Inpatient Band 6 SLT post

Job overview

The Ealing Community Partners, Adult Speech and Language Therapy Team, require an enthusiastic Band 6 Therapist, to be part of our friendly team.

We are a supportive and experienced, specialist community team of Band 8a, B7’s, B6 roles, B5 roles and SLT Assistant’s, with a strong commitment to CPD.  We offer excellent clinical and professional support and supervision, and access to relevant courses, internally and externally, to support you in developing your knowledge and skills.

The posts will be located within the Ealing Community Partners, Adult Community SLT inpatient SLT service at Clayponds Hospital. Clayponds Hospital is a 70 bedded rehabilitation hospital. There are 3 pathways of care that include: admission avoidance; elderly rehabilitation & Neuro/Stroke level 3 rehabilitation unit. To find out more about this provision, please visit: Rosemary ward

Main duties of the job

You will be managed, supervised and will work closely with SLT Assistants and the wider SLT team, including a Band 8a & 7 team leads.

The successful candidates will ideally have, some knowledge, skill and experience of working with both dysphagia and communication patients as a result of Neurological disorders including stroke, progressive degenerative disorders, care of the elderly and dementia.

The successful candidates will be an active member of the multi-professional team and work to ensure its continued development.  Good communication, liaison and time-management skills are required to manage the caseload effectively, in addition to being forward thinking and enthusiastic.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To use specialist clinical skills to manage a caseload of adults with communication and/or swallowing difficulties for patients in an inpatient setting.

To provide specialist assessment of communication and swallowing problems, formulate a hypothesis using a high level of clinical reasoning, and develop and implement appropriate interventions/rehabilitation to be delivered in an inpatient settng.

To provide appropriate specialist intervention and evaluate outcomes.

To write comprehensive reports that are accessible to a range of professionals reflecting specialist knowledge.

To develop clear care plans, advice and information, based on best practice and to use specialist knowledge to inform clinical judgments for care management.

To ensure that patients and/or carers are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their care plans and wherever possible facilitate patients with communication and/or cognitive difficulties to participate in the process to ensure meaningful outcomes.

To provide advice and training to other professionals, carers and relatives regarding the safe management and care of patients with communication and/or swallowing difficulties to maximise the patient’s skills and reduce clinical risk.

To work collaboratively and liaise with a wide range of other professionals across a variety of locations and agencies.

To adapt practice to meet individual patients’ circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

To reflect on auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of patient’s communication and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative effectiveness.

To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures, and maintain knowledge of current literature and developments within the specialist clinical field of adult neurology (including stroke, progressive neurological conditions, and dementia).

To demonstrate some knowledge and use of high and low technology communication aids with a range of patients.

To manage risk when dealing with people who have swallowing difficulties, to promote choice by providing information about the risks and to contribute to moral and ethical decision making about oral and/or alternative feeding choices.