Job Description

We are looking for a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to work with children and young people who have dysphagia and complex needs. You will see children and families in our Child Development Centre, in local clinics, nurseries, schools, special schools and in their homes.

Important Sponsorship Information for this post:

We are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post



The post holder will provide highly specialist assessment, diagnosis and intervention to children and young people with dysphagia (eating, drinking and swallowing disorders), complex needs and other types of speech language and communication needs, supporting parents, clients and other professionals in all issues related to client management.



Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.



We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.



Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:



We're Kind



We're Fair



We Listen



We Care



The post holder will be responsible for managing and supervising the team of therapists and assistants providing communication and dysphagia support within the Child Development Centre and special/mainstream schools.



They will provide highly specialist second opinions to other speech and language therapists. They will plan and organise outreach support to therapists working in early years and mainstream settings to support children's transition, and ongoing dysphagia management.



They will contribute to multi-disciplinary diagnostic assessments as part of the Child Development Centre and multi-disciplinary Paediatric Dysphagia pathway.



They will lead on developments within the Dysphagia and Complex Needs team and contribute to the broader service including in the development of policies and procedures relating to clinical care, evidence-based practice, care pathways and outcome development.



They will provide second opinions to other Speech and Language Therapists / external professionals.



The post holder will be a part of the service's senior leadership team and will contribute to Trust, service, and professional wide initiatives.