Speech & Language Therapist

University Hospitals Of Leicester Nhs Trust; Leicester; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Regular supervision

UHL Preceptorship Programme

Annual appraisal

CPD opportunities

Job summary

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust is recruiting for a 12-month fixed-term Speech and Language Therapist post within the Adult SLT Service. The role covers acute inpatient services across Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield Hospital, with a weekly rotation through Neurorehabilitation and Intensive Care settings.

You will work with a wide range of conditions including dementia, stroke, trauma, respiratory illness and cancer, with strong teamwork and CPD

Qualifications

• Qualified Speech and Language Therapist with HCPC registration or eligible for registration.
• Newly-qualified therapists welcome to apply.
• Ability to work across acute inpatient and ward settings and rotate with other teams.

Responsibilities

• Assess clients' communication and swallowing needs and develop care plans.
• Provide advice on management of adults with communication and swallowing disorders.
• Promote positive communication environments for clients with diverse needs.
• Demonstrate clinical effectiveness using evidence-based practice and outcome measures.
• Produce clear reports summarising needs, plans and recommendations.
• Contribute to multidisciplinary teams and involve clients in planning of care.

Skills

Dysphagia management

Stroke rehabilitation

Communication assessment

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Speech and Language Therapy

Tools

Videofluoroscopy

FEES assessments

Job description

Due to internal development we are recruiting to a 12 month fixed term contract post to cover a secondment. Applications will be welcomed from newly-qualified therapists and experienced therapists with an interest in developing specialist skills in acute care. You will be based full-time in the Adult SLT Service within the University Hospitals of Leicester Trust, providing input to the acute inpatient services at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield Hospital as needed. For part of your week, you will be working as part of a growing Acute Medical Wards service led by an Operational Lead, alongside Band 6 and Band 5 colleagues. For the remainder of your week, you will also be involved in the established Band 5 rotation which may include sessions on the Neurorehabilitation Unit, Stroke Rehabilitation Unit, Acute Stroke Unit, Neurology Assessment Unit and/or Intensive Care Units. In acute care every day is different. You will be supporting individuals with a range of conditions including dementia, stroke, traumatic brain injury, respiratory conditions, cancer and infectious diseases. You will have the opportunity to work closely with specialist Speech and Language Therapy colleagues in stroke, neurology, intensive care, respiratory and head and neck cancer. You will also be in regular contact with our Speech and Language Therapy colleagues in Leicestershire Partnership Trust, who provide input to individuals within the community in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Our service offers inpatient and community outpatient videofluoroscopy and inpatient FEES assessments to aid diagnosis and management. We believe in supporting our team to achieve their goals and are committed to offering:

• Regular 1:1 and peer supervision
• Protected time to complete the UHL Preceptorship Programme
• Annual appraisal
• Opportunities for joint working
• Continuing professional development, both through in-house training and external courses
• Regular protected time to work towards individual objectives Opportunities to spend time in other parts of the service with specialist colleagues

A large part of this role involves supporting individuals with dysphagia. You will be supported to progress through dysphagia competencies during your induction period In acute care every day is different. You will be supporting individuals with a range of conditions including dementia, stroke, traumatic brain injury, respiratory conditions, cancer and infectious diseases. You will have the opportunity to work closely with specialist Speech and Language Therapy colleagues in stroke, neurology, intensive care, respiratory and head and neck cancer. You will also be in regular contact with our Speech and Language Therapy colleagues in Leicestershire Partnership Trust, who provide input to individuals within the community in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Our service offers inpatient and community outpatient videofluoroscopy and inpatient FEES assessments to aid diagnosis and management. We believe in supporting our team to achieve their goals and are committed to offering:

• Regular 1:1 and peer supervision
• Protected time to complete the UHL Preceptorship Programme
• Annual appraisal
• Opportunities for joint working
• Continuing professional development, both through in-house training and external courses
• Regular protected time to work towards individual objectives Opportunities to spend time in other parts of the service with specialist colleagues

Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years (2023-2030). We have four primary goals:

• high-quality care for all,
• being a great place to work,
• partnerships for impact, and
• research and education excellence

And we will embed health equality in all we do - taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities. Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:

• we are compassionate,
• we are proud,
• we are inclusive, and
• we are one team

This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.

About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust: https://www.uhleicester.nhs.uk

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• To assess the client's needs (communication and or swallowing) and develop, implement, monitor and review programme of care
• To provide advice/information to others regarding the management of adults with communication and/or swallowing difficulties.
• To advise on the promotion of positive communication environments to meet the needs of clients.
• To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures.
• To produce reports regarding client's needs and summarising proposed care plans and recommendations.
• To adapt practice to meet the individual client's circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic differences.
• To refer on to other services as appropriate.
• To seek a second opinion where appropriate.
• To ensure that clients are involved in the planning of programmes of care whenever possible.
• To contribute to multidisciplinary, multi-agency and uni-disciplinary teams as appropriate.
• To communicate complex condition related information from assessment/therapy plan to clients, carers, families and members of MDT.
• To work closely with clients, carers and families, agreeing decision making relevant to the needs of the client.
• To demonstrate empathy with clients, carers families and colleagues, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist.
• To use appropriate listening and basic counselling skills with clients and carers.
• To develop skills in motivating clients and/or carers to engage in the therapy process.
• To develop negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations.
• To deal with initial enquiries/complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible.
• To form positive relationships with others who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties.
• To employ effective and appropriate communication skills.