Band 5 Acute Speech & Language Therapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Duties

1) Patient/client care

• To provide a high-quality service to patients at Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust as an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team. This includes providing detailed written treatment plans with client centred goals.

• To be professional, legally responsible & accountable for all aspects of own work and activities.
• Work as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team, contributing to team discussions and influencing decisions about patient care programmes, taking on the role of care co-ordinator where appropriate.

• Develop and carry out robust treatment and management plans individually or in a group setting, evaluating the outcomes as appropriate.
• Follow appropriate discharge criteria, discussing and agreeing this with the MDT, and disseminating information to ensure smooth transfer to other services on discharge from Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

• Provide specialist advice, teaching & training to other members of the MDT regarding the SLT management of patients with communication and swallowing disorders.

• To share information with others, observing data protection guidelines

1) Professional

Work in accordance with RCSLT and HPC rules of professional conduct and within local care pathways, policies and standards.

Establish and maintain effective communication networks with patients, carers, MDT, other workers and agencies across health, social care and the private sector locally and regionally.

Promote awareness of the role of Speech and Language Therapy within Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

Be responsible for own personal development in order to establish and maintain competence and fitness to practice as a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist with stroke and other adult patients. To maintain a professional evidence based portfolio, meeting the requirements of the HPC.

Contribute to the supervision of Speech and Language Therapy students on practice placement within the Trust, including written assessment.

Contribute to the Trusts Divisional and Teams clinical governance arrangements and quality agenda including reporting clinical risks.

2) Organisational

• Take the lead for information management within area of responsibility to ensure high quality up to date records and activity data are maintained in accordance with Professional and Trust standards & produce in a timely manner.

• Collate, interpret and analyse activity data and report on findings for service development & provide specialist reports on patient & service related issues as required.

• Be involved in the planning, evaluation and audit of practice, clinical pathways and protocols using where appropriate national guidelines / legislation.

• Be aware of and assist with managing resources and equipment necessary to meet service needs in clinical area, reporting any faults.

• Work at weekend & out of hours as appropriate & necessary within competencies, but not necessarily with your usual caseload.

• Accept responsibility for delegated tasks within the overall management of the Speech and Language Therapy service.

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 once established within the department and full preceptorship requirements have been met.

To explain the role of Speech and Language Therapists to visitors, students and volunteers

Research and development

To contribute to Clinical Governance /audit projects/collecting of research data within the local service under supervision and to participate in departmental research

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

3) 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

4) Training and experience

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

To attend relevant training and development in order to maintain skills and knowledge required of a therapist working in the field of general medicine and maintain up to date HCPC and RCSLT registration.

To demonstrate knowledge of, and adhere to HCPC & RCSLT Professional and Clinical and National and Local Clinical Guidelines.

To participate in the development and delivery of training (formal and informal) to others with and without support.

To keep up to date with new techniques and developments for the promotion and maintenance of good practice in working with clients with communication and/or swallowing disorders following stroke or other medical cause.

To attend relevant course, meetings and CENs

To develop a working knowledge of the principles of Clinical Governance and their application to professional practice

Person Specification

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• A knowledge of the types of communication difficulties affecting adults in an acute setting.
• A knowledge of a range of formal and informal assessments relevant to the client group.
• An up to date knowledge of evidence based practice for patients with communication difficulties
• Good written and verbal skills
• Proficient in using email, Microsoft and outlook

Desirable

• Some knowledge of national policies relating to the client group
• Experience of making low tech communication devices

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in SLT or equivalent
• RCSLT registered
• HPC registered
• Experience of working with patients with communication difficulties either as a student or post-qualification.
• An awareness of the types of swallowing difficulties that may arise in acute hospital.

Desirable

• Basic dysphagia competencies.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with adults with a communication difficulty, either independently or under supervision.

Desirable

• Experience of delivering training in communication
• Experience of working with patients in an acute setting either as a student, post qualification or SLT assistant
• Experience of delivering dysphagia therapy and observing SLTs working with dysphagia.
• Experience of working independently with patients with communication difficulties

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Good personal organisational skills
• Demonstrates initiative
• A good team player
• Copes well under pressure

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD

Employer's website

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