Job responsibilities
CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES
To provide highly specialist speech and language therapy assessment and intervention as an autonomous practitioner using sound clinical reasoning skills and evidence based practice to develop effective individualised care plans.
To autonomously hold responsibility of your own caseload in line with referral criteria and prioritisation.
To triage, monitor, oversee and allocate incoming referrals using professional judgement and extensive highly specialist clinical knowledge and experience thereby supporting prioritisation and effective caseload management.
To use highly specialist clinical reasoning and negotiation skills to develop care plans which address the clients goals, clinical need and to communicate these goals effectively.
To provide highly specialist dysphagia advice and support, second opinions and cover for the Lead Speech and Language Therapist.
To be able to jointly conduct instrumental examinations of swallowing, analyse and report findings to the referrer regarding implications for management and to design specialised therapeutic programmes of care, seeking support from colleague where needed.
To work alongside specialist nurses and other health and social care practitioners in the management of patients with complex needs, neurological, surgical, and medical.
To write comprehensive discharge and progress reports to medical referrers summarising assessment, proposed care or management plans with agreed timescales.
To use highly specialist differential diagnostic skills and identify and make appropriate onward referrals.
LEADERSHIP & MANAGERIAL
To formally supervise the Band 6 Speech and Language Therapist, SLTA/Support Worker and coordinate SLT students as required.
To carry out clinical risk assessment and complete risk management plans relevant to the clinical group.
Complete and implement incident reports on practices where risks are identified to ensure the management of clinical risk within own caseload and highlight risks at organisational level.
To provide advice to Band 6 speech and language therapist, SLT assistant/support worker and to more junior colleagues/others regarding the management and care of people with communication and swallowing difficulties.
To contribute to the development of the service through the promotion, adaptation and development of policies, procedures and guidelines using evidence-based practice.
To comment on proposed service/policy developments as appropriate.
To contribute to development of protocols/clinical guidelines as appropriate.
To propose service/policy developments as appropriate to the Lead Speech & Language Therapist.
COMMUNICATION
To communicate relevant medical/social information, assessment details, advice and recommendations across agencies following local and professional guidelines for sharing information and consent.
To frequently communicate sensitively with patients and their carers who may have high levels of anxiety, fear, or aggression due to the highly complex or sensitive nature of the information to be discussed. Provide support to other staff with such matters.
To frequently be able to interact appropriately, with patients and relatives who may be experiencing depression, difficult family circumstances or poor prognosis.
To facilitate therapeutic treatment through empathic and sensitive use of motivational skills. Provide support to more junior staff with such matters.
To communicate complex and sometimes distressing information in an understandable form where there are barriers to communication, and to assist with assessment of capacity to inform decisions of consent and management of care in the persons best interest.
Use advanced and innovative interpersonal skills of negotiations, persuasion and conflict resolution to patients that may be unwilling to participate in treatment. Barriers may include (but not limited to): dementia, mental illness, pain, delirium and brain injury.
To demonstrate negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations.
To deal with initial verbal complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation, attempting to resolve where possible and following HSCs Complaints Process.
To modify communication appropriately to facilitate patient/client communication (e.g., use of total communication, augmentative and alternative communication etc.)
To maintain close lines of communication with senior and supervising staff regarding patient, governance, professional or other issues relating to the role.
To effectively utilise a wide range of complex verbal/non-verbal skills to negotiate and engage with people from all backgrounds.
To work in a co-ordinated, collaborative, interdisciplinary manner, communicating effectively with other team members and the wider clinical network involved in client care.
TRAINING & EDUCATION
To maintain registration with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).
To be responsible for maintaining own competency to practice, through Continuous Professional Development (CPD) activities, and maintaining an accurate portfolio reflecting personal development.
To recognise own professional and clinical boundaries and competencies and seek advice, support and training, when necessary, with an individual performance review framework.
To provide formal and informal clinical education and teaching to staff (AHP, Nursing, Support Workers), GPs and the third sector.
To provide advice and education to client, carers and relatives based on clinical evidence and identified need.
To provide highly specialist advice, teaching and training to patients and/or members of the MDT within the scope of your own practice.
AUDIT/INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/RESEARCH ACTIVITY
To maintain up to date and accurate case notes in line with RCSLT professional standards and local trust policies.
To be proficient in Microsoft Office applications e.g., word, PowerPoint, excel
To be able to use software to make resources as appropriate e.g., Boardmaker and use of apps to support both therapy and augmentative alternative communication (AAC).
To gather activity data accurately and regularly, ensuring the provision of such information promptly within HSC guidelines.
To demonstrate clinical effectiveness through evidence-based practice and the use of outcome measures.
To initiate and undertake evidence-based departmental audit and research projects to advance clinical practice in line with clinical governance.
To ensure good working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor quality through participating in clinical audit work as required.
To participate in research projects as agreed
