Speech & Language Therapy Assistant Practitioner

jobs24.co.uk; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity awaits as a Speech & Language Therapy Assistant Practitioner within a dedicated team focused on enhancing patient care. This role involves working closely with patients experiencing communication and swallowing difficulties, providing essential support throughout the acute Stroke pathway. You will collaborate with experienced therapists, engage in meaningful patient interactions, and contribute to the development of tailored treatment plans. The organization prioritizes inclusivity and professional growth, offering comprehensive training and a supportive environment. If you're passionate about making a difference in people's lives, this role could be the perfect fit for you.

Benefits

Free car parking

27 days leave plus bank holidays

Broad range of training opportunities

Generous NHS pension

Flexible working opportunities

Recognition and long service awards

Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes

Qualifications

• Experience as a therapy support worker in a clinical area, preferably Stroke.
• Ability to work well with multi-disciplinary teams and motivate patients.

Responsibilities

• Assess patients and identify areas of impairment and potential complications.
• Implement treatment programmes to promote optimal communication and swallowing abilities.
• Participate in continuing professional development and administrative tasks.

Skills

Communication Skills

Listening Skills

IT Skills

Clinical Reasoning

Teamwork

Education

Experience as a Therapy Support Worker

Relevant Qualifications in Speech & Language Therapy

Job description

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health, and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people's own homes and in a range of other locations across the county.
We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care. We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking 'what matters to you'.
We're passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and we are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality teams in all areas of the Trust.
Our application process aims to understand each candidate's knowledge, skills, and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.
It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over-reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us.

You will have the opportunity to work with patients throughout the acute Stroke pathway, working across both the hyper-acute unit and the acute stroke unit which are both based at Cheltenham General Hospital. This role involves working directly with patients with communication and/or swallowing difficulties. This may involve admin tasks, carrying out communication screens and therapy programmes directed by qualified therapists, making resources e.g. communication books or utilising technology to enable patients to communicate by alternative means, and liaising with multi-disciplinary colleagues.

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification. Responsibilities include:

1. Assessing patients, identifying areas of impairment, potential complications, and contraindications, and referring back for assessment by a registered practitioner when necessary.
2. Providing appropriate follow-up treatment within a delegated framework of responsibilities, reporting back to registered staff and referring on to other agencies when necessary.
3. Using clinical reasoning skills to agree functional goals and develop and evaluate the treatment plan.
4. Implementing and progressing treatment programmes in order to promote optimal communication and swallowing abilities.
5. Exercising autonomy in the management of the caseload in the clinical area.
6. Undertaking specific unaccompanied work and organising own caseload.
7. Using verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients/carers.
8. Participating in own continuing professional development (CPD), including supervision, appraisal, and training to ensure competency, service quality, and meet the clinical governance agenda and organisational goals.
9. Undertaking administrative tasks to support the Therapy team and ensure the ongoing care and rehabilitation of the patient.
10. Contributing to measuring the treatment outcomes and audit activity related to the service.
11. Representing the Therapy service at internal and external meetings when delegated.

We have an exciting role in our team for an enthusiastic and proactive Speech & Language Therapy Assistant Practitioner. You should have prior experience working as a therapy support worker/rehabilitation assistant, ideally in the clinical area of Stroke.

The successful applicant will join our well-established Speech & Language Therapy team, working alongside experienced Speech & Language Therapists and the wider multidisciplinary team. You will be supported to develop relevant competencies and you will receive on-the-job training. We are looking for an individual who is motivated with their development, enthusiastic, and flexible in their approach to work. The ability to work well with all members of the multi-disciplinary team is essential. You will need to have excellent communication, listening, and IT skills, be able to work as part of a team, and be able to motivate patients.

We strive to support an organisational culture that is welcoming, builds and celebrates inclusivity and diversity, and provides a sense of belonging and trust.

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

1. Free car parking at many of our sites.
2. 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service.
3. A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
4. A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals, and Return to Practice Practitioners.
5. Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when working unsocial hours.
6. Flexible, family-friendly, and agile working opportunities.
7. Recognition and long service awards.
8. Fast Track physiotherapy.
9. Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme, and discounts on travel, leisure, and retailers.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application.
For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.