Job responsibilities
Communication and working relationships
- Maintain close collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team
through joint working and effective communication regarding treatment aims,
progress and discharge planning (providing written reports and referrals as
appropriate)
- Provide appropriate and timely information to all relevant members of the
healthcare team regarding patients rehabilitative requirements and changes in
progress and communicate complex condition-related information to clients,
carers, families and members of the MDT in a way that is accessible and
easily understood. This will include the use of facilitative strategies for people
with communication and/or cognitive disorders and other barriers to
understanding
- To provide expert advice to enable professionals and carers to provide clear
explanations when the patients levels of understanding and ability to
communicate their wishes are severely affected e.g. supporting patients to
give informed consent for complex procedures and life choices and power of
attorney
- To be responsible for updating notes within the patients care setting,
departmental notes, and a range of report writing including for legal purposes,
and dissemination of findings to appropriate professionals and relevant others
- To contribute to clinical teams, both multi- and uni-disciplinary, by discussing
and negotiating own and others input around patients needs, ensuring a well co-
ordinated care plan and pathway. To ensure patients and families are
aware of voluntary and support agencies
- To negotiate with carers/patients and professionals around individual case
diagnosis and management where others have less specialist knowledge
and/or experience in relation to SLCD and swallowing disorders (dysphagia),
and differences of professional judgement can occur e.g. over or under
estimation of patients understanding which would affect goals for treatment
and life choices, and/or texture of foods which can be eaten safely
- Liaise with the Head of Speech and Language Therapy Service and Adult
Service Clinical Manager of Torbay and South Devon Healthcare NHS
Foundation Trust (TSDHFT) regarding the provision of Speech and Language
Therapy services
- Communicate with relevant others.
Planning and organisation
- To independently manage a caseload of in-patients with highly complex
speech, language, communication and swallowing (dysphagia) difficulties with
reference to theory, published research and evidence, and agreed best
practice
- To be responsible for triaging referrals to the Speech and Language Therapy
service alongside SLT colleagues
- To prioritise and respond to referrals, allocating to less experienced colleagues
and exercising professional judgement based on extended clinical experience
- Provide appropriate and timely information to all relevant members of the
healthcare team regarding patients speech and language therapy
requirements and changes in progress
- Identify patient priorities and choices and plan intervention to accurately
incorporate these wishes
- Explore the use of remote therapy and be able to flex into this form of therapy
if service need dictates
- Submit regular data about activity levels as required
Analytical and judgement
- To identify, collect, analyse, and interpret highly complex case related
information and data from medical notes, patients, carers and other relevant
sources in order to reach a differential diagnoses on the basis of assimilated evidence from
formal and informal assessments including psychological and social factors.
** see full JD &PS for further details.
Clinical Governance and Risk Management
- The Trust believes everyone has a role to play in improving and contributing to
the quality of care provided to our clients. You are expected to take a proactive
role in supporting the Trusts clinical governance agenda by:
o Taking part in activities for improving quality such as Valuing Everyones
Experience training or (for staff working within clinical specialties) clinical
audit.
** see full JD &PS for further details.
Responsibility for patients and client care
- To be responsible for ensuring patients safety with regard to eating and
drinking by assessing, monitoring and updating, and communicating details of
safe practice to the patient, medical and ward staff, and carers, ensuring that
recommendations are clearly documented
- To provide appropriate specialist stroke intervention and evaluate outcomes
- To make judgements about when to refer patients for video fluoroscopy (X ray)
examination considering the risks and benefits of the procedure. To participate
in clinical discussion with the Clinical Lead for Dysphagia and to jointly
interpret results in order to plan appropriate SLT treatment
- To prioritise and decide on appropriate highly specialised treatment
programmes individual or group, matched to individual patient/family need and
to adapt and modify management options based on extended and developing
clinical expertise whilst ensuring patient/carers/multi-disciplinary team are fully
involved in the decision-making process
** see full JD &PS for further details.
Policy and service responsibility
- Contribute to the development of care guidelines, protocols and evidence-base
in order to inform practice.
** see full JD &PS for further details.
Responsibility for finance, equipment and other resources
** see full JD &PS for further details.
Responsibility for supervision, leadership and management
Take responsibility for own on-going clinical professional development
(including attendance at post-registration courses - internal and external)
- Take part in regular performance appraisal (Achievement Review) and to act
as an appraiser of junior staff
- Take part in line management of junior staff
- Undertake any training required in order to maintain competency including
mandatory training, e.g. Fire, Manual Handling, Infection Control
objectives
- To maintain registration with the Health and Care Professions Council and the
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists
** see full JD &PS for further details.
Information technology and administrative duties
- To record and update personally generated clinical observations, assessment
results, treatment and advice details in patient medical and departmental case
notes
** see full JD &PS for further details.
Responsibility for research and development
- To participate in and develop innovations in areas of risk management, quality
standards setting and clinical effectiveness.
** see full JD &PS for further details.
