Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Job overview

An exciting opportunity to join the small and friendly Speech and Language Therapy Herat Team at The Royal Brompton Hospital. The post holder will cover Intensive Care, Cardiothoracic Surgery, VF clinic and work closely with Dietetics, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy in a multiprofessional team.

The post holder will be entitled to 10 days of study leave, regualr in-service training and access to QI development opportunities.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be a member of the SLT service working at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals. They will have advanced skills in the multidisciplinary management of adults with acute communication and swallowing problems related to complex cardiothoracic surgery and respiratory disease. This will include advanced skills in providing rehabilitation to patients in the intensive care unit with tracheostomy and ventilator dependence. They will provide highly specialist assessment, differential diagnosis, treatment and management of speech, voice, language, cognitive-communication, airway and swallowing disorders, as well as education and advice to patients and those caring for them.

Completion of competency-based learning and demonstrable experience performing instrumental dysphagia assessments including videofluoroscopy and FEES is required. They will receive regular clinical supervision from the Clinical Lead SLT and support to continually developing their skills. They will manage a shared caseload and liaise closely with SLT colleagues at the Harefield and Royal Brompton sites. They will be involved in discharge planning to ensure a seamless transfer of care to other hospital, outpatient and community services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main tasks and responsibilities

Communication

• To provide highly specialist advice and input for patients with communication and swallowing needs at Royal Brompton Hospital.
• To liaise with SLTs, AHPs, medical and nursing teams, and other members of the MDT regarding prioritisation, case management and risk management of patients with communication and swallowing disorders.
• To demonstrate interpersonal skills that grow and maintain positive working relationships with all healthcare professionals involved in patient care.
• To communicate sensitive and complex information and sometimes unwelcome news tactfully and diplomatically to patients, parents and carers, acknowledging this may trigger a range of emotions, and to provide ongoing counselling and support.
• To promote and contribute to multi-professional team building and collaborative practices, e.g. knowledge and skills sharing, joint working.

Patient/customer care (both direct and indirect)

• To provide specialist assessment, differential diagnosis, treatment and management for adults with acute and chronic disorders of communication and swallowing problems including tracheostomy and ventilator-dependence.
• To accept responsibility for a caseload of patients and to independently organise work and time so that clinical priorities are met efficiently and effectively.
• To carry out clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner,
• To demonstrate highly specialist knowledge of dysphagia related to respiratory conditions, ensuring a high standard of care for patients.
• To provide comprehensive evaluation of swallowing using the instrumental techniques of Videofluoroscopy and Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES), including nasendoscopy, according to agreed competency levels
• To be flexible and balance the fluctuating and competing needs of the caseload according to clinical, team, workforce and organisational demands.
• To develop and maintain good working relationships with all healthcare professionals involved in patient care through multidisciplinary team working.
• To attend and contribute to ward / board rounds, multidisciplinary team meetings, case conferences, family meetings, network meetings, etc, advocating and negotiating for the required levels of care and input for patients with communication and swallowing needs.

Please review job description document for main responsibilities.

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.