Job summary
Are you a Newly Qualified Speech and Language Therapist or someone who is enthusiastic about working with adults with mental health disorders, autistic people and/or learning disabilities in Maidstone and Dartford (Kent)?
If so, this brand-new post could be for you!
You will be working alongside a Band 7 SLT and a full multidisciplinary team consisting of nurses, health care assistants, psychologists, occupational therapists, health care support workers and social workers.
This is an exciting opportunity to have a core role in embedding Speech and Language Therapy across Forensic Mental Health services.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be part of the Forensic & Specialist Inpatient Secure Service AHP team, providing Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) across Medium and Low Secure settings within multi-disciplinary teams.
This role involves assessing and providing support for communication disorders/differences and eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties for those with mental health disorders, neurodevelopmental conditions and/or Learning Disabilities.
The use of direct and indirect interventions provides our service users with appropriate opportunities for communication and enhances autonomy and choice, enabling them to be at the centre of their own care pathway.
An important part of this role will be embedding an inclusive communication approach in all forensic mental health settings to provide optimal communication environments for service users.
About us
We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway. Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the 1.8 million people of Kent and Medway. Rated 'Good' by the CQC, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 in the community each year.
Our vision is simple: We are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. And everything we do is guided by our values caring, inclusive, curious and confident.
Join us - if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's doing well together.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description for the full details on the responsibilities and person specification
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description for the full details on the responsibilities and person specification
Person Specification
Training, Qualifications & Registration
Essential
- Recognised SLT professional qualification
- Registration with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
Desirable
- Registered member of the a relevant professional body of Clinical Excellence Network
- Completed Dysphagia Competencies
Experience
Essential
- Relevant experience/placements to the role including assessment and management of communication disorders and dysphagia
- Experience of supporting service users, families and carers in dealing with the impacts of communication and/or eating, drinking & swallowing needs
Desirable
- Experience of working in forensic/mental health services
- Working in a MDT
- Awareness of neuroaffirming practice
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Evidence of clinical knowledge relevant to the post
- Understanding of Information Governance, Data Protection & Safeguarding Adults
- Ability to assess communication skills and abilities
- Knowledge of and ability to apply national policies and procedures including, but not limited to confidentiality, consent, risk management, service user involvement
- Ability to analyse and resolve clinical and ethical issues and enable others to actively reflect and learn
Desirable
- Awareness of standardised and non standardised assessment methods and outcome measures relevant to the client group
- Awareness of relevant NSFs and NICE guidance
- Awareness of underlying principles involved in working with forensic/criminal justice backgrounds
- Ability to determine a treatment plan for service users
- Ability to provide clinical information to service users effectively
Person Specification
Training, Qualifications & Registration
Essential
- Recognised SLT professional qualification
- Registration with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
Desirable
- Registered member of the a relevant professional body of Clinical Excellence Network
- Completed Dysphagia Competencies
Experience
Essential
- Relevant experience/placements to the role including assessment and management of communication disorders and dysphagia
- Experience of supporting service users, families and carers in dealing with the impacts of communication and/or eating, drinking & swallowing needs
Desirable
- Experience of working in forensic/mental health services
- Working in a MDT
- Awareness of neuroaffirming practice
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Evidence of clinical knowledge relevant to the post
- Understanding of Information Governance, Data Protection & Safeguarding Adults
- Ability to assess communication skills and abilities
- Knowledge of and ability to apply national policies and procedures including, but not limited to confidentiality, consent, risk management, service user involvement
- Ability to analyse and resolve clinical and ethical issues and enable others to actively reflect and learn
Desirable
- Awareness of standardised and non standardised assessment methods and outcome measures relevant to the client group
- Awareness of relevant NSFs and NICE guidance
- Awareness of underlying principles involved in working with forensic/criminal justice backgrounds
- Ability to determine a treatment plan for service users
- Ability to provide clinical information to service users effectively
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).
