Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Chadwell St Mary; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization in Chadwell St Mary is seeking a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to provide care for children with feeding difficulties. The candidate will enjoy flexible working options, a supportive team environment, and numerous professional development opportunities. The role requires a recognised therapy degree and specialist clinical skills. Welcome payment and high-cost area supplement are included in the compensation package.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Comprehensive induction program

Access to a supportive multidisciplinary team

Extensive professional development opportunities

Employee assistance programme

Qualifications

• Experience with children under 1 year is desirable.
• Proficiency in assessment of feeding difficulties.
• Ability to critically analyze assessments and communicate results.

Responsibilities

• Lead on SLT services for children with eating difficulties.
• Independently manage a clinical caseload.
• Provide assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for feeding difficulties.

Skills

Specialist clinical skills in assessment and therapy

Outstanding interpersonal skills

Ability to work as a multi-disciplinary team member

Supervision of team members

Education

Recognised Speech and Language Therapy degree or equivalent

Job description

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video

Job overview

Are you a qualified speech and language therapist seeking a new role? At NELFT, we have the perfect opportunity for you. We flex to suit you, let us know if we can accommodate a flexible working arrangement to suit your personal circumstances.

We are looking for a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to join our diverse Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Team in the London borough of Redbridge. Redbridge is a great place to live and work – a thriving community with an abundance of amenities and good transport links.

Welcome Payment

This post is eligible for the Trust 'Welcome to NELFT' Payment, a lump sum of 10% of agreed basic salary (pro rata if part time and exclusive of HCAS payments) (subject to a minimum of £4,000 and maximum of £10,000) and is open to all new applicants who are successfully appointed. Payment of the incentive is 50% of the lump sum at the end of the probationary period (typically six months) and then 50% at the end of year two. This welcome package is applicable to external candidates only.

Main duties of the job

Speech and Language Therapists are core to the efficient service delivery that we provide to our patients.

As a Speech and Language Therapist in our Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Team, you will deliver care to service users in the community, clinics and education settings.

The main responsibilities of the post :

• To lead on and contribute to the provision of SLT services for children (0-19 years) living in Redbridge with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.
• To independently manage a clinical caseload of children with a range of feeding difficulties.
• To provide an advanced standard of assessment, clinical diagnosis and treatment for babies, children and young people with feeding difficulties.
• To make highly specialist clinical decisions following assessment of complex cases.
• To provide specialist advice and disseminate information accordingly to parents and other professionals as appropriate.
• To work in the context of a multi-disciplinary team in the Redbridge Child development Centre.
• To make differential diagnosis on the basis of assessment evidence providing advice when appropriate and input into EHCPs.
• To provide supervision, advice and second opinions to more junior colleagues.

Working for our organisation

Starting with NELFT

NELFT places a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop‑in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently partway through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

High-Cost Area Supplement

This post also attracts payment for High-Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (minimum payment of £4,714 and a maximum payment of £5,941) pro rata for part-time staff.

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points based system.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer closely to this when completing your application.

We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Any development needs to help you succeed in the role can be discussed at the interview stage.

We offer :

• A programme of induction.
• A team of friendly, supportive colleagues with a range of specialist knowledge.
• A well developed and supportive multidisciplinary Team, including joint clinics with a dietitian.
• A well-developed supervision and appraisal structure (including monthly supervision with a named therapist and annual appraisals).
• Access to a base with opportunities for frequent contact with other therapists.
• An accessible base close to an underground (Central Line) and mainline station (Elizabeth Line).
• Opportunities for frequent contact with other speech and language therapists within NELFT.
• Extensive opportunities for continuing professional development (attending specialist courses).
• Well developed agile working facilities.
• Monthly speech and language team meetings to discuss current matters and keep up‑to‑date with changes in the services.
• Flexible working hours and arrangements.

Candidates will need to demonstrate the following requirements :

• A recognised Speech and Language Therapy degree qualification or equivalent and relevant professional registration.
• Specialist clinical skills in terms of assessment and therapy for children and young people with eating and drinking difficulties.
• Some experience of working with Children Under 1 (this can be under supervision) and a desire to build skills and knowledge in this area.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, and the ability to work as an effective multi‑disciplinary team member.
• Experience in supervising other team members.

You will be working as part of a friendly, diverse and supportive team to provide a service for babies, children and young people presenting feeding difficulties within a range of settings such as patient homes, pre‑school settings, community clinics and schools. As part of your role, you will provide assessments as well delivering intervention and training to up‑skill parents, carers and education staff. You will have lots of opportunities to develop your skills through training cross‑borough peer meetings.

This post will ideally suit an established Band 6 Speech and Language Therapist looking for a new challenge or an experienced Band 7 Speech and Language Therapist ready to diversify their career.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• To demonstrate professional knowledge as evidenced by 1st degree level or qualification or equivalent HPC registration Membership of RCSLT and Membership of relevant specialist interest group.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Skills and knowledge required of a Speech and Language Therapist working with babies and children with feeding difficulties including: for at least the last 6 months has met the criteria for ‘specialist dysphagia practitioner, level C, highly specialist’ in the RCSLT dysphagia training and competency framework and has evidence of this. Ability to critically analyse the validity of assessments and interventions and clearly communicate the results to parents / carers / colleagues.

Skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to critically analyse the validity of assessments and interventions and clearly communicate the results to parents / carers / colleagues.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work as an effective multi‑disciplinary team member.

Benefits

We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:

• A long‑standing and award‑winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long‑term / chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
• A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work‑life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our efforts to support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
• Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
• Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part‑time hours or another flexible pattern.