Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

The closing date is 29 May 2025

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (SALT) to assess, manage and support the communication and dysphagia needs of inpatient service users at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation ward based in the Sid Watkins building on the Aintree Hospital site

You will join a , motivated inpatient team, including Neuropsychiatry, Psychology, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Nursing , and our team of Rehabilitation Co-therapists .

You will also be part of the wider Mental Health Care Division SALT service. We aim to provide the best Person-centred care, ensuring quality and safety are central. We meet regularly for peer support, clinical supervision, team meetings.

Main duties of the job

Dysphagia assessment and intervention

Communication assessment and intervention

Providing Easy Read documentation

Supporting Capacity assessments

Service Evaluation/Audit

Integral member of the MDT

Attendance at MDT meetings and patient reviews

About us

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Details

Date posted

08 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£46,148 to £52,809 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

350-MHC6856214-B

Job locations

Brain Injury Rehabilitation

Sid Watkins building, Aintree hospital site, Longmoor Lane

Liverpool

L9 7BB


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification document for full details of this role.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification document for full details of this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Completion of a recognised training course awarding relevant degree/diploma approved by the RCSLT and HPC
  • Registered with the HPC - License to practice
  • Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses up to Master's level or equivalent
  • Experiential training which demonstrates highly specialist skills in specialist area
  • Evidence of management training
  • Evidence of leadership training
  • Membership of relevant special interest groups

Desirable

  • Post graduate certificate in speciality
  • Postgraduate Dysphagia qualification / competencies
  • Postgraduate Dysphagia qualification / competencies

Knowledge/ Experience

Essential

  • Relevant experience at undergraduate/post graduate level
  • Experience of carrying out specialist assessments and interventions
  • Proven ability to work independently, prioritise and manage own complex caseload.
  • Experience of working with highly complex cases, such as progressive illness and rare conditions
  • Evidence of experience of: Multi disciplinary team working
  • Leading in service projects
  • Developing and leading training of others and Language Therapists
  • Advanced knowledge of assessment tools relevant to the client group
  • In depth knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to the client group
  • Advanced knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions relevant to the client group and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits
  • In depth knowledge of the principles of clinical governance/audit
  • Understands the roles of other professionals relevant to the client group
  • Understands the standards of record keeping
  • Understands confidentiality as relating to the NHS

Desirable

  • Experience of being a Clinical Educator
  • Experience of providing supervision to staff members
  • Experience of facilitating groups
  • Experience of using iPads and other forms of technology
  • Experience of delivering/developing training to staff/carers
  • Student training

Skills

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal skills - including, listening and empathy skills
  • Highly developed negotiation and problem-solving skills
  • Excellent analytical and reflection skills
  • Well-developed concentration skills.
  • Excellent presentation skills written and verbal
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Prioritisation and time management Skills
  • Good Auditory discrimination skills and ability to transcribe phonetically
  • Able to be a good team member and assume leadership responsibilities
  • Able to work independently recognising own limits
  • Flexible and able to cope with change
  • Learns from experience and willing to adapt accordingly, including learning new skills
  • Able to critically appraise research Articles
  • Ability to communicate highly complex or sensitive advice and information to others

Values

Essential

  • Continuous Improvement
  • Accountability
  • Respectfulness
  • Enthusiasm
  • Support
  • High professional standards
  • Responsive to service users
  • Engaging leadership style
  • Strong customer service belief
  • Transparency and honesty
  • Discreet
  • Change oriented
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Completion of a recognised training course awarding relevant degree/diploma approved by the RCSLT and HPC
  • Registered with the HPC - License to practice
  • Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses up to Master's level or equivalent
  • Experiential training which demonstrates highly specialist skills in specialist area
  • Evidence of management training
  • Evidence of leadership training
  • Membership of relevant special interest groups

Desirable

  • Post graduate certificate in speciality
  • Postgraduate Dysphagia qualification / competencies
  • Postgraduate Dysphagia qualification / competencies

Knowledge/ Experience

Essential

  • Relevant experience at undergraduate/post graduate level
  • Experience of carrying out specialist assessments and interventions
  • Proven ability to work independently, prioritise and manage own complex caseload.
  • Experience of working with highly complex cases, such as progressive illness and rare conditions
  • Evidence of experience of: Multi disciplinary team working
  • Leading in service projects
  • Developing and leading training of others and Language Therapists
  • Advanced knowledge of assessment tools relevant to the client group
  • In depth knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to the client group
  • Advanced knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions relevant to the client group and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits
  • In depth knowledge of the principles of clinical governance/audit
  • Understands the roles of other professionals relevant to the client group
  • Understands the standards of record keeping
  • Understands confidentiality as relating to the NHS

Desirable

  • Experience of being a Clinical Educator
  • Experience of providing supervision to staff members
  • Experience of facilitating groups
  • Experience of using iPads and other forms of technology
  • Experience of delivering/developing training to staff/carers
  • Student training

Skills

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal skills - including, listening and empathy skills
  • Highly developed negotiation and problem-solving skills
  • Excellent analytical and reflection skills
  • Well-developed concentration skills.
  • Excellent presentation skills written and verbal
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Prioritisation and time management Skills
  • Good Auditory discrimination skills and ability to transcribe phonetically
  • Able to be a good team member and assume leadership responsibilities
  • Able to work independently recognising own limits
  • Flexible and able to cope with change
  • Learns from experience and willing to adapt accordingly, including learning new skills
  • Able to critically appraise research Articles
  • Ability to communicate highly complex or sensitive advice and information to others

Values

Essential

  • Continuous Improvement
  • Accountability
  • Respectfulness
  • Enthusiasm
  • Support
  • High professional standards
  • Responsive to service users
  • Engaging leadership style
  • Strong customer service belief
  • Transparency and honesty
  • Discreet
  • Change oriented

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

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.

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

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Brain Injury Rehabilitation

Sid Watkins building, Aintree hospital site, Longmoor Lane

Liverpool

L9 7BB


Employer's website

https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Brain Injury Rehabilitation

Sid Watkins building, Aintree hospital site, Longmoor Lane

Liverpool

L9 7BB


Employer's website

https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Ward Manager

Colin Ross

colin.ross@merseycare.nhs.uk

01512506247

Details

Date posted

08 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£46,148 to £52,809 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

350-MHC6856214-B

Job locations

Brain Injury Rehabilitation

Sid Watkins building, Aintree hospital site, Longmoor Lane

Liverpool

L9 7BB


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)