Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist for Inpatient Therapy

Job overview

We are seeking a clinical lead for the Speech & Language Therapy service across Inpatient wards with a focus on respiratory and critical care.

The role will involve advancing clinical practice in this area of work and taking a lead in evolving and embedding best practice within the adult speech and language therapy team.

Main duties of the job

• To manage the acute caseload, including your own clinical caseload and appropriately delegating work to others  within the MDT to deliver the service required.

• To perform specialist assessment of patients with diverse presentations and complex       conditions.
• To implement, evaluate and modify highly complex, individualised care/ interventions.
• To be involved in best interest and mental capacity assessments as required.
• To lead development and implement evidence based protocols and standards of care.
• To provide support and supervision to others (both for inpatient and community  colleagues where required), and supervision of student(s) on clinical placement.
• To be involved in MDT events, including workforce development and training, meetings and    conferences

Contribute to the VFS rota and be given opportunities to develop skills in this area, as well as contributing to the development of a FEES service

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Work within the Inpatient therapy service leading, co-ordinating and developing effective clinical interventions within the speciality of Respiratory and critical care, in order to advance clinical practice in the team in line with current evidence base.
• Manage autonomously a clinical workload of patients / clients at a highly specialist level, assessing and treating patients and maintaining clinical records.
• Have highly specialist assessment and treatment skills in the areas listed but not limited to:
• Swallowing disorders
• Instrumental assessment
• Assessment for suitability for augmentative communication
• Speech disorders
• Language disorders
• Apply evidence based knowledge within the highly specialist clinical area acquired through in depth experience and academic study to a highly specialist post graduate level.
• Act, within the Inpatient therapy service, as a resource and provide advice for Speech & Language Therapists, other professionals and colleagues within the MDT about the assessment, treatment, management and care of patients / clients who have a multipathological illness and/or complex psychosocial need.
• Work collaboratively with health and social care, community and acute colleagues as required.
• Take a lead, and work with other members of the MDT to ensure effective care pathways and transfer of care / discharges.
• Develop highly specialist programmes of assessment, treatment and intervention for inpatients with communication and/or swallowing deficits.
• Participate in the supervision process with staff on a daily basis and for students as required.
• Ensure a high standard of patient care is provided including implementing and reviewing clinical standards relevant to the work undertaken.
• Provide highly specialist assessment and advice for the multidisciplinary team and actively participate in MDT meetings as appropriate.
• To comply with and, along with the Team Leader, write, develop and implement protocols, procedures and guidelines both clinical and service specific. To give feedback on policies when required which may impact on the management and care of clients on the wards.
• To identify any training needs within the Speech & Language Therapy service, to support staff in meeting these needs (either through in-house or external training) and evaluate any in-house training for Speech & Language Therapists and the wider multi professional team as appropriate.
• In conjunction with the Team Leader, ensure adequate staff cover within the team by agreeing annual leave/study leave and reporting sickness absence to the Team Leader.
• To participate in the staff recruitment process and in issues of staff retention.
• Along with the Team Leader generate, collect, analyse and disseminate data as required

for the service, both manually and computerised.

• On a day to day basis, to support members of the Speech & Language Therapy team and enable them to meet their objectives and development needs.
• To assist the Team Leader to manage the performance of the Speech & Language Therapy staff.
• Have the ability to work flexibly and contribute to changing working patterns including bank holidays and 7 day working as required. We currently provide a Mon-Fri service.