Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist (XR07)

NHS; Leeds; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

The NHS is seeking a Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist to join their team at Leeds Children's Hospital. This role involves assessing and managing children with complex communication needs and offers opportunities for professional development in areas such as oncology and surgical interventions. Candidates must have a recognized degree and experience in the field, as well as excellent interpersonal skills.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing complex communication and swallowing needs.
• Registered member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
• Evidence of continued professional development.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex communication and swallowing breakdowns.
• Conduct assessments and treatments as part of an MDT.
• Train and develop other Speech and Language Therapists.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Empathetic listening

Teamwork

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Education

Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree accredited by RCSLT

Post Graduate qualification in Paediatric Dysphagia

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist (XR07)

Areyou seeking variety, team working and development of clinical skills? Anexciting opportunity that has arisen to join our team at Leeds ChildrensHospital.

Weare looking to recruit a dynamic, innovative and skilled Band 7 SpecialistPaediatric Speech and Language Therapist capable of providing high qualityinput focusing on specialist areas such as oncology.

Thispost provides an excellent opportunity, within a supportive and stimulatingenvironment, to develop & enhance your skills in the assessment &management of children with complex feeding & communication difficulties inan acute setting. The role is conducive to MDT working, supporting patients& families through their hospital journey and we are seeking team memberswho are committed to achieving the very highest standards of care for childrenand families.

Opportunitiesto develop specialist skills within areas such as oncology, surgical andrespiratory as well as research and service development are available.

Main duties of the job

Thiscross-site post will cover sites of Leeds Children's Hospital and St James'University Hospital.

Tofulfil the role of Highly Specialist Paediatric Acute SLT, you will haveexperience of working at an advanced level in the assessment, differentialdiagnosis, treatment and management of Eating, Drinking and Swallowingdifficulties as well as complex communication needs.

Thispost provides excellent opportunities to develop skills as a core member of awell-established MDT working alongside Physiotherapists, OccupationalTherapists, Dietetics, Nurses and Assistants

Youwill have excellent inter-personal communication, organisational and teamworking skills and be able to show evidence of continued professionaldevelopment. The role requires you to develop clinical skills in specialistareas such as oncology, carry out training, pre and post-operativeassessments/treatments and transfer of care at a local and regional level. Thepost also involves working closely with MDTs, patients, families and relevantHealth and Social Care teams ensuring compliance against relevant clinicaldrivers and standards.

About us

LeedsChildrens Hospital provides care across the region and is a well-establishedteaching hospital. The fantastic work of Leeds Teaching Hospital has recentlyfeatured on Saving Lives in Leeds and it is one of the largest acute healthproviders in the UK. The hospitals offer specialities including Neurology,Neuro Rehab, Neonates, Cardio-Respiratory & Gastroenterology, criticalcare, surgical, oncology and haematology.The Hospital is based within one of the fastest growing cities in theNorth, in the thriving city centre of Leeds which has excellent transportlinks.

Youwill be supported by a well-established and highly skilled SLT team withopportunities to develop your knowledge and skills in acute sub-specialismssuch as neonates, tracheostomy, long term ventilation, critical care andvideofluoroscopy. Within the team there is a structured induction programmeand a well embedded supervision structure.

LeedsTeaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk'members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job advertsare subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or removeadverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in theshortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while thisprocess is completed, and contact the named contact if you have anyquestions.

Job responsibilities

Toassess differentially diagnose and manage complex communication andswallowing breakdown relating to a wide range of conditions. Utilise highlyspecialist knowledge in line with local policies/protocols and professionalguidelines. Provide specialist second opinions on request to other health andsocial care professionals. Build links with allied agencies across primaryand secondary care improving local and regional care pathways acrossin/outpatient settings.

Diagnose,assess, treat and manage complex communication, swallowing, cognitive andemotional impairments. Ensure all patients have opportunities to improvetheir swallowing/communication function and decrease reliance on enteralfeeds and communication aids.

Developa rehabilitation care pathway focussing on education, enablement andempowerment of service users and their carers.

3. JOB DIMENSIONS

Thepost holder will:

3.1 Manage Highly Specialist caseloadsensuring their complex communication and swallowing needs are met safely.

3.2 Provide seamless pathway of care withlocality services ensuring equitable citywide provision.

3.3 Manage local and regional complexcaseloads.

3.4 Plan, coordinate and deliver medicaleducation and training programs for health/social staff, patients, careproviders, regional SLTs and students.

3.5 Act as patient advocate facilitatingcommunication in order to secure compliance with Mental Capacity Act.

3.6 Audit caseloads and provision to measurevalue of input across this care pathway and evaluate alternative models ofprovision.

3.7Optimise service provision by balancing provision between specialist Acuteand Outpatient clinics.

Person Specification

Other Criteria

• Must be willing to participate in any relevant training identified to develop skills required to carry out duties

Qualifications

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree accredited by RCSLT
• Health Professions Council license to practice as a Speech and Language Therapist.
• Registered Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
• Post Graduate training in and maintenance of:RCSLT Level C Dysphagia
• Training & Competency Framework
• Post Graduate Qualification in Paediatric Dysphagia
• Tracheostomy Advanced communication skills FEES competencies

Experience

• Specialist Knowledge of relevant client groups
• In-depth knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions and evidence of highly specialist clinical expertise relevant to the specialism.
• Well established knowledge of RCSLT Professional and Clinical Guidelines/ policies both locally and nationally in the specialism as well as relevant national strategy and drivers.
• Experience in conducting a range of assessments (VF preferred) to support diagnosis and management of patients presenting with complex dysphagia.
• Substantial SLT experience post qualification with significant experience working in the specialism of complex paediatric communication and feeding difficulties
• Experience working at advanced level in the assessment, differential diagnosis and management of the specialism.
• Experience in teaching competencies to less experienced Speech and Language Therapists.
• Experience in the provision of second opinions and advice to internal and external professional colleagues.
• Experience in delivering Communication and Swallowing training to SLT colleagues and other members of the MDT
• Experience of conducting clinical audit.
• Has attended Clinical Supervisory Skills Course, or equivalent
• Knowledge of the principles of clinical governance, including audit cycle, continuous quality improvement and user involvement.
• Experience in research/audit
• Line Management experience Experience in conducting appraisals
• Experience of working in Specialist MDTs and acting as a specialist SLT resource.
• VF Competency
• Experience of working with AAC

Skills & Behaviours

• Demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills.
• Active and empathetic listening/ counselling skills
• Sensitive to the needs of others and has an awareness and responsiveness to other peoples feelings and needs
• Values differences; regards people as individuals and appreciates value of diversity in the workplace
• Able to work as part of a team, co-operating to work together and in conjunction with others and willing to help and assist wherever possible and appropriate.
• Able to develop, establish and maintain positive relationships with others both internal and external to the organisation.
• Able to work under pressure, dealing with peaks and troughs in workload.
• Positive attitude to dealing with change; flexible and adaptable, willing to change and accept change and to explore new ways of doing things and approaches
• Highly motivated and reliable
• Has a strong degree of personal integrity; able to adhere to standards of conduct based on a sense of right and wrong and be dependable and reliable
• Ability to formulate independent clinical decisions following assessment.
• Able to negotiate with client / carer and medical / AHP teams around individual case management
• Able to communicate complex, sensitive condition-related information from assessment to patients and carers
• Ability to give clear advice, instruction and training to patients, carers and other professionals relating to complex communication/ swallowing disorders
• Good time management, organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Well developed analytical, reflective, negotiation and problem solving skills. Well developed analytical, reflective, negotiation and problem solving skills.
• Good organisational skills.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office.

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.

£47,810 to £54,710 a yearSubject to the pay award