Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Transformationunitgm; London; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS foundation trust in London is seeking a Band 6 Speech and Language Therapist for a 9-month fixed-term role. The position focuses on providing patient-centered care for adults with complex health needs in the community, with opportunities for professional development and supervision.

Qualifications

• Registered member of HCPC.
• Experience working with adults with multiple medical pathologies.
• Experience in community settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist Speech and Language Therapy service to clients.
• Work closely with MDT for patient-centered care.
• Achieve individual activity target of five new patient contacts weekly.

Skills

Communication

Patient-centered care

Teamwork

Education

Diploma/Degree leading to RCSLT License to practice

Job description

Main area Community Speech and Language Therapy Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract 9 months (9 months fixed term) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (08:30 - 16:30 Monday - Friday) Job ref 196-LIS9565

Employer Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Akerman Health Centre Town London Salary £44,806 - £53,134 Per annum inc HCA Salary period Yearly Closing 09/06/2025 23:59

Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 6

Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

Guy’s is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions.

Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients.

In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research.

We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King’s Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King’s College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit.

Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of ‘good’. Our adult community services achieved a rating of ‘outstanding’.

The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients.

We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS.

Job overview

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Band 6 Speech and Language Therapist to join our Adult Community Speech and Language Therapy service. This is a 9 month fixed term post to cover an internal promotion. Part time or a NHS secondment would be considered.

You will have a keen passion for providing patient-centred care and treatment for a specialist ageing and health and multi-morbidity caseload (dementia, frailty, COPD). There will be opportunities to run outpatient dysphagia clinics for adults with a range of diagnoses (ENT, rheumatology) and an opportunity to work with the team to further develop and shape this specialist service.

You will be a SLT with postgraduate experience working with adults ideally in the community. You will be well-supported through regular supervision and appraisal, and will have access to planned in-service training. There is also opportunities to attend external training in line with your PDP objectives.

This post covers the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark and utilises agile working . All staff are provided with mobile devices and work-related travel is reimbursed. You do not need to drive for this community post. Staff have access to pool cars or you can be reimbursed for using your own car. If you do not drive, you will be expected to use public transport, your own bicycle or walk.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will form part of a developing Speech and Language Therapy Service to support adults in the community.

The post holder is expected:

• To provide a specialist Speech and Language Therapy service to clients in the communities of Lambeth and Southwark.
• To work closely alongside other members of the MDT to provide patient-centred care and treatment for a specialist ageing and health and multi-morbidity caseload (dementia, frailty, COPD).
• To provide intervention that is goal-orientated and utilises a self-management approach enabling patients to actively participate in their treatment.
• To achieve an individual activity target of five new patient contacts a week (face-to-face or via telehealth).
• To participate in monthly supervision and annual appraisal from a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist within the service.
• To provide supervision of SLT students on placement.
• To actively participate in the service development of the service

Working for our organisation

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.

The Integrated Local Services directorate provides a range of community and inpatient health services for adults within the communities of Lambeth and Southwark, with some services also provided in Lewisham. Our hospital- based inpatient and outpatient services provide care for adults from across the region.

We have around 22,700 staff, making us one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country and one of the biggest employers locally. We aim to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and continue to develop new and existing partnerships with local people, patients, neighbouring NHS organisations, local authorities and charitable bodies and GPs.

We strive to recruit and retain the best staff as the dedication and skills of our employees lie at the heart of our organisation and ensure that our services are of the highest quality, safe and focused on our patients.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will:

• Work as an autonomous practitioner within the standards of professional practice laid down by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RSCLT) and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work.
• Maintain close liaison with other senior colleagues in the team and ensure effective communication with all team members for day to day smooth running of the service.
• Keep abreast of current issues within the profession, taking responsibility for personal growth and development such as reading relevant journal and research papers or participating in appropriate work journal clubs and related research / evaluation projects.
• Maintain and record ongoing continuing professional development, using a professional portfolio.
• Attend professional body / clinical interest group meetings as appropriate.
• Participate in clinical training for Speech and Language Therapy students.
• Attend training courses, participate in experiential learning as identified in PDP and impart information to colleagues.

Clinical

The post holder will:

• Provide a comprehensive assessment, treatment and management service to a caseload of adults with ageing and health and multi-morbidities (dementia, frailty, COPD) with communication and/or swallowing impairments following local operational policies and agreed standards and guidelines.
• Be responsible for prioritising and managing own workload. Achieve expected individual activity target of five new patients a week.
• Work collaboratively with clients and carers, members of the multidisciplinary team and external agencies to ensure a co-ordinated approach to service delivery.
• Discuss, advise and plan appropriate patient goals with clients, carers and the multidisciplinary team
• Attend multidisciplinary team meetings, case conferences, family meetings and ward meetings as necessary and other professional meetings as requested by the line manager
• Respect clients' dignity, privacy, culture and wishes during treatment, with a commitment to equal access to rehabilitation.
• Maintain and develop close links with colleagues in the Acute sector, Local Authority Services, Voluntary Organisations and other members of Primary Health Care Services.
• Attend all appropriate team meetings.
• Supervise SLT students on placement where appropriate.
• Undertake monthly clinical supervision and line management supervision with a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist within the team.
• Participate in the Trust staff appraisal scheme.
• Be responsible for safekeeping and cleanliness and maintenance of equipment ensuring standards of infection control are met and reporting all equipment defects, accidents and complaints to the Deputy Clinical Lead.
• Participate in ongoing review of service delivery and any ensuing service developments.

Person specification

Professional/ Statutory Registration

• Registered member of HCPC
• Member of relevant CENs

Qualifications and Education

• Diploma/Degree leading to RCSLT License to practice
• Experience working with adults with multiple medical pathologies, in acute or community settings including management of complex dysphagia.
• Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team (MDT)
• Experience of working in a variety of clinical settings including older persons
• Experience of working in a community setting

Skills/Knowledge/ Ability

• Knowledge of current policies and publications relevant to caseload
• Committed to continuing professional development and self- learning
• Good ability to devise appropriate training and information packages for patients, family members, carers and colleagues.
• Excellent ability to communicate highly complicated / highly emotive information to all levels of understanding both verbally and in writing
• Knowledge and understanding of clinical governance and evidence based practice
• Ability to work innovatively in order to integrate interventions into the individual’s home, work, social or educational environment
• Developed skills in assessing individuals with a range of communication impairments and ability to provide evidence-based therapy approaches/ management programmes.
• Experience of referring patients for instrumental assessment.

Guy’s and St Thomas’celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity , gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.

Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy.

As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends.

We are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance and to work in a way that is best for them and our patients. We will consider all requests to work flexibly, taking in to account the individual’s personalcircumstances as well the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the recruiting manager as part of the on-boarding process.

Your e-mail address is important to us -We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis.

Please apply for this post by clicking "Apply Online Now."

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Gemma Najair Job title Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 07823535096