Job Overview
Ealing Adult Speech and Language Therapy Service, are looking for a Band 5 or a Band 6 Therapist dependent on experience, to be part of our friendly Community SLT team.
We are a supportive and experienced, specialist community team of a Band 8a, B7's, B6 roles, B5 roles and SLT Assistant's, with a strong commitment to CPD. We offer excellent clinical and professional support and supervision, and access to relevant courses, internally and externally, to support you in developing your knowledge and skills.
The posts will be located within Ealing Community Partners, in the Ealing Adult SLT service based at Clayponds Hospital or at Ealing Day Treatment Centre.
Main duties of the job
You will be managed, supervised and will work closely with SLT Assistants and the wider SLT team, including a Band 8a & 7 team leads.
The successful candidates will ideally have, some knowledge, skill and experience of working with both dysphagia and communication patients as a result of Neurological disorders including stroke, progressive degenerative disorders, care of the elderly and dementia.
The successful candidates will be an active member of the multi-professional team and work to ensure its continued development. Good communication, liaison and time-management skills are required to manage the caseload effectively, in addition to being forward thinking and enthusiastic.
Working for our organisation
We can offer you:
* Flexible working; full time, part time and job sharing depending on your needs
* An excellent support and supervision structure, including a Trust Professional SLT Lead
* Excellent professional development and ongoing training opportunities both internal and external
* An interesting, manageable, caseload
* Access to Talking Mats training
* Access to a department budget for resources and equipment including a specific, Communications Aids Budget
* An opportunity to participate in innovative new work models
* Fast, effective, IT and technology
* Excellent MDT working opportunities
* Good links to the Acute environment and access to timely VF
* Work from a purpose built location with free staff parking
The Ealing Adult SLT Team form part of the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust portfolio of services and we work closely with our colleagues within West London NHS Trust.
* Follow us on twitter @ECP_AdultSLT
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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.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
* To use specialist clinical skills to manage a caseload of adults with communication and/or swallowing difficulties for patients in an inpatient setting.
* To provide specialist assessment of communication and swallowing problems, formulate a hypothesis using a high level of clinical reasoning, and develop and implement appropriate interventions/rehabilitation to be delivered in an inpatient setting.
* To provide appropriate specialist intervention and evaluate outcomes.
* To write comprehensive reports that are accessible to a range of professionals reflecting specialist knowledge.
* To develop clear care plans, advice and information, based on best practice and to use specialist knowledge to inform clinical judgments for care management.
* To ensure that patients and/or carers are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their care plans and wherever possible facilitate patients with communication and/or cognitive difficulties to participate in the process to ensure meaningful outcomes.
* To provide advice and training to other professionals, carers and relatives regarding the safe management and care of patients with communication and/or swallowing difficulties to maximise the patient's skills and reduce clinical risk.
* To work collaboratively and liaise with a wide range of other professionals across a variety of locations and agencies.
* To adapt practice to meet individual patients' circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
* To reflect on auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of patient's communication and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative effectiveness.
* To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures, and maintain knowledge of current literature and developments within the specialist clinical field of adult neurology (including stroke, progressive neurological conditions, and dementia).
* To demonstrate some knowledge and use of high and low technology communication aids with a range of patients.
* To manage risk when dealing with people who have swallowing difficulties, to promote choice by providing information about the risks and to contribute to moral and ethical decision making about oral and/or alternative feeding choices.
Person specification
Educations/ Qualifications
Essential criteria
* Registration with Health Professions Council as a Speech and Language Therapist
* Recognised Speech & Language Therapy Degree qualification or equivalent
* Registered member of RCSLT
* Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Networks
Desirable criteria
* Evidence of attendance at relevant courses and membership of relevant Special Interest Groups
Knowledge
Essential criteria
* Substantial postgraduate SLT experience, to include some NHS experience
* Advanced dysphagia management skills, some of which should be within the clinical specialism
* Advanced knowledge of a broad range of assessment tools relevant to the clinical specialism.
* Advanced knowledge of trends/best practice within the clinical specialism
Desirable criteria
* In-depth knowledge of the principles of clinical governance
* In-depth knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to the clinical specialism.
Experience
Essential criteria
* Experience working with adults with acquired disorders and a significant proportion of this should be with stroke.
* Relevant specialist experience post qualification in assessment and management of acquired communication/swallowing disorders of neurological aetiology
* Experience within specialist area of stroke.
* Involvement in multi-disciplinary working
Desirable criteria
* Post graduate experience should include outpatient and community setting
* Experience of supervising more junior staff and volunteers
* Experience working with interpreters.
* Experience of developing and providing specialist training to nursing home staff, carers, and other members of the MDT
Skills And Abilities
Essential criteria
* Excellent presentation skills, both written and verbal.
* Excellent organisational skills
* Excellent caseload management skills, including the ability to prioritise caseload and work independently.
* Demonstrates ability to be a good team member and assume leadership responsibilities
Desirable criteria
* Well established knowledge of a broad range of assessment tools relevant to adult acquired communication, cognitive and swallowing disorders
Other
Essential criteria
* Computer literacy/IT skills and a willingness to update these
Desirable criteria
* Car driver and access to a car for work purposes