Specialist Practitioner

The Essex Eating Disorders Team provides community-based care for children and young people across Essex, Southend, and Thurrock. This is an exciting role designed to provide intensive support packages aimed at preventing hospital admissions and facilitating early discharge from inpatient settings. The post holder will work within the Eating Disorder Team's Intensive Support Pathway (ISP), supporting families by providing meal support, monitoring physical health, and working alongside therapists to deliver Family-Based Therapy (FBT). Please note that this role involves regular travel. The successful candidate must have access to suitable transport to undertake home visits and travel to acute hospital settings across Essex as required., Provide intensive community-based support to children and young people with eating disorders and their families as part of the ISP. Deliver meal support and therapeutic interventions within the home environment to support recovery and reduce the need for hospital admission. Visit young people admitted to acute hospital settings, providing specialist eating disorder support, contributing to discharge planning, and ensuring continuity of care between inpatient and community services. Monitor physical health and wellbeing, escalating concerns appropriately and contributing to ongoing risk assessment and management. Work closely with therapists to support the delivery of FBT and agreed care plans. Provide emotional, practical, and psychoeducational support to young people, families, and carers. Act as an advocate for children and young people, ensuring care is individualised and focused on their needs and recovery goals. Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary colleagues, GPs, schools,
acute hospitals, and partner agencies to coordinate high-quality care. Maintain accurate clinical records and contribute to care planning, review, and evaluation processes. Provide specialist advice and support to professionals involved in the care of children and young people with eating disorders. Ensure all interventions are delivered in accordance with Trust policies, clinical governance standards, and health and safety requirements.

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and community services for over 4.9 million people living in the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and across Essex. We work to ensure our patients, their friends and family, feel confident that their health needs are well met. With an excellent reputation for research and development, our skilled health professionals are at the cutting edge of evidence-based innovation, opening up the possibilities for better ways of working and delivery of care.