Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Job overview

Don't miss this exciting opportunity to join our adult acute Speech & Language Therapy team at University Hospital Lewisham!  We are proud to be part of Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust who serve a diverse & multicultural local community.

Our SLT teams are friendly & inclusive, we work closely across the MDT & value audit & quality improvement to better refine & develop our services.  We have strong links with other acute & community Speech & Language Therapy services within the Trust & our local areas.

We are looking for a therapist who has previously held an independent dysphagia caseload and demonstrates experience of working with adults with acquired disorders, with established competence in both dysphagia & communication disorder management.

The successful candidate will share our commitment to excellence & ensure high standards of evidence-based therapy practice.  Within our lovely team, you will benefit from diverse opportunities to engage in regular supervision, in-house & external CPD, action learning sessions, leadership development, peer supervision and advanced skill development such as FEES, VFS and tracheostomy management.  You will be supported & encouraged to complete & participate in audit, research & quality improvement projects as relevant to your role.

Contact us for an informal chat in confidence, or arrange a visit and allow us to welcome you to the department.

Helen Sampson, Cross-site Lead - Adult Speech and Language Therapy, h.sampson@nhs.net

Main duties of the job

To provide a speech and language therapy service to adults with communication and swallowing problems in the acute setting at University Hospital Lewisham.

To work within the acute therapy teams and to be fully involved in multi-disciplinary working.

To provide training and supervision for junior staff, students, volunteers as requested by the Acute Leads.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

• To use specialist skills to assess, differentially diagnose and manage complex patients with acquired swallowing and communication disorders from the acute wards at University Hospital Lewisham. •    To manage and prioritise patient caseload independently, taking into account a complex range of clinical, practical and contextual factors, such as service availability and the need to carry out additional duties •    To be part of weekend rota managing and prioritising acute and stroke referrals/caseload independently •    To further develop skills in the assessment, differential diagnosis and management of patients with tracheostomy who have swallowing and communication impairments and to provide input to these patients for tracheostomy weaning with support from senior colleagues. •    To demonstrate developing clinical skills for interpretative assessment techniques and interventions in the care of patients with tracheostomies. •    To develop and demonstrate specialist clinical skills for interpretative assessment techniques and interventions involving instrumental procedures e.g. videofluoroscopy and FEES. •    To write therapy programmes to be carried out by the Speech and Language Therapy Assistant. •    To demonstrate specialist knowledge in the area of acute communication and swallowing difficulties, underpinned by current evidenced based practice.  •    To attend relevant training and development in order to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a specialist therapist working in the respective fields. To maintain HCPC and RCSLT registration and ensure it is up to date. •    To keep up to date with new techniques and developments for the promotion and maintenance of good practice in your clinical area. •    To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by the use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures. •    To provide advice on speech and language therapy to non-specialists and other specialists/professionals within clinical field. •    To maintain up to date and accurate case notes in line with RCSLT professional standards and local trust policies.

Organisational

• To be aware of, adhere to and implement service and team plans and policies. •    To use your specialist knowledge to inform service/policy developments as appropriate •    To attend meetings at the request of the service manager. •    To participate in and develop innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical effectiveness within Speech and Language Therapy and the Trust in general. •    To develop care protocols/packages informed by the evidence of your clinical specialism in liaison with your supervisor and/or service manager. •    To develop Clinical Governance/audit projects within the speech and language therapy services. •    To develop local clinical guidelines informed by the evidence of your clinical specialism. •    To demonstrate the ability to reflect on your practice with peers and mentors and identify your own strengths and development needs •    To participate in Personal Development Reviews ensuring that the objectives set reflect the Service and Trust plans, including specific objectives relating to the clinical specialty.  •    To keep accurate and complete records of the amount of time spent on clinical activities in order to monitor effectiveness and facilitate service delivery.  •    To assist with the identification of training needs within the team.

Professional

• To be accountable for your own professional action and recognise your professional boundaries, seeking advice as appropriate. •    To attend and contribute to departmental CPD sessions participating in peer review. •    To demonstrate a working knowledge of the principles of Clinical Governance and their application to professional practice. •    To gather activity data accurately and regularly, ensuring the provision of such information promptly within local Trust guidelines. •    To participate in departmental research and clinical governance/audit projects. •    To collect and provide research data as required. •    To demonstrate negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations. •    To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible and following the Trust complaints procedure. •    To form productive relationships with others who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties. •    To demonstrate knowledge of, and adhere to RCSLT Professional and Clinical and National and Local Clinical Guidelines. •    To keep records and share information in such a way that the highest standards of accuracy and confidentiality are maintained at all times.

Work force

• To provide support and supervision where required to newly qualified therapists, and therapy assistants providing advice and second opinions. •    To collaborate with colleagues in the induction of new members to the team. •    To provide student placements to Speech & Language Therapists in training on undergraduate and postgraduate courses and evaluate their progress. •    To provide observational placements to those considering a career in Speech and Language Therapy.

Financial

• To be responsible for the security, care and maintenance of equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained – including equipment loaned to clients. •    To monitor stock levels in own service area and request new equipment as appropriate

Partnerships Communications and Relationships •    To write reports for other professionals reflecting your knowledge of communication and swallowing. •    To communicate complex condition related information from assessment and intervention to clients, carers, families and members of the multi-disciplinary team/other professions. •    To attend ward rounds, case conferences, rehabilitation meetings and other multidisciplinary meetings. To ensure a two-way exchange of information with these parties to help decide on the best course of intervention for each individual. •    To demonstrate empathy with clients, carers and families and colleagues, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist. •    To participate in the development and delivery of training (formal and informal) to others in area of clinical expertise. •    To consult with service users regarding service developments wherever possible, within existing resources. •    To contribute to interagency/multi-disciplinary team building •    To ensure effective joint working with the Multi-Disciplinary Teams in the management and discharge planning of patients within the caseload. •    To provide information, support and training to relatives and patients •    To negotiate therapy goals with patients, their carers and the multidisciplinary team (MDT). •    To employ counselling skills with patients and carers with highly complex needs including those related to terminal illness, death and severe disability or disfigurement. •    To participate in MDT decision-making process around consent to treatment (e.g. PEG and non-oral feeding) taking full account of the legal and ethical considerations.

General •    To have due regard for your own personal safety and that of clients and carers, in particular to have regard to moving and handling regulations, restraining policies, lone working and ensure the safe positioning of self and others