Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist (Critical Care)

Job summary

We are looking for an experienced Speech and Language Therapist to join our established Critical Care & Tracheostomy SLT team. You will have clinical skills in supporting and rehabilitating the communication and swallowing needs of critically ill patients. You will either be a proficient Band 6 or already working in a Band 7 role. Developmental posts between band 6 to 7 can be discussed.

This role will lead on the rehabilitation of the critically unwell patients for the duration of their inpatient admission, AAC in the critical care setting, and training and education for the critical care MDT.

The Integrated Critical Care Unit (ICCU) at RWT is a 28 bedded unit, covering both general intensive care and cardiothoracic surgery.

Our team has access to videofluoroscopy and FEES services, providing responsive instrumental assessment to support dysphagia management and swallow rehabilitation.Competencies in FEES and tracheostomy is preferred, however training can be provided and supported if required.

We have a supportive admin team, embedded supervision, support structures for both professional development. Wellbeing and CPD is very well supported and actively encouraged. We have very strong SLT and AHP leadership within the Trust.

Our wider SLT staff work across a variety of inpatient and community settings. We also benefit from being part of a large SLT service which includes children's services.

We welcome informal visits and discussions about this role.

Main duties of the job

To work in collaboration with the Head of Adult SLT Service and the Advanced Practitioner SLTs for Critical Care and Tracheostomy in planning, coordinating, delivering and evaluating the Speech & Language Therapy provided to patients within the Trust on a day to day basis.

To provide highly specialist SLT assessment diagnosis and treatment of patients.

To ensure the delivery of highly specialist care to all patients in the Trust according to clinical priorities and as required by the Head of Service, usually in critical care, as part of the critical care SLT team, including Advanced Practitioner SLTs.

To provide highly specialist SLT in the area of critical care, ensuring effective practice and providing support and development to SLTs and the wider MDT

To ensure effective utilisation of instrumental assessment and to liaise with the MDT to achieve this efficiently for patients

To maintain close working relationships with other health professionals /referrers to ensure efficient, effective and appropriate delivery of the service.

To supervise and educate student SLTs to a graduate standard, working with the Universities to ensure standard of practice and teaching meets the standards set by the degree level qualification.

About us

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is one of the largest NHS trusts in the West Midlands providing primary, acute and community services and we are incredibly proud of the diversity of both our staff and the communities we serve. We are building a workforce that can help us to fulfil our values, improve the quality of care for patients, and solve the health care problems of tomorrow. We're passionate about the value that diversity of thinking and lived experience brings in enabling us to become a learning organisation and leader in delivering compassionate care for our patients.

We are delighted that we have been rated as "Good" by CQC. We have achieved numerous awards; The Nursing Times Best Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Best UK Employer of the Year for Nursing Staff in 2020.

The Trust is a supportive working environment committed to creating flexible working arrangements that suit your needs and as such will consider all requests from applicants who wish to work flexibly.