Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
About
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region (Halton, Warrington, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton and St Helens) and is also commissioned for services that cover North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to perfect care care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. Were currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
We call this continuous improvement in quality and cost, striving for perfect care. Our aim is to play a full part in the health and social care economies we serve, by promoting and driving greater integration between mental and physical health and social care.
Our clinical services are provided across over 170 sites spanning a large part of the North West. Our services are supported by a corporate teams based at our offices in Kings Business Park, Prescot, and Hollins Park, Warrington.
We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from BAME, disabled and LGBT people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Accepting Applications Until:
Vacancy status:
Accepting Applications Until:
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Key details
Location
SiteAshworth HSSTownLiverpoolPostcodeL31 1HWMajor / Minor RegionMerseyside
Contract type & working pattern
ContractPermanentHoursFull time hours per week
Salary
Salary£53,755 - £60,504 per annumSalary periodYearlyGrade(Band 8a)
Specialty
Main areaAllied Health ProfessionalInterview date04/04/2025
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust celebrates diversity and promotes equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from ethnic minorities, disabled and LGBTQIA+ people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces personnel as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.
Job Overview
We are currently looking to recruit a highly motivated and enthusiastic Band 8a Professional and operational lead for Speech and Language Therapy within our service. This post will be a full-time opportunity on a permanent basis. The base of the post is Ashworth High Secure Service, Maghull in Merseyside. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference in the on-going development of Speech & Language Therapy provision within new models of care across our services.
Advert
The Division provides specialist services to adults who have a learning disability or mental health diagnosis across inpatient high secure services, medium secure services, low secure services and community forensic and non-forensic settings. We are developing new services and support for people within inpatient and community settings and the successful candidate will be motivated to develop innovative ways of working ensuring evidence based and outcome focused service delivery to improve peoples quality of life.
The post holder will provide operational management for the secure areas and professional leadership to Speech & Language Therapists across our LD community services in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside and will hold a caseload agreed on clinical need. It is essential that you have an interest in working with individuals with mental health and learning disabilities within secure and non-secure inpatient and community services and have skills and experience in dysphagia and communication.
Working for our organisation
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to perfect care care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. Were currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
We are looking for people who share our core values of Continuous Improvement, Accountability, Respect, Enthusiasm and Support to work within our Secure and Specialist Learning Disability Division. The role covers a range of settings including:
Ashworth High Secure Hospital
HMP Liverpool
Rowan View purpose built medium secure hospital
Community Learning Disability Services
Specialist Support Teams
As the Principle Speech and Language Therapist you will be responsible for managing a clinical caseload as the needs of the service dictates; along with providing support and supervision for the wider services within the division. The role will include strategically leading the divisions Speech and Language Therapy workforce and supporting the implementation of AHP clinical strategies.
The post-holder will provide clinical leadership and management for the Speech and Language Therapy Resource for people aged 18+ including assessing, developing and implementing Expert Speech and Language Therapy treatment and evaluating outcomes in relation to dysphagia and communication.
The post-holder will be accountable for the delivery of the service, ensuring that the service is effective and well co-ordinated. They will manage and prioritise a highly complex and specialist caseload and workload independently and use expert knowledge to inform sound clinical judgement/ decision making in the absence of a precedent. They will provide expert advice / second opinions to Speech and Language Therapists and other Professionals in areas of expertise.
The post-holder will ensure the delivery of the quality strategy within the designated area incorporating establishment of systems and processes.
They will be flexible to the demands of the environment including unpredictable work patterns, deadlines and frequent interruptions
Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply for all correspondence. All information regarding your application will come from not NHS Jobs.
Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we offer a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants who consider themselves to be disabled who meet the minimum (essential) criteria for the role in the person specification. If you would like your application to be considered under the Trusts guaranteed interview scheme you can indicate this in the personal information section of your online application form.
Should you require a reasonable adjustment to our recruitment process please email [email protected] to ensure that measures can be put in place to support you.
We reserve the right to close any vacancy earlier than advertised in exceptional circumstances once we have received a high volume of applications.
The Trust expects all post holders who require an enhanced DBS for their role subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration. Trans applicants who require a DBS check and do not want to reveal details of their previous identity can contact the DBS Sensitive Applications Team or email [email protected] ) with their application number once they have completed their DBS application form. The team can prevent any previous identity showing on the DBS Certificate, unless the applicant has a conviction under their previous details in which case this will need to be disclosed.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Please be advised that the use of Artificial Intelligence on applications is monitored and if you choose to use this, you must declare this on your application form.
Applicant requirements
warning You must have appropriate UK professional registration. info This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
Health Care Professions Council licence to practice
Registered member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy
Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses up to Masters degree equivalent.
Desirable criteria
Member of Special interest group
Advanced Certificate in Dysphagia
Knowledge /Experience:
Essential criteria
Extensive relevant experience at postgraduate level
Relevant advanced experience post qualification in specialist field
Demonstrated extensive community working experience in highly specialist clinical role
Experience of supervising less experienced staff
Well-established knowledge of a broad range of assessment tools relevant to the specialist client group
In depth knowledge of clinical governance / audit
Understanding of the roles of other professionals working in the field
Knowledge of standards of record keeping
Advanced knowledge of trends / best practice with the clinical specialism
Knowledge of strategic direction of local organisation
Desirable criteria
Experience of advising / providing second opinions
Experience of developing case management skills in less experienced staff
Experience of undertaking appraisal and planning CPD for less experienced staff
VALUES
Essential criteria
Continuous Improvement
Accountability
Respectfulness
Enthusiasm
Supports
Responsive to service users
Engaging leadership style
Strong customer service belief
Transparency and honesty
Discrete
Skills
Essential criteria
Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills
Demonstrates ability to be a good team player and assume leadership responsibilities
The ability to lead on projects
Excellent presentation skills, written and verbal
The post-holder must be able to transport themselves around the community
This post involves light physical effort, as a frequent requirement, several short periods during a shift
The post-holder will maintain highly intense concentration in all aspects of patient management for prolonged periods. There may be unpredictable work patterns, deadlines and frequent interruptions
Well-developed concentration skills.
Excellent organisational skills
Prioritisation skills
The ability to translate policy into practice
Advanced negotiation and problem solving skills
Demonstrates excellent analytical and reflection skills
Understanding the impact of local culture, linguistic and demographic factors which influence service delivery in own clinical area of specialism
Frequent exposure to highly distressing circumstances
Documents
JD (, 405.6)PDFKB
Functional Requirements (, 380.5)PDFKB
A Great Place to Work (, 2.1)PDFMB
Further details / informal visits contact
NameStephen CarragherJob titleOperational Manager - AHPSEmail address [email protected]Additional information
or alternatively contact Danielle Welsh ( Head of AHP - Secure Division)
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