Children's Speech and Language Therapy Dysphagia Lead

Job overview

Due to an ever-increasing demand for our services, Bromley Healthcare's Children's SLT Service is continuing to expand our fantastic and supportive team. We are excited to be advertising this Dysphagia Lead for the service and look forward to hearing from SLTs with experience in this area keen to take their next career move.

We can offer:

• In-service training and the opportunity to apply for external courses
• Regular whole-team CPD meetings and small clinical supervision groups
• Regular line management as well as ad-hoc support from colleagues
• Access to clinical specialists for specialist opinions and support
• Opportunities for career progression
• Admin support from our Care Co-ordination Centre
• Flexible working ( hybrid/virtual working considered)
• Opportunities for developing leadership skills

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work closely with the Service Lead for Children's Speech and Language Therapy and they will join the other highly specialist speech and language therapists in coordinating care across the borough. They will be able to offer support and specialist opinion appointments for therapists in their specialism. The post holder should have excellent skills in working with babies and children with dysphagia and a range of communication difficulties.

The post holder will have excellent communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively and creatively within the Children's SLT team, with other health professionals and Tertiary Centres. She / hewill be able to lead on new service developments in their field. The post holder will carry out duties as required, as outlined in the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists Inter-professional dysphagia framework-Specialist Dysphagia Practitioner level. External supervision from a consultant dysphagia practitioner will be arranged.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To develop and provide a specialist speech and language therapy service to babies and young children referred with communication and/or swallowing disorders, within a narrow specialist field or across a broad complex generalist field. To make a differential diagnosis including complex cases based on evidence from assessment, leading to decisions about intervention/treatment. To make specialist clinical decisions following the assessment of complex cases. To carry out specialist procedures and use of equipment as appropriate e.g tracheostomy management and speech synthesisers. Refer for videofluroscopy assessments. To communicate complex condition related information from assessment to patients/clients, carers, families and members of the multi disciplinary team/other professionals. To maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of patients/clients and their carers in particular when imparting potentially distressing information. To initiate and provide a variety of treatment options according to patients needs, including the use of interpreters as appropriate. To negotiate and work closely with clients, carers , other professionals and families agreeing decision-making and prioritisation relevant to the plans based on best practise, for more complex cases. To use forms of alternative and augmentative communication e.g. signing, symbols, speech synthesisers as indicated from assessment, to maximise the To demonstrate empathy with clients, carers and families and colleagues, aiming to achieve effective communication, particularly where barriers to understanding exist.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.