Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Job overview

Stroke Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, Band 6, Acute Stroke Service (0.6 WTE, 22.5 hours per week)

We are pleased to offer this excellent opportunity for a Band 6 Speech and Language Therapist to join our dynamic and well-established SLT department at Derriford Hospital, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust. We are looking to appoint a highly skilled Speech and Language Therapist to work on the Acute Stroke Unit as a member of the Stroke Multi-Disciplinary Team. There will be opportunity to work on the stroke rehabilitation unit at Mount Gould Hospital to support resilience across both sites. The post holder will be required to work on a rota providing a 7-day clinical service to stroke and neurology patients. The appointee will be a specialist clinician with acute stroke and neurology- specific experience and with clinical expertise in the differential diagnosis and the management of disorders of speech, language, communication and dysphagia. The successful candidate will take a senior role in the team and will be developing skills in instrumental assessment such as Videofluoroscopy and FEES.

Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.

Main duties of the job

To provide a Specialist Speech & Language Therapy service to acute stroke unit inpatients and stroke rehabilitation unit within Derriford Hospital and Mount Gould Hospital.

To clinically supervise and appraise identified junior staff.

This is a seven day working pattern, which includes full staffing levels over weekends and bank holidays.

To assess, diagnose, treat and manage own specialist caseload of patients with complex communication and swallowing (dysphagia) difficulties, including tracheostomised patients following stroke, or with acquired neurological condition ·

To train and support the carers of clients and participate in appropriate highly specialist training to other colleagues. ·

To provide specialist clinical support and leadership to other therapists/staff on in-patient acute SLT issues.

To clinically supervise and appraise identified speech and language therapists ·

To provide specialist interventions and to evaluate outcomes ·

To provide second opinions, advice and training to less experienced SLTs in assessment and treatment programmes for stroke patients. ·

To provide formal clinical education, teaching and assessment for speech and language therapy students, medical students and other AHPs for stroke.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

• To provide specialist differential diagnosis, clinical advice and care plans/therapy to clients with communication and/or swallowing disorders, implementing programmes as a specialist member of the SLT Team 2. To manage and prioritise own specialist caseload independently. The main clinical area for this post will be stroke and neurology inpatients. 3. To contribute to specialist clinical teams by discussing own and others’ input around client’s needs ensuring a well-co-ordinated care plan 4. To demonstrate the ability to reflect on auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of the client’s communication and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative effectiveness 5. To use highly developed auditory discrimination skills and ability to transcribe speech phonetically 6. To undertake a range of formal and informal assessments, including risk analysis of swallowing, understanding and use of voice, grammar, vocabulary, speech sounds, fluency, social use of language, carer/patient interaction, and non-verbal communication and to make judgements re normal and abnormal functioning. 7. To monitor, recognise, assess and evaluate subtle changes in patients’ conditions and adapt clinical decisions and treatment programmes accordingly based on extended clinical experience. 8. To be responsible for ensuring patients’ safety with regard to eating and drinking by assessing, monitoring and updating, and communicating details of safe practice to the patient, medical and ward staff, and carers, ensuring that recommendations are clearly documented in medical notes and in any other care plans, notes or documents as directed by the Lead SLT for Stroke 9. To continue to develop deeper and more specialist professional expertise and clinical skills across a range of neurological and acquired speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCD) by working with highly specialist staff, attending Clinical Excellence Networks, specialist courses, self-directed study and maintenance of personal CPD portfolio 10. To recognise own professional and clinical boundaries and competencies and seek advice, support and training, when necessary, with in a clinical supervision and appraisal framework.

For further details please see attached JD&PS.

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.