Speech & Language Therapist (Band 5, Rotational)

Job responsibilities

Please see full Job description in attachments section. Below is a summary:

Job Overview

To independently manage an adult caseload of in-patients or community patients (with access to advice from more experienced and specialist speech & language therapists).

To be responsible for assessment, diagnosis and development and implementation of treatment programmes for personal/shared caseload with access to clinical supervision and advice from senior colleagues and relevant others.

To monitor non-complex dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) and liaise with more experienced SLT team members re management.

To act as named key-worker and communicate findings of assessments and recommendations to members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) and medical staff at ward rounds, and co-ordinate appropriate care plans, goal planning and discharge process

To be responsible for training patients, professionals, non-professionals and carers to support speech language and communication difficulties (SLCD) in relation to personal caseload (including raising awareness).

To be responsible for own case notes, and report writing for a range of purposes including legal, and contributing to the multidisciplinary goal planning process.

To participate in a rotational pathway with other band 5 SLTs

4. SCOPE AND RANGE

To work as a member of the adult SLT service, supporting patients in community and inpatient settings as part of a rotational post. The post provides an opportunity to work for a year in each of four locations (Community SLT, Community Neuro Rehab, In patient Stroke Rehab and the Plym Neuro Rehab Unit, PNRU) and is part of the Adult Frailty and Specialist Services Directorate. The role may, on occasion, require the post holder to support other adult SLT services outside of the current rotation setting.

5.1 Responsibility for People Management

To provide advice, training and support to less experienced speech and language therapists, assistants and volunteers.

To provide support and training in a variety of clinical areas through contributing to CPD sessions, supervision and other types of formal and informal training

To contribute to and participate in Practice Supervision sessions

To promote the SLT role within the wider MDT and Livewell framework

To be able to recognise breakdown/conflict when it occurs and seek to reach resolution with support from line manager or Team Leader SLT if required.

To reflect on practice both individually and with peers/mentors and to identify personal strengths and development needs in order to raise clinical competence.

5.2 Responsibility for financial and/or physical resources

To be responsible for notifying senior staff of need to update equipment to meet caseload demands (according to service guidelines)

To be responsible for maintaining equipment records and the safe use and security of clinical equipment.

To provide clinical activity data and routine recording of CPD, travel, and other related activity, observing data protection guidelines

To ensure any day to day financial matters (eg dealing with petty cash/ expenses etc) are documented and processed correctly according to departmental policy.

To ensure clinical equipment is used correctly in accordance with Livewells safety and GDPR policies.

To identify where high -tech electronic communication systems are required to meet patient needs including assessment. With support from more experienced colleagues, provide onward referral to AAC West or investigate identification and selection of appropriate aid, including potential funding sources. With support, provide training for patients, carers, and other members of MDT in the effective use of communication equipment.

5.3 Responsibility for administration

To ensure that all clinical records comply with professional registration and Livewell Southwest policies.

To ensure that all adaptations to communication and media comply with Accessible Information Standards.

To support general day to day admin and running of the department including taking telephone calls, and dealing with clinical and non clinical administration as required by the service.

5.4 Responsibility for people who use our services

To independently manage personal caseload with reference to theory, published research and evidence and agreed best practice.

To identify, collect, analyse, and interpret case related information and data from patients, carers and other relevant sources.

To undertake a range of formal and informal assessments as indicated by the presenting SLCD and/or dysphagia.

To reach differential diagnoses on the basis of evidence gathered from assessments and other sources and with reference to theory.

To assess, manage and advise patients with dysphagia and their families with support from more experienced Speech and Language Therapists when required.

To attend ward rounds and MDT hand over meetings to update the MDT on individual patient goals and specialised care plans.

To develop patient-centred treatment/management plans ensuring patient/carers are fully involved in the decision making process.

To be responsible for the writing and dissemination of clinical reports based on assessment and treatment findings to appropriate professionals and relevant others.

To be responsible for triage, management and discharge of patients in relation to personal caseload without direct supervision.

To communicate complex information to patients whose ability to understand and co-operate is the primary difficulty and where a range of means and levels of communication are required.

To appropriately explain complex and sensitive case related information to patients and their carers.

To demonstrate empathy and reassurance when providing patients and carers with unwelcome information that has long-term implications e.g. where the communication difficulties are not likely to resolve.

To monitor, recognise and evaluate changes in the patients condition and adapt the assessment and treatment programme accordingly.

To identify, and communicate risk factors for impaired swallow and communication difficulties.

To recognise the need for onward referral for more specialist SLT intervention, further assessment or multidisciplinary advice.

To negotiate with carers/patients and professionals around individual case diagnosis and management where others have less specialist knowledge and/or experience in relation to speech, language, communication, and dysphagia and differences of professional judgement can occur.

To pass on skills to inform and enable other professionals and carers to agree and carry out individualised treatment programmes and advice e.g. clarifying individual patients levels of understanding thereby helping them give informed consent for complex procedures/life choices.

To be responsible for training and advising patients, carers, professionals, and non-professionals how to support speech, language, communication and dysphagia.

To contribute to clinical teams, both multi and uni-disciplinary, by discussing and negotiating own and others input around patients needs, ensuring a well-co-ordinated care plan based on best practice, evidence and care pathways.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree or equivalent in speech and language therapy
• HPC Registration
• RCSLT Registration
• RCSLT Level C dysphagia competencies (completed)
• Evidence of on-going education and professional development
• Computer literate
• Recognized qualification in written and spoken English if this is not first language

Desirable

• Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Network
• RCSLT accredited post-graduate dysphagia training or a willingness to undertake

Experience

Essential

• Autonomous practitioner with experience of managing a caseload
• Experience in communication assessment and treatment planning
• Experience in dysphagia assessment and management
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team in a rehabilitation setting
• Evidence of CPD

Desirable

• Experience of working with staff from other agencies
• Experience of teaching/ training
• Experience of working with Long term conditions and patients with neurological impairments
• Placement experience in a relevant setting

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Excellent knowledge of SLCD differential diagnosis in adult neuro client group.
• Demonstrate an understanding of multi-disciplinary team working and individual roles
• Knowledge of outcome measures within adult neuro client group.
• Knowledge and understanding of Clinical Governance
• Good skills in clinical assessment, intervention and evaluation
• Excellent communication skills, both written and spoken
• Excellent time management and organizational skills
• Ability to work in teams
• Excellent IT skills
• Knowledge of computer assisted therapy and AAC devices
• Ability to access/travel to patient homes across the Plymouth area

Desirable

• Skills in clinical assessment, intervention and evaluation.
• Evidence of special knowledge/interest in aphasia and/or motor speech disorders.
• Innovative.
• Flexible and able to cope with changes in setting as part of rotational post.
• Able to cope with emotionally challenging situations (with support from senior staff).
• Experience with computer assisted therapy and AAC.

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).