Job description

Job responsibilities

Professional Autonomy and Accountability-

1. To participate in and undertake to learn from the supervision and development opportunities provided by the Trust and the speech and language therapy department
2. To work with a high level of autonomy in making decisions in relation to own practice and in relation to service delivery in meeting patients / clients needs
3. To provide second opinion to other specialist staff within and outside local service areas
4. To respect, and so far as is possible, uphold the rights dignity and autonomy of clients, including their role in the diagnostic and therapeutic process
5. To practice in a non-discriminatory manner
6. To maintain confidentiality and obtain informed consent
7. To know the limits of practice and when to seek advice
8. To manage an agreed caseload of clients with a high level of clinical complexity, often within a specialist context or knowledge area
9. To monitor and evaluate own highly specialist service delivery and provide progress reports
10. To plan, prioritize and co-ordinate a workload of potentially conflicting roles and activities with a service wide perspective in order to attain a range of professional goals
11. To deal most of the time with the novel, complex and unexpected
12. To undertake self-directed learning and CPD
13. To reflect on own practice and to lead in facilitating others in clinical supervision

Patient / Client Care population focus

1. To provide a leading role across the Trusts and partner agencies and organisations through raising public awareness of the needs of people with voice, communication and / or swallowing difficulties in promoting access to the help and services they require
2. To provide a leading role in health promotion and health prevention, including early identification of difficulties or at risk factors in given populations, so as to enable or facilitate appropriate access to speech and language therapy and other services

Patient / Client Care individual focus

1. Identification and assessment of health and social care needs:

1. To gather appropriate information
2. To use appropriate specialist and highly specialist assessment techniques for clients with a high level of clinical complexity for swallowing and communication difficulties
3. To undertake/arrange clinical investigations as appropriate for a specialist and highly complex caseload
4. To analyse, evaluate and interpret the information collected
5. To make a differential diagnosis on the basis of evidence from the assessments
6. Formulation and delivery of plans and strategies for meeting identified needs

Formulation and delivery of plans and strategies for meeting identified needs

• For clients with specialist needs and high levels of clinical complexity:
  • To draw on appropriate specialist and highly specialist knowledge and skills in order to make professional judgements and clinical decisions
  • To formulate specialist and highly specialist management plans including the setting of goals and timescales
• To develop specialist and highly specialist programmes of care based on best practice for intervention to be implemented by the therapist or others (individual, group, direct and indirect interventions)
• To provide highly specialist clinical and professional advice to those receiving care and to others regarding the management and care of patients / clients with high levels of specialist needs and clinical complexity in their communication and / or swallowing difficulties
• To conduct the appropriate specialist and highly specialist diagnostic or monitoring procedures, treatment, therapy or other actions safely and skilfully.
• To maintain records and share information as appropriate for clients with specialist needs and a high level of clinical complexity often within a specialist context or knowledge are

Critical evaluation of the impact of, or response to, intervention

1. To use specialist and highly specialist knowledge to monitor and review the ongoing effectiveness of planned activity and to modify it accordingly
2. To audit, reflect on and review own specialist and highly specialist practice

Knowledge understanding and skills

1. To know and keep up to date with national, local and client contextual knowledge and understanding as well as the relevant core and care group specific, specialist underpinning knowledge and skills related to the assessment, management and professional craft knowledge of specialist speech and language therapy practice
2. To identify personal / professional development needs evidenced by Personal Development Plan / Professional Portfolio
3. To demonstrate knowledge of, and adhere to RCSLT Professional and Clinical and National and Local Clinical Guidelines
4. To have a working knowledge of all relevant procedures for specialist practice including: Safeguarding, Vulnerable Adults, capacity for consent and other legal frameworks

Physical skills

1. To demonstrate highly developed and accurate auditory and perceptual skills in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients / clients
2. To demonstrate skills in handling clients with disabilities
3. To demonstrate skills in the use of equipment and technology in highly specialist clinical care

LEARNING AND EDUCATION

Self

1. To identify training and development needs required for highly specialist practice through critical self-reflection
2. To engage in continuous self-directed learning that promotes professional development and quality of practice
3. To seek a range of opportunities through the appropriate channels for meeting learning needs
4. To evaluate learning outcomes, including how learning impacts on practice and implement appropriate changes

Students

1. To assume delegated responsibility for co-ordinating clinical placement opportunities within the specialty / team for speech and language therapy students to observe, discuss and have hands on experience of working with clients
2. To provide full student placements, including assessments of the placements as appropriate
3. To undertake to be a resource of practice expertise in conjunction with the Higher Education provider by advising, developing and delivering lectures / workshops etc. for students
4. To evaluate the effectiveness of chosen methods of meeting learning needs

Speech and Language Therapy colleagues

1. To lead case discussions, peer review and action learning sets, drawing on highly specialist knowledge and experience
2. To lead, facilitate and support the development and practice of colleagues individually and in groups whilst respecting their existing levels of expertise and evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen methods in meeting learning needs
3. To provide regular specialist training on a range of topics
4. To identify training needs within specialist area

Others

1. To provide a regular, leading role in identifying the specialist training needs of individuals or groups, in developing the appropriate content and style of information giving / skill development, in providing the training through the most appropriate means and in evaluating the impact
2. To lead in providing opportunities for other health professionals to learn about speech and language therapy and relevant health promotion and health prevention from observation and discussion

Practice research and development

To contribute to and, as a highly specialist speech and language therapist, to lead the continuous improvement of the speech and language therapy service through:

• Critical reflection on service level practice and planning
• Initiating and undertaking research / clinical governance / audit projects within area of expertise
• To develop and implement innovations to reduce risk, and improve quality and clinical effectiveness
• To participate in departmental research and clinical governance / audit projects
• To represent the team within multidisciplinary systems of clinical governance
• To lead in contributing to the body of knowledge about specialist speech and language therapy and multi professional practice through sharing experience with colleagues and clinical networks, and by participating or contributing to research and publication

Policy / service development and implementation

1. To be aware of, adhere to and implement service and team plans and policies across agencies and organisations
2. To take delegated lead on the development of team objectives or projects in liaison with peers
3. To contribute to interagency / multi-disciplinary team building and policy development

COMMUNICATIONS AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

1. To communicate specialist, complex condition related information from assessment, as well as information, advice, instruction and professional opinion effectively and appropriately to a wide range of colleagues and to patients / clients, parents and carers, liaising with all parties and across organisational boundaries
2. To communicate effectively, reflecting specialist knowledge throughout the care of individuals with specialist, complex, high risk needs
3. To make referrals within health, education and social services settings
4. To fulfil a Primary Partner role to ensure patient / clients with specialist, complex, high risk needs and their parents or carers benefit from a comprehensive and co-ordinated plan of care
5. To communicate complex, high risk care issues and concerns in speech and language therapy and wider contexts, including child protection, vulnerable adults and health prevention

To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• oBSc Hons or recognised degree equivalent qualification in Speech & Language Therapy
• oHealth Professions Council - Licence to Practice
• oRegistered Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
• oMembership of relevant Special Interest Groups

Desirable

• Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses up to Masters degree equivalent

Experience

Essential

• oRelevant experience at undergraduate / post graduate level
• oSignificant experience working in the specialist field of voice disorders
• oRelevant highly specialist experience post registration

Desirable

• Experience of working with Dysphagia

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website .

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants .

UK Registration

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

Employer details

Employer name

Ashford & St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

St Peter's Hospital, Guildford Road, Chertsey, KT16 0PZ

Chertsey

KT16 0PZ