We are looking for an enthusiastic and dedicated Speech and Language Therapist who is committed to providing a high standard of care to patients within stroke/neuro services. You will join our efficient, friendly and sucessful SLT Stroke and Neuro team where you will work alongside current Band 7s as well as support and train current staff. The successful candidate will have experience working with complex dysphagia and communication within stroke rehabilitation/neurology as well as competencies to use FEES and VFS. The role will also include patients who have tracheostomy.

Delivering excellence in patient care and patient experience is our driving force. We are committed to personal development through supervision and appraisal, as well as internal/external training. Staff involvement in research and development is encouraged, with opportunities for service evaluation, audit and quality improvement initiatives.

There is a 7-day service across some teams, and you are expected to participate as per service requirements.

For further information please contact Nicola Wilks, Clinical Lead for Stroke and Neuro Inpatient Therapy at nicola.wilks2@nhs.net

• Be jointly responsible for the day to day running of the SLT service on the Hyper Acute, Acute Stroke Unit and Stroke Rehab unit.
• To provide clinical expertise and support to the team within Acute Stroke service this includes Acute and Traumatic Brain Injuries ensuring high level of clinical skills in the team.
• To be a clinical expert resource to other in patient teams as required.
• Be responsible for the management of a complex clinical caseload
• Be involved in developing the service in line with national and local strategic plans
• To provide instrumental FEES and Videofluoroscopy services in line with national guidance.
• To jointly line manage the SLTs within the team consisting of band 6, band 5 and band 3 SLT assistant staff.
• Provide onward referral and liaison to ESD, rehabilitation services and community services.

The Trust is moving towards 7 day working and this post will be expected to participate in providing services across 7 days, including extended hours and weekend working

Ashford and St. Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of more than 410,000 people living in North-West Surrey, parts of Hounslow and beyond.

Over 3,700 highly trained doctors, nurses, midwives, therapists, healthcare scientists and other support staff make up our workforce, providing a wide range of services across our two hospital sites, Ashford, Surrey and St Peter’s, Chertsey, Surrey.

We also run many specialist clinics in the community and local community hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Our vision is to be one of the best healthcare Trusts in the country. There has never been a better time to join us in the NHS at ASPH. We are committed to providing continuous professional development and flexibility to shape our workforce around our patient care.

We are expanding our theatres at Ashford Hospital and moving towards this becoming our dedicated elective centre. We want to create a state-of-the-art centre for excellence for planned surgical procedures.

We can offer you the full range of NHS benefits/discounts and in addition:

Excellent pension scheme and annual leave entitlement

On-site Nurseries

On-site staff cafes

On-site parking

Support in career development

Salary Sacrifice schemes including wage stream, lease cars, Cycle to Work schemes and home electronics

Adverts may close early, so applicants are encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible.

For more information about a career at ASPH please visit:
www.asph-careers.org

Overview of Responsibilities : JOB DIMENSIONS & ACCOUNTABILITIES

To supervise the work of other speech and language therapists, students, speech and language therapy assistants and volunteers
To provide leadership within the appropriate specialist areas
To lead and co-ordinate others in delegated tasks PROFESSIONAL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

To maintain Health Profession Council Standards of Proficiency, to practise within the legal and ethical boundaries of the profession and to be aware of current legislation applicable to the work of speech and language therapists
To work within defined departmental and national protocols / policies and professional code of conduct
To use knowledge of speech and language therapy to assess and manage people with communication and swallowing disorders
To translate professional principles into action through a number of different approaches to practice
To select or modify approaches to meet the needs of the individual
To establish and maintain safe environments for clinical practice which minimise risks to patients / clients, those treating them, and others, including the use of hazard control and particularly infection control
To seek advice when needed Accountability for Financial and Physical Resources

To monitor stock levels in own service area and request new equipment
To make petty cash purchases as required
To be responsible for the security of client and confidential records, and the security, care and maintenance of equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained. This includes equipment loaned to clients and equipment taken off site

KEY RESULT AREAS /PRIONCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Professional autonomy and accountabilits

To participate in and undertake to learn from the supervision and development opportunities provided by the Trust and the speech and language therapy department
To work with a high level of autonomy in making decisions in relation to own practice and on a wider basis in relation to service delivery in meeting patients’ / clients’ needs
To provide second opinion to other specialist staff within and outside local service areas
To respect, and so far as is possible, uphold the rights dignity and autonomy of clients, including their role in the diagnostic and therapeutic process
To practice in a non discriminatory manner
To maintain confidentiality and obtain informed consent
To exercise a professional duty of care
To know the limits of practice and when to seek advice
To manage an agreed caseload of clients with a high level of clinical complexity, often within a specialist context or knowledge area
To monitor and evaluate own highly specialist service delivery and provide progress reports
To plan, prioritize and co-ordinate a workload of potentially conflicting roles and activities with a service wide perspective in order to attain a range of professional goals
To deal most of the time with the novel, complex and unexpected
To maintain fitness to practice
To undertake self directed learning and CPD
To reflect on own practice and to lead in facilitating others in clinical supervision Patient / Client Care – population focus

To provide a leading role across the Trusts and partner agencies and organisations through raising public awareness of the needs of people with communication and / or swallowing difficulties following admission to hospital, and in promoting access to the help and services they require
To provide a leading role in health promotion and health prevention, including early identification of difficulties or at risk factors in given populations, so as to enable or facilitate appropriate access to speech and language therapy and other services

Patient / Client Care – individual focus

1 . Identification and assessment of health education and social care needs

To gather appropriate information
To use appropriate specialist and highly specialist assessment techniques for clients with a high level of clinical complexity for swallowing and communication difficulties
To undertake, or to arrange, clinical investigations as appropriate for a specialist and highly complex caseload, to include the appropriate use of videofluoroscopy
To analyse, evaluate and interpret the information collected.
To make a differential diagnosis on the basis of evidence from the assessments

Formulation and delivery of plans and strategies for meeting identified needs

To use specialist research, reasoning and problem solving skills
To draw on appropriate specialist and highly specialist knowledge and skills in order to make professional judgements and clinical decisions for clients with specialist needs and high levels of clinical complexity
To formulate specialist and highly specialist management plans for clients with specialist needs and high levels of clinical complexity including the setting of goals and timescales
To develop specialist and highly specialist programmes of care for clients with specialist needs and high levels of clinical complexity based on best practice for intervention to be implemented by the therapist or others (individual, group, direct and indirect interventions)
To provide highly specialist clinical and professional advice to those receiving care and to other
s regarding the management and care of patients / clients with high levels of specialist needs and clinical complexity in their communication and / or swallowing difficulties
To conduct the appropriate specialist and highly specialist diagnostic or monitoring procedures, treatment, therapy or other actions safely and skilfully.
To maintain records and share information as appropriate for clients with specialist needs and a high level of clinical complexity often within a specialist context or knowledge area
Critical evaluation of the impact of, or response tointervention

To use specialist and highly specialist knowledge to monitor and review the ongoing effectiveness of planned activity and to modify it accordingly
To audit, reflect on and review own specialist and highly specialist practice
Knowledge understanding and skills

To know and keep up to date with national, local and client contextual knowledge and understanding as well as the relevant core and care group specific, specialist underpinning knowledge and skills related to the assessment, management and professional craft knowledge of specialist speech and language therapy practice
To identify personal / professional development needs evidenced by Personal Development Plan / Professional Portfolio developed within the SLT department appraisal framework
To demonstrate knowledge of, and adhere to RCSLT Professional and Clinical and National and Local Clinical Guidelines
To have a working knowledge of all relevant procedures for specialist practice including: Safeguarding Children, SEN procedures, Vulnerable Adults, capacity for consent and other legal frameworks

Physical skills

To demonstrate highly developed and accurate auditory and perceptual skills in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients / clients
To demonstrate skills in handling clients with disabilities
To demonstrate skills in the use of equipment and technology in highly specialist clinical care

LEARNING AND EDUCATION Self

To identify training and development needs required for highly specialist practice through critical self-reflection
To engage in continuous self-directed learning that promotes professional development and quality of practice
To seek a range of opportunities through the appropriate channels for meeting learning needs
To attend specialist short courses and advanced training in clinical specialist area
To evaluate learning outcomes, including how learning impacts on practice
To implement learning outcomes through appropriate and / or agreed changes within practice

Students

To assume delegated responsibility for co-ordinating clinical placement opportunities within the specialty / team for speech and language therapy students to observe, discuss and have hands on experience of working with clients
To provide full student placements, including assessments of the placements as appropriate
To undertake to be a resource of practice expertise in conjunction with the Higher Education provider by advising, developing and delivering lectures / workshops etc for students
To evaluate the effectiveness of chosen methods of meeting learning needs

Speech and language therapy colleagues

To lead case discussions, peer review and action learning sets, drawing on highly specialist knowledge and experience
To lead, facilitate and support the development and practice of colleagues individually and in groups whilst respecting their existing levels of expertise, e.g. through mentoring, clinical supervision, providing second opinions, co-working, and evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen methods in meeting learning needs
To provide regular specialist training on a range of topics
To facilitate others in developing problem solving and negotiation skills
To identify training needs within specialist area Others

To provide a regular, leading role in identifying the specialist training needs of individuals or groups, in developing the appropriate content and style of information giving / skill development, in providing the training through the most appropriate means and in evaluating the impact
To lead in providing opportunities for other health professionals to learn about speech and language therapy and relevant health promotion and health prevention from observation and discussion