Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist mental health, learning disability, and community healthcare services for the population of the Black Country. Across the Black Country we provide: Adult and older adult mental health services Specialist learning disability services Mental health services for children and young people Community healthcare services for children, young people and families in Dudley Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 April 2020, with the merger of Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. Combining resources, strategies and talented workforce enables us to deliver a wider variety of outstanding services that are based on best practice and are continually improving. We currently employ over 4,000 people and just like the population we serve, we are made up of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Whatever your role, working in a NHS Foundation Trust, like ours, is a demanding and extremely rewarding experience. Knowing that every day you can help to make a positive difference to someone’s life is a very powerful feeling. We know that our Trust runs on this desire to help and support people, and our Trust vision expresses this. Our vision is to improve health and wellbeing for everyone, especially our colleagues to achieve the best possible work/life balance. We proudly offer supportive, inclusive and family friendly employment and flexible working policies. We have a wide range of professional services and employee networks to help our colleagues be at their best - and find support if they need it. To find more about our staff benefits, please visit our website: blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk. Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and ethnic minority candidates are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Black Country Healthcare we recognise and value all forms of knowledge and expertise, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification or criteria in the job description/person specification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. For further supporting information to help you apply for this role please see documents attached under ‘Additional documents’. Job overview Are you ready to be part of a growing and dynamic field of Speech and Language Therapy in Mental Health? We’re offering an exciting opportunity for a Band 6 Specialist SLT to join our supportive Allied Health Professions (AHP) team within urgent care mental health services across the Black Country (Inpatient mental health wards in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton). This permanent, full-time post offers the chance to make a real impact with adults and older adults on mental health wards. We’re open to part-time applications for the right candidate and offer flexible working arrangements (subject to service needs and policy). Advert · Deliver a specialist SLT service for dysphagia and communication needs. · Work with clients presenting with complex and diverse mental health conditions, including behaviours that challenge. · Provide dysphagia assessment, advice, and intervention to reduce clinical risks and support safe oral intake. · Offer communication assessments and interventions tailored to individual needs. · Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to support holistic care. · Contribute to staff training and service development initiatives. Working for our organisation About us We are an energetic and hardworking team, working with adults with mental health needs. We regularly come together exploring ways we can ensure a quality service as well as enabling shared learning. We work alongside Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Nurses, Clinical Psychologists, Support Workers and other partners, both internal and external. As a Trust we are committed to increasing the quality and range of services we provide which are safe and supportive to services users, their carers and relatives. Having been reviewed by the CQC as 'Good' we are working towards further improving over time - Come and join us on this journey as we work to provide even better care for our staff and patients. Detailed job description and main responsibilities Assess, diagnose and manage the communication and/or swallowing needs of patients referred to the service in inpatient settings. Responsible for autonomous initial patient diagnosis and assessment: Collection of detailed case history information Specialist informal assessment and observation Uses f ormal standardised assessment procedures Evaluates intervention plans using outcome measures and revises plans as necessary Contributes to, reads and abides by risk assessments relating to patients of the service. To carry out and support with mental capacity assessments. Communicates assessment and therapeutic findings within the multi-disciplinary team. Completes contemporaneous case notes and written clinical information completion according to Trust procedures. Undertakes specialist clinical work with individuals and groups of patients with guidance for the most complex cases from senior SLT. Makes decisions leading to SLT review or discharge of patients and/or referral to other services, as appropriate. Is responsible for managing own clinical caseload. To undertake any other duties of a similar nature consistent with the responsibilities of this post in order to provide a quality Speech and Language Therapy service. Please Note that Internal at Risk Employees will be given preference for this position We reserve the right to bring the closing date forward for this vacancy at any time should we receive an overwhelming response of applications. We therefore encourage applicants to apply early if you wish to be considered for this post. If you do not hear from the Recruitment team within the advertised closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful at the shortlisting stage. Please ensure that you check your emails on a regular basis for any recruitment updates regarding this vacancy. If you are not successful at the shortlisting stage and would like feedback, please contact the Recruitment Team directly for feedback. The salary range quoted is as per NHS Agenda for Change pay structures where applicable. This is based on the number of years’ working directly within the NHS at the advertised pay band. Experience gained with other NHS Trusts will apply, but candidates without prior experience working direct for the NHS would normally be appointed at the lowest point unless they can demonstrate the equivalent experience and then be eligible for incremental increases in future years. Medical and Very Senior Manager roles are exempt from agenda for change and subject to alternative remuneration structures. Successful applicants for clinical posts up to and including Band 4 are expected to hold the national Care Certificate qualification and will be supported to attain this once in post. The Trust is committed to equal opportunities, providing opportunities for flexible working and is a non-smoking organisation. As a Trust we are passionate about Anti-Racism, Disability Inclusion, and LGBTQ Equality, and are committed to diversifying our staff team in all areas and at all levels of seniority to better reflect the diverse communities we serve. Therefore, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from people who belong to a minority or marginalised community, including from Black and Asian, Disabled (including hidden disabilities such as Neurodiversity, Mental Health, etc), or Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans or Queer (LGBTQ) people. Furthermore, Disabled applicants have the option of requesting that their application is considered under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS). Please indicate your intention to apply under the GIS in the relevant section of your application. Regardless of whether you participate in the scheme or have shared a disability, you will be provided the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the interview process at each stage of the recruitment process. Due to the nature of the work some posts may be subject to a Standard Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, through the Disclosure and Barring Service as stipulated under part V of the Police Act 1997. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with us; this will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances of your offences.