Job Overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a six-month fixed-term contract as a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist within the Camden Neurology and Stroke Service. The post is a 1.0 WTE (full time) community post with the base at St Pancras Hospital which is part of CNWL.
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for:
delivering high quality and effective Adult Community Speech and Language Therapy assessments and interventions against a framework of national and local best practice guidelines;
supporting and supervising other SLTs, Rehabilitation Assistants, and students within the team;
leading service development and quality improvement projects;
deputising for and supporting the Clinical Lead Speech & Language Therapist as needed.
Working for our organisation
The Camden Neurology and Stroke Service aims to:
prioritise evidence-based ways of delivering our service;
provide a high quality service for all patients;
support and nurture colleagues and team-members;
challenge and continually improve our own practice in line with local and national strategic drivers for change.
The team includes Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Clinical Neuropsychologists and Rehabilitation Assistants. Team members work in an inter-disciplinary way to provide client-centred, goal-focused therapy to patients in the community.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
To be responsible for the provision of a comprehensive, effective, highly specialist speech and language therapy service to people with a diverse range of diagnoses presenting with communication and/or swallowing difficulties living in the community in Camden.
Please See Attached Job Description.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential criteria
Recognised Speech and Language Therapy qualification
Registered with the Health Professions Council as a Speech and Language Therapist
Successful completion of advanced practitioner post- graduate study relevant to field (e.g. dysphagia, counselling, leadership, aphasia)
Successful completion of highly specialist/expert short courses relevant to field (e.g. training the trainer, clinical governance, progressive neurological disorders, AAC, palliative care)
Membership of, and active participation in, relevant Clinical Excellence Networks, e.g. CEN Community, CEN Counselling
Supervision and appraisal methods
Desirable criteria
Registered member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
Experience
Essential criteria
Of working at a specialist level with people with neurological disorder
Delivering specialist training to a range of audiences
Working in multidisciplinary/multiagency teams
Working in the community
Supervision of students/support workers
Desirable criteria
Carrying out evidence based audit and research projects
Skills
Essential criteria
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Communicate complex, sensitive information
Interpret a range of assessments relevant to the clinical field, including instrumental assessment of swallowing function, phonemic transcription, and formal language tests.
Critically evaluate published research within a specific area of clinical expertise
Skills in delivering presentations and training, including basic adaptations to presentation / training style for a range of audiences
Working in teams
Knowledge
Essential criteria
Of a highly specialist range of assessment tools and procedures to evaluate communication and swallowing difficulties in people with neurological disorders
Of the key characteristics leading to a highly specialist differential diagnosis of communication and swallowing difficulties in people with neurological disorders
Of selecting, setting & evaluating highly specialist treatment goals
Of a highly specialist range of therapeutic interventions relevant to people with neurological disorders demonstrating the evidence base for these approaches
The application of highly specialist knowledge of local cultural, linguistic & demographic factors to the management of a caseload of people with neurological disorders and their carers
Detailed knowledge of multi-disciplinary team approaches to patient care
Of approaches to mentoring, advising, supporting and clinically supervising less experienced SLTs and support staff and students in training
Basic qualitative & quantitative approaches to audit and research
Good understanding of clinical governance principles
Development and implementation of short term clinically based projects
Approaches to support patients & carers with challenging behaviour, mental health needs or in high levels of distress
Abilities
Essential criteria
Ability to reflect on practice
Flexibility