Clinical Lead Speech & Language Therapist

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Nhs Foundation Trust; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Speech and Language Therapist to lead the community stroke and neurorehabilitation service. You will provide specialist assessment and rehab for adults with complex communication and swallowing needs and supervise the SLT team within a supportive MDT.

You will drive service development, evidence-based practice and high-quality patient care, while collaborating across acute and community pathways to maximise independence

Qualifications

• Recognised SLT degree and HCPC registration.
• Additional dysphagia training is required.
• Leadership training or equivalent is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide highly specialist assessment, diagnosis and rehab for adults with communication and swallowing disorders.
• Lead and supervise SLT staff and rehabilitation assistants within the service.
• Participate in MDT meetings and service development activities.
• Ensure delivery of evidence-based, person-centred care across community pathways.
• Promote infection prevention, risk management and quality improvement.
• Coordinate with acute and community teams to ensure joined-up care.

Skills

Stroke expertise

Neurological rehab

Clinical supervision

Leadership in SLT

Service development

Quality improvement

Communication & negotiation

Driving licence / mobility

Collaboration in MDT

Autonomous caseload management

Education

Speech & Language Therapy degree (BSc/MSc)

HCPC registration

Dysphagia training

Leadership course

Job description

Job summary

Are you an experienced and motivated Speech and Language Therapist ready for a Band 7 clinical leadership role? We have an exciting opportunity to join our Integrated Community Stroke and Neurorehabilitation Service in Blackpool, supporting adults with stroke, acquired brain injury and other neurological conditions in community settings.

As Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist, you will provide specialist assessment, treatment and rehabilitation for people with complex communication and swallowing difficulties, alongside professional leadership and support for the SLT workforce. Working with colleagues across acute and community pathways, you will help shape rehabilitation, promote evidence-based practice and support people to maximise independence, participation and quality of life. You will be part of a dedicated multidisciplinary team including case managers, clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, rehabilitation assistants, a dietitian, an Advanced Clinical Practitioner and another Clinical Lead SLT.

This is an excellent opportunity for a clinician with strong stroke and neurorehabilitation experience who is passionate about service improvement, collaborative working and outstanding community care. Applications for full-time and part-time hours will be considered.

Main duties of the job

As Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist, you will provide visible clinical leadership for Speech and Language Therapy within our Integrated Community Stroke and Neurorehabilitation Service, supporting the delivery of safe, effective and person-centred care for adults following an acquired brain injury, neurological diagnosis or stroke. You will bring specialist expertise in the assessment and management of complex communication and swallowing difficulties, while working closely with multidisciplinary colleagues across community and acute pathways. The role also includes supervision and support of junior staff and rehabilitation assistants, contributing to service development, quality improvement and evidence-based practice across the team.

About us

The Trust's mission is "Together We Care" which encompasses the strategic vision for operating as a high performing organisation within an Integrated Care System (ICS), which provides quality, safe and effective care. This will be achieved in a financially sustainable way through our values-driven, skilled and motivated workforce:

• People-centred - Serving people is the focus of everything we do;
• Positive - having a "can do" response whatever the situation;
• Compassion - always demonstrating we care;
• Excellence - continually striving to provide the best care possible.

Our Values are drivers for the behaviours that all our staff strive to demonstrate.

The values and behaviours have been and continue to be embedded and communicated across the organisation via a number of initiatives - including our recruitment processes, corporate induction, team briefings, meetings, appraisals and our annual awards ceremony.

Job responsibilities

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide highly specialist assessment, differential diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for adults with acquired communication and/or swallowing disorders within a community stroke and neurorehabilitation service, using current evidence-based practice to inform clinical decisions, prognosis and discharge planning.
• To contribute to mental capacity assessments and best-interest decision-making processes, enabling patients to maximise their independence, participation and ability to communicate their wishes wherever possible.
• To participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, best-interest meetings and family meetings, providing specialist advice and guidance on communication and swallowing needs.
• To ensure patients, families and carers are actively involved in goal setting, care planning and rehabilitation programmes wherever possible.
• To adapt assessment and intervention approaches to meet individual patient circumstances, including cognitive, cultural, linguistic and environmental factors.
• To provide specialist advice, support and education to colleagues, relatives and carers to promote effective management of communication and swallowing difficulties, including discharge planning and longer-term management.
• To liaise effectively with Speech and Language Therapy colleagues, multidisciplinary team members, acute services, primary care and external agencies to support coordinated, seamless care across the pathway.
• To work within service, professional and Trust policies relating to referral management, clinical pathways, documentation, consent, safeguarding and discharge processes.
• To manage a highly specialist clinical caseload independently, while delegating appropriately to junior Speech and Language Therapists and rehabilitation assistants, and maintaining accurate, timely and legally compliant clinical records.
• To work flexibly across community settings, including patients homes, clinics and other relevant locations across Blackpool and the wider service footprint as required.
• To work collaboratively with partner agencies and multidisciplinary or multi-agency teams to ensure effective, joined-up service provision and smooth transitions of care.
• To maintain and apply up-to-date knowledge of professional standards, national guidance and current evidence relevant to stroke and neurorehabilitation, including Speech and Language Therapy best practice.
• To maintain high standards of infection prevention and control, safety and risk management, and to promote these across the team and wider community settings.
• To provide clinical supervision, leadership and day-to-day support to junior staff and rehabilitation assistants, contributing to staff development, service improvement and the ongoing delivery of high-quality community stroke and neurorehabilitation care.

Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

Essential

• Recognised Speech & Language Therapy Degree, BSc (Hons) or MSc (Hons) or equivalent.
• Registration with Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Additional recognised dysphagia training.
• Successful completion of a relevant leadership course

Experience & Knowledge

Essential

• Specialist knowledge in stroke and neurological conditions with a minimum of 5 years post graduate clinical experience
• Experience in working within a multidisciplinary team
• Post graduate experience of developing and delivering specialist formal and informal, training/ presentations for a wide range of professionals
• Knowledge of principles regarding clinical supervision and experience in providing this
• Demonstrable use of initiative in relevant service development/quality improvement projects.
• Experience in conducting and interpreting videofluoroscopy.
• Demonstrate a high level of clinical knowledge beyond specialist field.
• The ability to work within national and legal frameworks in autonomously managing a specialist SLT caseload.
• Ability to be an effective team member, assume clinical leadership for SLT within the service and delegate as necessary.
• Demonstrate developed approaches to collaborative and cross-boundary working practices
• Highly developed communication skills including negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• Hold a full driving licence, access to own vehicle and ability to travel across the geographical area covered by the post.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).