Speech and Language Therapist

Job overview

Do you have an interest in acute care?

Do you want to join a supportive service committed to staff development?

Due to internal development we are in the position to offer the opportunity for a Band 5 Speech and Language Therapists to join us full-time. This is a rotational post, with the postholder based permanently on the acute medical wards for part of each week and rotating between acute stroke, stroke rehabilitation and neurorehabilitation wards for the remainder of each week.

Applications will be welcomed from newly-qualified therapists and experienced therapists with an interest in developing specialist skills in acute care.

What our team members say about working for us

“I am part of a team.”

“I have the opportunity to try different clinical caseloads and to manage my caseload independently.”

“I enjoy the fast pace of working.”

“I have freedom.”

“There is a great selection of cake and chocolate!”

Main duties of the job

You will be based full-time in the Adult Speech and Language Therapy Service within University Hospitals of Leicester, providing input to the acute inpatient services at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield Hospital as needed.

For the acute medical wards element of the role, you will be working as part of a growing service which includes an Operational Lead, Clinical Specialist, Band 6 and Band 5 therapists. For the rotational element of the role, you will be supported by the relevant Clinical Lead / Clinical Specialist, Band 6 therapists and, on the rehabilitation units, a Band 4 Speech and Language Therapy Assistant.

Depending on service need, you may also have the opportunity to work in other parts of the service such as the Brain Injury Unit and Neurology. You may also be invited to shadow colleagues in Critical Care and Head and Neck Cancer.

Main duties of the job

• Working with adults with a range of acquired communication and swallowing disorders, their carers and the multi-disciplinary team.
• Supporting with morning processes.
• Contributing to regular team meetings.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

In acute care every day is different. You will be supporting individuals with a range of conditions including dementia, stroke, traumatic brain injury, respiratory conditions, cancer and infectious diseases. You will gain experience working with both dysphagia and communication difficulties, delivering assessment and therapy towards person-centred goals. You will also be in regular contact with our Speech and Language Therapy colleagues in Leicestershire Partnership Trust, who provide input to individuals within the community in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

We believe in supporting our team to achieve their goals and are committed to offering:

• Regular 1:1, clinical and peer supervision
• Annual appraisal
• Opportunities for joint working
• Continuing professional development, both through in-house training and external courses
• A 4-6 weekly ‘STARS’ session to work towards individual objectives (more frequent for newly-qualified Band 5 therapists)
• Opportunities to spend time in other parts of the service with specialist colleagues

A large part of this role involves supporting individuals with dysphagia. You will be supported to progress through dysphagia competencies via an intensive in-house programme on commencing this post.

Please note. It is not an essential requirement of this role to be a car driver.