of nutritional care for mental health inpatient services across Somerset.
You will assess and support individuals with a wide range of complex mental health conditions and learning disabilities, using advanced clinical reasoning skills to develop personalised nutritional interventions that support both physical health and mental wellbeing. You will work sensitively with people who may be highly distressed and who can present with complex behavioural, emotional and psychological needs. Structured support and clinical supervision will be available.
Alongside your clinical responsibilities, you will play a leading role in ensuring high-quality food provision across mental health inpatient sites. Working in partnership with catering services and senior colleagues, you will help ensure menus are nutritionally appropriate, inclusive and aligned with national standards, while supporting patients with specialist dietary requirements.
Education and workforce development are central to this role. You will provide supervision, support and training for Dietitians, students and multidisciplinary colleagues, sharing your expertise to strengthen nutritional care across services and settings.
You will also contribute to service improvement, policy development, audit, quality improvement and research activity, helping to build a strong evidence base and shape future models of care. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys leading change, developing others and influencing practice at a strategic level.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Registered as a Dietitian with the Health and Care Professions Council Degree/post Graduate Diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics
Desirable
Evidence of significant post-graduate training up to and beyond Master's degree level Evidence of specialist training in dietetic care for patients with mental health difficulties Formal training in communication skills e.g. Talking Mats, Motivational Interviewing or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Experience Essential
Comprehensive post registration experience, including evidence of providing training Excellent presentation skills and experience in training staff and running group sessions with service users
Desirable
Experience of working with patients with eating disorders either in a community setting or inpatient unit Experience of working in mental health and learning disability clinical settings Evidence of experience in dietary input to catering services Experience of providing supervision to other colleagues/professionals
Additional Criteria Essential
A sound understanding of national policies and procedures relevant to Mental Health and LD. Extensive working knowledge of a wide range of common dietetic interventions Good knowledge of eating disorders and their physical consequences. Well-developed concentration skills Proven ability to work independently, manage and prioritise own workload. Ability to undertake all statutory and mandatory training including PBM - Breakaway (subject to Occupational Health clearance) Excellent interpersonal skills -- including observation, listening and empathy skills Able to demonstrate a good standard of English language Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills Able to lead and develop a service in a dietetic speciality. Able to plan, manage and prioritise own caseload/workload and those of others in a team. Physically able to carry resources and equipment for ward use, teaching, presentations, etc. Must be a car driver with a valid driving licence or have access to transport with appropriate business insurance in order to travel throughout the Trust, to meet the needs of the service. Willingness to use technology to improve standards of care and support to our patients Competence in the standard range of Microsoft IT programmes and dietary analysis software Keyboard Skills Member of the Mental Health Specialist Group (MHSG) of the BDA
Desirable
In depth knowledge of the principles of clinical governance / audit Knowledge of the strategic direction of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Address Wellsprings Hospital
Cheddon Road
Taunton
Somerset
TA2 7AU
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.somersetft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)