Senior Specialist Nurse - Eating Disorders

NHS; Maidstone; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A dedicated mental health service in Maidstone is looking for a senior staff member to support a multidisciplinary team in delivering dietetic support for patients with eating disorders. The role involves assessing and treating patients, co-ordinating team workloads, and ensuring smooth transitions to and from inpatient care. Applicants must be registered nurses with experience in mental health services and a commitment to high-quality patient care.

Qualifications

• Successful completion of a graduate training as a registered nurse with current NMC registration.
• Experience of working with patients with eating disorders.
• Ability to communicate effectively complex, sensitive information.

Responsibilities

• Co-ordinate the workload of the team regularly.
• Assess and treat patients with eating disorders.
• Work collaboratively with inpatient units.

Skills

Communication of complex matters

Planning inter-agency meetings

Experience with eating disorders

Education

Graduate training as a registered nurse

Tools

IT skills

Job description

NELFT's Kent & Medway All Age Eating Disorders Service specialises in the assessment, diagnosis and NICE concordant treatment of young people and adults with Eating Disorders (Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder & Otherwise Specified Feeding & Eating Disorders).

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a multidisciplinary all age specialist Community Eating Disorder team. The successful applicant will support this innovative multidisciplinary team in delivering the latest evidence-based dietetic support to clients, carers and families of adults and children and young people who access the services.

We are looking for applicants who have enthusiasm for working in specialist mental health services, who are adaptable; enjoy variety, can work independently as well as understanding the importance of team working. You will form part of our patient-focused service, providing a high-quality, accurate and timely service.

Main duties of the job

As a senior member of staff, you will have the experience required to co-ordinate the workload of the team on a regular basis and to offer support and supervision within the team. We are looking for candidates who have demonstrable knowledge, understanding and experience of working with the legal frameworks which relate to the care and treatment of children and young people in crisis.

The post holders will be required to assess and treat all age patients who present with an eating disorder. As the service is exclusively an outpatient service, the post holder will not hold an inpatient case load, but the post holder will work with adolescent units and adult units in order to maintain joint working and smooth transition into and out of inpatient beds.

About us

Our Values 2025 - 2030: We are kind. We are respectful. We work together with our communities. These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Person Specification

Qualifications: Successful completion of a graduate training as a registered nurse with current NMC registration status. Further professional knowledge will have been gained through accredited courses, workshops, study and in-house training programmes.

• Experience of working with patients with eating disorders.
• Experience of carrying out generic assessment with other colleagues in the multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience of initiating, organising and planning inter-agency meetings aimed at setting in place a treatment package tailored to the individual needs of the patient.

Knowledge: Awareness of NHS Plan, NSF and clinical governance priorities. High-level knowledge of the theory and practice of working with eating disorders at a range of severities and complexities.

• Basic awareness of IT and IT skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively highly complex and sensitive matters to patients, which give rise to psychological distress.
• Specialist skill in the ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the eating disorder service.

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.