Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, Outpatients (Band 6)

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Job Overview

Would you like to join our highly experienced Speech and Language Therapy team, who provide a high quality, responsive and evidenced based service based service to patients across South Gloucestershire and North Bristol? We currently have a fixed term B6 vacancy available in the outpatient team. This is a highly varied role with a supportive team of SLTs and admin staff. The team is based at Cossham Hospital in Kingswood and Southmead Hospital.

This is a great opportunity to further develop clinical and caseload management skills with patients with communication and swallowing difficulties arising from a wide range of conditions including respiratory, progressive neurological, dementia and general medical. We have access to a well established videofluoroscopy clinic and a newly developed outpatient FEES service. Support and supervision is provided by highly experienced band 7 and 8 SLTs.

Applicants will need to have appropriate post qualification experience in working with adults who have communication and swallowing difficulties, related to a range of medical and neurological disorders and experience in outpatient settings. Completion of an accredited post-basic dysphagia course or equivalent is essential. You must be able to meet the travel requirements of the post.

Main duties of the job

• To provide specialist speech and language therapy (SLT) assessment, diagnosis and treatment to adults with communication and swallowing difficulties following acquired neurological and medical disorders.
• To be a member of the Speech and Language Therapy Outpatient/Community team providing a service to the above client groups in outpatient clinics and patient homes, including the delivery of a remote telephone/telehealth service as appropriate
• To liaise about patients with the multidisciplinary hospital team and relevant primary care professionals and agencies as appropriate.
• To pursue and develop advanced skills in management of swallowing and communication disorders through attendance at short courses and Clinical Excellence Network meetings, shadowing and supervision from highly specialist staff in the department and reading.
  
  

To understand more about Speech and Language at NBT, click here to watch our video.

Working for our organisation

Our vision at NBT is that by enabling our teams to be the best they can be we will provide Exceptional Healthcare, Personally Delivered. This means that our patients recognise that we are exemplars of safe, harm-free care and that we give them the best possible health improvement.

As a major acute teaching hospital and centre of excellence in a number of fields we will do this through the dedication of our outstanding 8000 staff, and through a genuine partnership with our patients, the public and local partners. By doing this we will, as OneNBT, provide a place you are proud to work and an outstanding patient and carer experience.

Our values of putting the patient first, working well together, respecting the person and striving for excellence represent the way we do things and what we stand for. By embedding these shared values in everything we do we will increase staff engagement, improve outcomes and create a positive experience for our patients.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Clinical

• To have responsibility and accountability for the management of own clinical caseload, including referrals, management and discharge decisions, within own level of competence and with appropriate clinical support.
• To assess and analyse type, severity and impact of all conditions of speech, language and communication impairments in a wide range of adult patients, through a variety of formal and informal assessments/information gathering methods.
• To further develop skills in the assessment, diagnosis and management of communication and swallowing disorders as a result of acquired medical and acquired neurological disorders. This may include adults with a tracheostomy.
• To record and interpret personally generated clinical observations and provide feedback for clients/carers/professionals and relevant others.
• To provide differential diagnosis, clinical advice and care plans/therapy to clients with communication and/or feeding and swallowing difficulties, which includes analysis of facts and a comparison of a range of options for appropriate intervention.
• To recommend appropriate referral for specialist videofluoroscopy (VF) examinations or Fibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallow (FEES) as appropriate.
  
  

Education, Research and Development

• To seek advice and support when necessary from more senior colleagues, further developing skills in the management of stroke, medical disorders, especially elderly care, neurological diseases
• To attend regular clinical supervision sessions.
• To attend specialist training and development in order to maintain relevant skills and knowledge (through attendance at Clinical Excellence Networks, relevant courses, peer review, clinical shadowing and reading), and maintain up to date HCPC and RCSLT registration.
• To participate in multi/ inter disciplinary and interagency team building where appropriate.
  
  

Service Evaluation and Planning

• To participate in service evaluation and development initiatives within the Speech and Language Therapy Team
• To contribute to the development of the Speech and Language Therapy service, including evaluation of caseload management, models of service delivery, use of volunteers and patient information and education programmes, with support as appropriate.
• To participate in the Quality Improvement and Clinical Audit in the Trust, with support as appropriate.
  
  

Resource Management

• To be responsible for the security and care of equipment and resources used in the course of daily work, ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained, including equipment loaned to clients.
• To ensure the safe carriage, storage and proper use of records and equipment, working within lifting and handling guidelines.
  
  

Person specification

Education/Training/Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Recognised RCSLT degree level qualification
• Health Professions Council (HPC) Licence to Practise
• Completion of post-basic dysphagia training and aphasia training
  
  

Work Experience

Essential criteria

• Relevant post qualification experience in working with adults who have communication and swallowing difficulties related to stroke, acquired neurological disease and injury, medical disorders and elderly care in outpatients/community settings
  
  

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of communication and swallowing disorders in stroke, acquired neurology, medical conditions and elderly care underpinned by current evidence-based practice
• Knowledge of and skills in AAC
• Awareness of the specialist instrumental assessment in relation to management of patients with swallowing disorders
• Ability to independently manage and prioritise a caseload, with appropriate support
• Ability to structure clear care plans based on best practice and integrating psychosocial, physical, emotional and environmental factors within a holistic patient centred approach
  
  

Special Circumstances

Essential criteria

• Able to meet the travel requirements of the post
  
  

If you apply for this vacancy and have not received a communication from North Bristol NHS Trust within three weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.

Please note that North Bristol NHS Trust does not reimburse travel expenses relating to interview attendance.

If you feel you meet the requirements of the Disability Act / Two Ticks scheme and require further support/advice, please contact us on tel 0117 414 1151.

North Bristol NHS Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The successful applicant(s) will normally commence at the minimum of the scale unless they have previous NHS service at the same band. Progression through the scale is by annual increments.

At North Bristol Trust (NBT), we know diverse and inclusive environments lead to happier and healthier teams and improved patient care and outcomes. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are currently underrepresented in NBT’s workforce at Band 8a and above. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people and LGBTQIA+ people.

Please note that stringent pre-employment checks are undertaken on all successful applicants prior to commencement in post.