Professional and Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS foundation trust seeks a Professional Head of Speech & Language Therapy to provide expert leadership and oversight for SLT services. The role involves strategic planning, collaboration with healthcare professionals, and the development of innovative practices to enhance quality patient care.

Qualifications

• Registered with the HCPC and RCSLT.
• Significant proven competence in the management of complex disorders.
• Experience of working as an SLT at an 8a level.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and professional leadership across Speech and Language Therapy services.
• Maintain a clinical role as an expert practitioner.
• Develop evidence-based best practices and support service evaluations.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical expertise

Communication skills

Time management

Negotiation skills

Education

Masters degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Job summary

This post is an important senior position within the Therapies Directorate. The post holder will report to the head of therapies and work closely with Consultant/Professional Lead/Head of Service peers, delivering strong speech and language therapy leadership, high standards of care and quality outcomes and contribute to oversight and assurance. They will provide direct operational support and clinical supervision to Clinical Lead SLTs in adult services and provide clinical expertise in specified areas of clinical practice while demonstrating/developing expert knowledge across the wider range of Trust services and an ability to signpost to other experts within the system. Providing strong, positive and visible professional/clinical leadership and using a collaborative, motivational, and problem solving approach, the post holder will be a role model for the Trust values and drive a culture of continuous quality improvement in clinical outcomes and patient experience. The post holder will lead the development of evidence-based speech and language therapy best practice, including innovative and evolving roles ensuring that the workforce has the right skills and support, in support of the Trust's and SWL system strategic direction and commitment to outstanding standards of quality governance.

Main duties of the job

- To provide strategic and professional leadership across the Speech and Language Therapy services for St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, working with the Clinical Lead SLTs to plan, implement and monitor service delivery of highly specialist, evidence based care across the Trust.

- As Professional Head of Speech & Language Therapy within the Trust to have Professional responsibility and accountability for all Speech & Language Therapists including providing oversight and support as required to those clinically and operationally managed within Children's Services in conjunction with the Head of Children's Therapies and Children's management team.

- As Professional Lead to represent Speech and Language Therapy in all relevant internal meetings with Senior Managers, Clinical Directors and externally including partner organisations, HEIs, and in the wider SWL ICS.

- To maintain a clinical role as an expert practitioner in their specialist clinical area and level of practice (specialist, advance practice, consultant level).

About us

The post holder is expected to have a clear understanding of how this post contributes to the achievement of the trust vision of: A thriving Foundation Trust at the heart of an integrated healthcare system. One that delivers improved patient care at a community, hospital and specialist setting, supported by a unique and nationally recognised programme of research, education and employee engagement. We expect all our staff to share the values that are important to the Trust, being Excellent, Kind, Responsible & Respectful, and behave in a way that reflects these. St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and expects that all staff will share in this commitment. The Trust is clear that all staff have a responsibility to be aware of children and adult safeguarding policies and procedures and that each member of staff, clinical and non-clinical, will attend child or adult safeguarding training that is provided at an appropriate level to suit their role. The Trust has the additional expectation that all staff will be able to identify concerns and know what action to take.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached the job description for more details on the main responsibilities for this role.

Job description
Job responsibilities

Please see attached the job description for more details on the main responsibilities for this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential

• Registered with the HCPC and RCSLT
• Masters degree or equivalent experience. Working at Masters level and beyond
• Relevant membership of other professional groups and organisations/CENs
• Management or leadership training

Desirable

• Further postgraduate qualification

Experience

Essential

• Significant proven competence in the independent assessment, treatment and management of complex swallowing and/ or communication disorders
• Previous proven experience of working as an SLT at an 8a level
• Proven experience in provision of staff mentoring, supervision and CPD
• Extensive experience in training and developing other health care professionals Extensive experience of working within the NHS
• Advanced clinical reasoning skills
• Evidence of undertaking service evaluations, quality improvement projects and audits through to completion
• Experience of effective teaching and presenting data and information to a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrates skills in strategic SLT service evaluation including risk management, quality standards and clinical A /I effectiveness
• Familiar with national and local policies and agendas and identifies implications for SLT service and implementation of these
• Able to demonstrate continuing professional development at a post graduate level through an up -to -date CPD portfolio
• Experience of writing documentation to support business cases and recruitment processes for existing and new posts

Skills

Essential

• Autonomous practitioner who has the proven ability to work unsupervised
• Effective time management and the ability to prioritise own SLT workload and that of other SLTs equitably across SLT services as required, responding to unpredictable changes in staffing levels
• Ability to supervise staff directly accountable to post holder
• Demonstration of professional and effective verbal and written communication skills, including excellent negotiation skills with patients, carers and other health professional staff in complex case management, conflict management and service delivery issues including situations where complex, sensitive and/or contentious information needs to be discussed.
• Demonstration of clinical leadership qualities e.g. management of change, clinical competence, the ability to negotiate and influence at operational and strategic levels
• Proven experience in leading the A / I development of local policies and care protocols informed by a strong evidence base.
• Proven advanced skills in leading on planning, reviewing and auditing uni- and multidisciplinary service delivery.
• Proven ability to develop bids for resources to match service needs.
• Proven ability to identify areas for own personal/professional development and those of other SLT staff, through highly developed reflective practice skills.
• Ability to actively participate in research, demonstrating knowledge of research methodologies and research application
• Application of Health and Safety and risk management policies
• Ability to manage change and contain conflict ensuring resolution with positive outcomes
• Negotiation skills
• Ability to lead: within the therapy profession and multi professional working; within an organisation and across organisational boundaries.
• Strategic planning abilities
• Ability to translate and integrate evidence based research/ guidelines in the development of clinical practice
• Innovative and creative thinker keen to implement change
• Excellent IT skills, including word processing, PowerPoint, spreadsheets and e-mail
• Behaviour change skills/ motivational interviewing

Knowledge

Essential

• o Broad knowledge of RCSLT clinical policies and evidencebase to support service developments.
• Excellent knowledge and experience of Clinical Governance
• Understanding of the impact of current government policy developments
• Understanding of current NHS issues and commissioning

Person Specification
Qualifications and Training

Essential

• Registered with the HCPC and RCSLT
• Masters degree or equivalent experience. Working at Masters level and beyond
• Relevant membership of other professional groups and organisations/CENs
• Management or leadership training

Desirable

• Further postgraduate qualification

Experience

Essential

• Significant proven competence in the independent assessment, treatment and management of complex swallowing and/ or communication disorders
• Previous proven experience of working as an SLT at an 8a level
• Proven experience in provision of staff mentoring, supervision and CPD
• Extensive experience in training and developing other health care professionals Extensive experience of working within the NHS
• Advanced clinical reasoning skills
• Evidence of undertaking service evaluations, quality improvement projects and audits through to completion
• Experience of effective teaching and presenting data and information to a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrates skills in strategic SLT service evaluation including risk management, quality standards and clinical A /I effectiveness
• Familiar with national and local policies and agendas and identifies implications for SLT service and implementation of these
• Able to demonstrate continuing professional development at a post graduate level through an up -to -date CPD portfolio
• Experience of writing documentation to support business cases and recruitment processes for existing and new posts

Skills

Essential

• Autonomous practitioner who has the proven ability to work unsupervised
• Effective time management and the ability to prioritise own SLT workload and that of other SLTs equitably across SLT services as required, responding to unpredictable changes in staffing levels
• Ability to supervise staff directly accountable to post holder
• Demonstration of professional and effective verbal and written communication skills, including excellent negotiation skills with patients, carers and other health professional staff in complex case management, conflict management and service delivery issues including situations where complex, sensitive and/or contentious information needs to be discussed.
• Demonstration of clinical leadership qualities e.g. management of change, clinical competence, the ability to negotiate and influence at operational and strategic levels
• Proven experience in leading the A / I development of local policies and care protocols informed by a strong evidence base.
• Proven advanced skills in leading on planning, reviewing and auditing uni- and multidisciplinary service delivery.
• Proven ability to develop bids for resources to match service needs.
• Proven ability to identify areas for own personal/professional development and those of other SLT staff, through highly developed reflective practice skills.
• Ability to actively participate in research, demonstrating knowledge of research methodologies and research application
• Application of Health and Safety and risk management policies
• Ability to manage change and contain conflict ensuring resolution with positive outcomes
• Negotiation skills
• Ability to lead: within the therapy profession and multi professional working; within an organisation and across organisational boundaries.
• Strategic planning abilities
• Ability to translate and integrate evidence based research/ guidelines in the development of clinical practice
• Innovative and creative thinker keen to implement change
• Excellent IT skills, including word processing, PowerPoint, spreadsheets and e-mail
• Behaviour change skills/ motivational interviewing

Knowledge

Essential

• o Broad knowledge of RCSLT clinical policies and evidencebase to support service developments.
• Excellent knowledge and experience of Clinical Governance
• Understanding of the impact of current government policy developments
• Understanding of current NHS issues and commissioning

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.
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Additional information
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.
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Employer details

Employer name

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address

St. George's Hospital / Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton

Blackshaw road

Tooting/ Roehampton

SW17 0QT

Employer's website