Job summary
The Adult Community Speech & Language Therapy Team have an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and experienced band 6 Therapist to join our friendly and supportive team for a year's fixed term contract to cover maternity leave, based in beautiful South Devon, with easy access to beautiful beaches and moors.
We are an innovative and motivated team within a supportive and collaborative environment that offers:
- An opportunity to work with a varied caseload, including Parkinson's Disease, dementia, stroke and MND.
- Access to instrumental swallowing assessment - in particular our well developed Fees service.
- 1:1 regular management supervision.
- Access to clinical supervision 1:1 and in peer groups.
- Joint working and second opinions with our clinical specialists.
- Regular opportunities for CPD
- A car owner/driver and current driving licence is essential or full access to a car for work purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005).
Main duties of the job
Responsible for triaging referrals to the Speech and Language Therapy Community Adult service alongside SLT colleagues
Independently manage a caseload of community patients with highly complex speech, language, communication and swallowing (dysphagia) difficulties with reference to theory, published research and evidence, and agreed best practice
Prioritise and respond to referrals, allocating to less experienced colleagues and exercising professional judgement based on extended clinical experience
Provide a service as appropriate to hospitals, nursing, residential homes and patients own homes, using own car to travel between relevant locations for clinic visits, meetings etc.
Function as part of a multi-disciplinary team including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social services personnel, social care, and dietitians
Weekend working and home working may be required in order to provide a service model that meets future requirements
About us
Why Work With Us
We are a small, friendly team of dynamic and enthusiastic therapists and support workers.
We work as part of an integrated care organisation, the first in the UK, serving rural and urban communities in South Devon. The demography has a high elderly population
We provide well led acute, community and specialist services, to people from the local area, and were one of the first to run therapist led FEES clinics in the UK
Our visionis to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education and support for our clinicians
Job description
Job responsibilities
Independently manage a caseload of community patients with highly complex speech, language, communication and swallowing (dysphagia) difficulties with reference to theory, published research and evidence, and agreed best practice
Responsible for triaging referrals to the Speech and Language Therapy Community Adult service alongside SLT colleagues
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
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.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Independently manage a caseload of community patients with highly complex speech, language, communication and swallowing (dysphagia) difficulties with reference to theory, published research and evidence, and agreed best practice
Responsible for triaging referrals to the Speech and Language Therapy Community Adult service alongside SLT colleagues
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
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.
Person Specification
Qualifications and training
Essential
- Degree or equivalent in speech and language therapy
- HCPC Registration
- RCSLT Registration
- Post-graduate qualification in dysphagia management or sign off of all dysphagia competencies at foundation level
- Evidence of on-going education and professional development
Desirable
- Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Network
- Advanced Clinical Educator
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Specialist knowledge of aphasia and dysarthria assessment, diagnosis and management
- Experience of the assessment and management of clients with progressive neurological conditions
- Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to communicate highly complex information to meet a range of levels of in understanding of clients and carers
- Proven post graduate experience in adult neurological rehabilitation
- Experience of the assessment and management of clients with progressive neurological conditions
- Demonstrate an understanding of multidisciplinary team working and individual roles
- Ability to negotiate and explain complex case related information about speech & language development and disorders to a range of audiences
- Independent clinical management of complex caseload with access to regular support from senior staff
- Able to undertake and adapt wide range of formal and informal assessments to meet patient need based on extended clinical experience beyond graduate level
- Able to identify, collect, analyse, and interpret complex case related information
- Able to make a differential diagnosis on the basis of assimilated evidence from assessments - some of which may be conflicting commitment to evidence based practice
- able to recognise own clinical competencies and the need for onward referral for more specialist advice
- Ability to reflect on practice to identify own strengths and development needs
- Able to demonstrate effective team working
- Highly developed IT skills to support use of high-tech communication aids
- Minimum 2 years post graduate experience in adult neurological rehabilitation
Desirable
- Leadership qualities
- Experience of working with an adult neuro caseload in a community setting
- Supervision of SLT assistants and less experienced therapists
- Experience in applying research to practice
- Innovative
- Able to implement and adapt specialised treatment programmes from a range of options based on extended clinical experience
- Knowledge and experience of clinical governance
- Additional experience in other fields of adult SLT
- Experience managing tracheotomised clients
- Experience of working with an adult neuro caseload in a community setting
- Supervision of SLT assistants and less experienced therapists
- Experience of waiting list management
- Experience of working with staff from other agencies
- Experienced clinical educator of students
- Experience of audit projects
Specific Skills
Essential
- Able to maintain sensitivity at all times to patients, carers and families, especially when imparting distressing information about the nature and implications of profound, long-term communication and swallowing disorders
- Able to recognise conflict between patients and their carers/relatives and facilitate resolution
- Able to work as an integral part of a team
Person Specification
Qualifications and training
Essential
- Degree or equivalent in speech and language therapy
- HCPC Registration
- RCSLT Registration
- Post-graduate qualification in dysphagia management or sign off of all dysphagia competencies at foundation level
- Evidence of on-going education and professional development
Desirable
- Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Network
- Advanced Clinical Educator
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Specialist knowledge of aphasia and dysarthria assessment, diagnosis and management
- Experience of the assessment and management of clients with progressive neurological conditions
- Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to communicate highly complex information to meet a range of levels of in understanding of clients and carers
- Proven post graduate experience in adult neurological rehabilitation
- Experience of the assessment and management of clients with progressive neurological conditions
- Demonstrate an understanding of multidisciplinary team working and individual roles
- Ability to negotiate and explain complex case related information about speech & language development and disorders to a range of audiences
- Independent clinical management of complex caseload with access to regular support from senior staff
- Able to undertake and adapt wide range of formal and informal assessments to meet patient need based on extended clinical experience beyond graduate level
- Able to identify, collect, analyse, and interpret complex case related information
- Able to make a differential diagnosis on the basis of assimilated evidence from assessments - some of which may be conflicting commitment to evidence based practice
- able to recognise own clinical competencies and the need for onward referral for more specialist advice
- Ability to reflect on practice to identify own strengths and development needs
- Able to demonstrate effective team working
- Highly developed IT skills to support use of high-tech communication aids
- Minimum 2 years post graduate experience in adult neurological rehabilitation
Desirable
- Leadership qualities
- Experience of working with an adult neuro caseload in a community setting
- Supervision of SLT assistants and less experienced therapists
- Experience in applying research to practice
- Innovative
- Able to implement and adapt specialised treatment programmes from a range of options based on extended clinical experience
- Knowledge and experience of clinical governance
- Additional experience in other fields of adult SLT
- Experience managing tracheotomised clients
- Experience of working with an adult neuro caseload in a community setting
- Supervision of SLT assistants and less experienced therapists
- Experience of waiting list management
- Experience of working with staff from other agencies
- Experienced clinical educator of students
- Experience of audit projects
Specific Skills
Essential
- Able to maintain sensitivity at all times to patients, carers and families, especially when imparting distressing information about the nature and implications of profound, long-term communication and swallowing disorders
- Able to recognise conflict between patients and their carers/relatives and facilitate resolution
- Able to work as an integral part of a team
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).
