Job summary
After a review of Speech and Language Therapy provision across the Trust we are pleased to offer a development opportunity for a Speech and Language Therapist with experience of working in the acute hospital and rehabilitation settings and with acquired speech, language, voice and communication impairments and dysphagia.
This post is ideal for a band 5 Speech & Language Therapist with some experience looking towards developing into a Band 6 or a band 6 who is looking for a new challenge in a new trust. A training post may be offered if appropriate (Annex 21)
This post is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Band 5 looking to develop their specialist skills in inpatient and outpatient settings. There are opportunities to contribute to the development of Speech and Language Therapy Services for patients in a variety of clinical areas including Stroke, Frailty, Respiratory, Critical Care and the Regional Burns Unit.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will:
- Have a working knowledge of a broad range of acute conditions
- Deliver high standard evidence-based care
- Perform therapy assessments of patients, providing a diagnosis to develop and deliver an individualised treatment programme
- Demonstrate a flexible approach to day-to-day tasks
- Be able to carry out complex holistic assessments
- Make prompt clinically reasoned decisions
- Participate in the care planning process, facilitating the patient's contribution to decisions about their care
- Supervise staff within the team and students on placement
- Have the ability to work flexibly and adaptably to changing working patterns as the team work their 37.5 hours across a 7 day rota, participating in late shifts (11am-7pm)
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
- Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Job description
Job responsibilities
Our team offer:
- Regular support and supervision from experienced Speech and Language Therapists
- In Service Training to promote clinical excellence and evidence-based practice.
- Options to develop experience of working in Stroke, Acute Neurology, Voice, Dementia, Long Term Conditions (e.g. Parkinsons disease, MND, MS and Huntingtons disease) Frailty, Respiratory, Early Supported Discharge teams in the community and outpatient clinics.
- Opportunities to contribute to departmental service development.
- Strong links with the wider MDT and opportunities for interprofessional working.
- Links to the Research and Innovation department and opportunities to contribute to National and Local research studies.
- Consideration of flexible working.
We are committed to providing student education and you will be required to contribute to clinical education for speech and language therapy students and contribute as part of the multidisciplinary team to the education of student across the trust.
To fulfil the role of Speech and Language Therapist you will need to have HCPC registration, be a member of RCSLT and have evidence of appropriate CPD activity and experience of working with adult patients.
All posts are subjected to Enhanced CRB checks.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Our team offer:
- Regular support and supervision from experienced Speech and Language Therapists
- In Service Training to promote clinical excellence and evidence-based practice.
- Options to develop experience of working in Stroke, Acute Neurology, Voice, Dementia, Long Term Conditions (e.g. Parkinsons disease, MND, MS and Huntingtons disease) Frailty, Respiratory, Early Supported Discharge teams in the community and outpatient clinics.
- Opportunities to contribute to departmental service development.
- Strong links with the wider MDT and opportunities for interprofessional working.
- Links to the Research and Innovation department and opportunities to contribute to National and Local research studies.
- Consideration of flexible working.
We are committed to providing student education and you will be required to contribute to clinical education for speech and language therapy students and contribute as part of the multidisciplinary team to the education of student across the trust.
To fulfil the role of Speech and Language Therapist you will need to have HCPC registration, be a member of RCSLT and have evidence of appropriate CPD activity and experience of working with adult patients.
All posts are subjected to Enhanced CRB checks.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree in Speech and Language Therapy or equivalent
- Post graduate dysphagia qualification
- HCPC Registered
Experience
Essential
- Previous demonstrable experience of working in a health, social or personal care setting as a Speech and Language Therapist with adults with a range of acquired communication and dysphagia disorders.
- Working knowledge of confidentiality and data protection procedures in relation to the recording of patient information
- Awareness of current NHS issues, National Policies and relevant frameworks/quality indicators
- Knowledge of evidence based practice and importance within clinical area
- Experience of taking an active role within Multidisciplinary Team
- Demonstrate an awareness of clinical governance, and its application within Therapy
- Demonstrate commitment to your and others ongoing Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and maintenance of professional portfolio.
- Awareness of health and safety issues and reporting mechanisms
Desirable
- Basic competency in videofluoroscopic examinations and tracheostomy management
Skills
Essential
- Ability to manage own time and work autonomously within clinical and non-clinical activity and to guide others using problem solving and decision making skills
- Ability to maintain records, statistical and activity data according to service standards
- Ability to encourage and motivate others by providing sound practical and realistic advice
- Ability to demonstrate clinical reasoning and a holistic problem solving approach appropriate to experience within clinical area
- Ability to manage own stress and awareness of stress in others
- To demonstrate tact/diplomacy and empathy within clinical settings
- Good interpersonal skills with effective written and verbal communication
- Effective teaching and presentation skills
- Ability to demonstrate assertiveness within clinical settings
- Ability to positively represent the Therapy Team within the Organisation
- Ability to demonstrate reflective practice
Other
Essential
- The post includes a combination of complex physical activities with duties being carried out in a variety of settings across the clinical sites
- The post holder will be required to work across sites including hospital / community settings
- To be able to carry out moving and handling with patients using equipment e.g. hoists, or use of specialist medical devices related to specialism
- The post holder will be required to use frequent concentration in assessing patients and devising care plans during the day.
- Conveying complex information in a comprehensible and practical way to clients, families and carers where there may be significant barriers to understanding.
- Prioritising clinical work responding to unpredictable demands on time e.g. responding to bleeps for urgent referrals
- The post holder will often have to overcome barriers to communication such as illiteracy, learning difficulties, hearing and sight impairment, language and may have to work with interpreters.
- Communication with and have direct contact with a wide variety of people, including health, social care and education professionals, patients, carers, the public.
- Daily involvement with chronically and terminally ill patients and their carers.
- The post holder will be exposed to sensitive, emotional and distressing circumstances, including terminally ill patients and abusive patients/carers.
- The post holder will be exposed to the working conditions associated clinical environment
- Routinely encounters unpleasant smells and sights, with possible exposure to bodily fluids including blood and sputum
- Ability to fulfill the travel requirements of the post
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree in Speech and Language Therapy or equivalent
- Post graduate dysphagia qualification
- HCPC Registered
Experience
Essential
- Previous demonstrable experience of working in a health, social or personal care setting as a Speech and Language Therapist with adults with a range of acquired communication and dysphagia disorders.
- Working knowledge of confidentiality and data protection procedures in relation to the recording of patient information
- Awareness of current NHS issues, National Policies and relevant frameworks/quality indicators
- Knowledge of evidence based practice and importance within clinical area
- Experience of taking an active role within Multidisciplinary Team
- Demonstrate an awareness of clinical governance, and its application within Therapy
- Demonstrate commitment to your and others ongoing Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and maintenance of professional portfolio.
- Awareness of health and safety issues and reporting mechanisms
Desirable
- Basic competency in videofluoroscopic examinations and tracheostomy management
Skills
Essential
- Ability to manage own time and work autonomously within clinical and non-clinical activity and to guide others using problem solving and decision making skills
- Ability to maintain records, statistical and activity data according to service standards
- Ability to encourage and motivate others by providing sound practical and realistic advice
- Ability to demonstrate clinical reasoning and a holistic problem solving approach appropriate to experience within clinical area
- Ability to manage own stress and awareness of stress in others
- To demonstrate tact/diplomacy and empathy within clinical settings
- Good interpersonal skills with effective written and verbal communication
- Effective teaching and presentation skills
- Ability to demonstrate assertiveness within clinical settings
- Ability to positively represent the Therapy Team within the Organisation
- Ability to demonstrate reflective practice
Other
Essential
- The post includes a combination of complex physical activities with duties being carried out in a variety of settings across the clinical sites
- The post holder will be required to work across sites including hospital / community settings
- To be able to carry out moving and handling with patients using equipment e.g. hoists, or use of specialist medical devices related to specialism
- The post holder will be required to use frequent concentration in assessing patients and devising care plans during the day.
- Conveying complex information in a comprehensible and practical way to clients, families and carers where there may be significant barriers to understanding.
- Prioritising clinical work responding to unpredictable demands on time e.g. responding to bleeps for urgent referrals
- The post holder will often have to overcome barriers to communication such as illiteracy, learning difficulties, hearing and sight impairment, language and may have to work with interpreters.
- Communication with and have direct contact with a wide variety of people, including health, social care and education professionals, patients, carers, the public.
- Daily involvement with chronically and terminally ill patients and their carers.
- The post holder will be exposed to sensitive, emotional and distressing circumstances, including terminally ill patients and abusive patients/carers.
- The post holder will be exposed to the working conditions associated clinical environment
- Routinely encounters unpleasant smells and sights, with possible exposure to bodily fluids including blood and sputum
- Ability to fulfill the travel requirements of the post
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.
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).
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.
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).
