Advanced Specialist Speech & Language Therapist (CHANT)

Job overview

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Speech and Language Therapist with specialist skills in managing adults with acquired disorders of swallowing and communication secondary to Head and Neck Cancer and its treatment.

You will be based in the community, as a core member of the Southeast London Community Head and Neck Cancer Team (CHANT). You will work closely with the CHANT multidisciplinary team members, providing highly specialist care, closer to home.

You will have significant postgraduate specialist experience of managing patients with complex swallowing and communication disorders associated with a diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer.  You will be able to demonstrate competence in independently managing patients with a tracheostomy and surgical voice restoration.  You will have a high level of competence in undertaking videofluoroscopy and knowledge and experience of interpreting and reporting FEES.  You will also have a proven track record of working as an autonomous specialist SLT within a multidisciplinary team. As part of this role you will be required to supervise SLTs.

The service is able to offer you excellent supervision and peer support, with a strong emphasis on team working.  We have regular team meetings, plus opportunities for CPD.

Main duties of the job

Please see attached Job Description for full details.

• To provide highly specialist Speech & Language Therapy input to a multidisciplinary client focussed rehabilitation service based in the Community for adults with Head & Neck Cancer.
• To integrate and closely liaise with the Acute Head & Neck multidisciplinary team based at the Cancer Centre (GSTFT) in order to deliver a seamless rehabilitative service to this population.
• To undertake advanced diagnosis, assessment and treatment of patients with a range of communication and swallowing disorders arising from Head & Neck Cancer and the treatment thereof.
• To both participate in and proactively facilitate the development of this innovative multidisciplinary team at all stages along the patient pathway.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details.

Clinical

• To provide highly specialist autonomous clinical management of patients with Head & Neck Cancer referred to the Community Team.
• To demonstrate an advanced level of clinical decision making to assess, make a clinical diagnosis, develop, implement and evaluate specialised treatment programmes.
• As an autonomous member of the Head & Neck Community Team to participate in team decision making regarding organisation and prioritisation of the clinical caseload and work within the multidisciplinary team framework to provide co-ordinated multi-disciplinary care for the benefit of all patients.
• To refer for / initiate appropriate investigations e.g. Videofluoroscopy / nasendoscopy / FEES and participate in the evaluation of / evaluate these assessments in order to make recommendations for further interventions.
• To be an expert resource for other SLTs/other professional staff involved in the patient’s care with particular reference to the management of Head & Neck Cancer patients.
• To demonstrate an awareness of religious, cultural and socioeconomic issues, working effectively in all settings e.g. clients own home, residential and nursing homes, including settings which are difficult or challenging.
• To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence based practice and measurement of outcome.

Professional / Managerial

• To assist the Lead clinician (Head & Neck Community Team) in responding to and initiating service developments including the development and implementation of guidelines and protocols, which may impact on the wider Community Service delivery.
• To be responsible for providing day to day clinical/professional supervision of any junior SLT staff and SLT students.  To carry out appraisals for delegated team members as appropriate in line with Trust Policy and keep the Lead clinician informed of any issues relevant to their clinical development/training needs.
• To participate in regular 1:1 meetings with the Lead Clinician/Clinical Lead Speech & Language Therapist at the Centre as appropriate.

Education & Training

• To keep up-to-date with current theory and evidence based practice in the field of complex communication disorders and dysphagia in the Head & Neck Cancer population.
• To participate in the regular Videofluoroscopy and FEES in-service meeting with the GSTFT SLT team.
• To offer regular placements and clinical training to Speech and Language Therapy students.

Research/Audit

• To develop / take the lead in as appropriate, multidisciplinary audits including data collection, analysis and development of action plans as part of the Community Team/Multidisciplinary Head & Neck Team’s annual audit programme/initiatives.
• To participate as an Advanced Specialist Speech & Language Therapy resource in appropriate Head & Neck Multidisciplinary research activity.
• To undertake such other duties as shall be indicated by the Lead clinician (Head & Neck Community Team) and Clinical Lead SLT (GSTFT) to meet the exigencies of the service and/or needs of the patients.