Job responsibilities
Patient/client
care:
To assess, develop and implement
Specialist Speech and Language Therapy Treatment
To write reports reflecting specialist
knowledge
To provide appropriate specialist
intervention and evaluate outcomes
To provide advice to others regarding
the management and care of patients/clients with communication, voice and/or feeding and swallowing difficulties
To ensure that patients are involved in
the planning and prioritisation of their care plans wherever possible
To demonstrate negotiation skills
To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by
use of evidence based practice and outcome measures
To adapt practice to meet individual
patients circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic
differences
To demonstrate skills in dealing with
complex issues to generate appropriate strategies for caseload management
Policy/service
development/implementation:
To contribute to
interagency/multi-disciplinary team building
To be aware of, adhere to and implement
service and team plans and policies
To use specialist knowledge to inform
service/policy developments as appropriate
Financial
and physical resources:
To monitor stock levels in own service
area and request new equipment as appropriate
To be responsible for the security, care
and maintenance of equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety
are maintained including equipment loaned to clients
Human
resources
To supervise the work of assistants and
volunteers
To participate in student placements as
appropriate
To provide mentoring to more junior
Speech and Language Therapists
To explain the role of Speech and
Language Therapists to visitors, students and volunteers
To assist in the support of students
from other professional groups as appropriate
To participate in specialist training in
area of clinical expertise
To assist with the identification of training
needs within the team
Information
resources:
To maintain up to date and accurate case
notes in line with RCSLT professional standards and local trust policies
To share information with others,
observing data protection guidelines
To gather activity data accurately and
regularly, ensuring the provision of such information promptly within local
Trust guidelines
Research
and development:
To participate in and develop
innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical
effectiveness
To undertake Clinical Governance /audit
projects within local service
To participate in departmental research
and clinical governance/audit projects
To collect and provide research data as
required
Freedom
to act:
To be accountable for own professional
action and recognise own professional boundaries, seeking advice as appropriate
To work within defined departmental and
national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct
To work independently accessing
appraisal within an Individual Performance Framework at pre-determined
intervals
Knowledge and Skills:
Communication
and relationship skills:
To contribute to clinical teams both
multi disciplinary and uni disciplinary by discussing own and others input
around clients needs ensuring a well co-ordinated care plan
To communicate complex condition related
information from assessment to clients, carers, families and members of the
multi-disciplinary team/other professions
To work closely with clients, carers and
families, agreeing decision making relevant to the patient/client management
To demonstrate empathy with clients,
carers and families and colleagues, ensuring that effective communication is
achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist
To develop skills in motivating clients
and /or carers to engage in the therapeutic process
To develop negotiation skills in the
management of conflict across a range of situations
To deal with initial complaints
sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible
To form productive relationships with
others who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication
difficulties
To employ excellent communication skills
Knowledge,
training and experience:
To demonstrate Specialist Knowledge in
clinical specialism underpinned by current evidence based practice
To manage caseload independently
To identify personal/professional
development evidenced by Personal Development Plan/ Professional Portfolio
developed within an appraisal framework
To participate in Individual Performance
Review ensuring that the objectives set reflect the Service and Trust plans,
including specific objectives relating the clinical specialism
To attend relevant training and
development in order to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a
specialist therapist working in the adult acute inpatients and voice
outpatients and maintain up to date HPC and RCSLT registration
To attend Specialist Short Courses
appropriate to clinical specialism
To demonstrate knowledge of, and adhere
to RCSLT Professional and Clinical and National and Local Clinical Guidelines
To participate in the development of
local clinical guidelines informed by evidence of clinical specialism
To participate in the development and
delivery of specialist training (formal and informal) to others in area of
clinical expertise with and without support
To keep up to date with new techniques
and developments for the promotion and maintenance of good practice in stroke rehabilitation
To provide advice to non-specialists and
other specialists/ professionals within clinical field
To attend relevant course, meetings and
special interest groups
To develop a working knowledge of
relevant procedures including: Safeguarding, , Working with Vulnerable Adults,
Mental Capacity Act and other legal frameworks
To develop a working knowledge of the
principles of Clinical Governance and their application to professional
practice
Analytical
and judgmental skills:
To develop the ability to reflect on
auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of clients communication /voice and
to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative
effectiveness
To negotiate with carers, clients and
others around individual case management
To recognise potential breakdown and
conflict when it occurs and seek advice and support to resolve
To use specialist knowledge to inform
sound clinical judgements/decision making for case management
To make a differential diagnosis on the
basis of evidence from assessment seeking advice as appropriate
To develop clear care plans based on
best practice
To demonstrate the ability to reflect on
practice with peers and mentors and identify own strengths and development
needs
To develop the ability to target
training (formal and informal) appropriately to the needs of course
participants
To develop the ability to reflect on and
evaluate training provided
To adapt practice to meet individual
patient/client circumstances
Planning
and organisational skills
To manage and prioritise own caseload
independently
To manage and prioritise own workload
Physical
skills
To demonstrate highly developed auditory
and perceptual skills in the assessment diagnosis and treatment of
patients/clients
To demonstrate skills in handling
clients with disabilities
Effort
and Environment:
Physical
effort:
To have due regard for your own personal
safety and that of patients/carers, in particular to have regard to moving and
handling regulations, restraining policies and ensure the safe positioning of
self and others
Mental
effort:
To maintain intense concentration in all
aspects of patient management for prolonged periods. In particular, to monitor
auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of clients communication, adapting
and facilitating according to perceived client needs including cultural and
linguistic differences.
To be flexible to the demands of the
environment including unpredictable work patterns, deadlines and frequent interruptions
Emotional
effort
To maintain sensitivity at all times to
the emotional needs of stroke and other patients and their carers in particular
when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the
communication and swallowing difficulties and implications of the same
To demonstrate the ability to manage patients
with challenging behaviours including the application of appropriate management
strategies
Working
conditions:
To work within infection control and
health and safety guidelines in order to deal appropriately with unpleasant
conditions related to client contact as they arise: for example exposure to
body fluids, infectious conditions, encountered on a regular basis
To employ appropriate strategies to
manage aggressive behaviour within the workplace
