Job Description

This role is offered on a permanent basis. The hours are part-time, 30 hours per week.



We are excited to invite a highly motivated Speech and Language Therapist looking for a new challenge to join our speech and language therapy team here in Gloucestershire.



Now is an exciting time to join us as we further develop our FEES, Tracheostomy and Videofluoroscopy services and training pathways.



We have sessions available in our outpatient and community services, offering you the opportunity to work with a range of service users across Gloucestershire.



We are a friendly, dynamic team with a strong focus on quality service delivery. Our Band 6s have regular supervision including peer supervision sessions, and opportunities to develop skills including those in FEES, VFS, and tracheostomy.



The post is suitable for an experienced Band 5 therapist ,an established Band 6 therapist with a passion to develop and use their competencies , a developing band 6 or a return to practice therapist. We welcome applicants who wish to discuss part-time, flexible working patterns.



To provide Specialist Speech and Language Therapy assessment, diagnosis and treatment to adults in Gloucestershire. This may include patients with acquired communication, voice and swallowing disorders and may be across a wide range of settings including, community hospitals, outpatient clinic or patient's own home or care home. To manage and prioritise own clinical workload as appropriate seeking guidance from team leads as required To supervise Speech and Language Therapy assistants or newly qualified SLTs To work autonomously within Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC) policies and professional practice maintaining accurate and comprehensive electronic records To participate in service improvement projects as indicated

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the /Person Specification.



Please refer to the Additional Information attachment before submitting



We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.



Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:



72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.



76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.



81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.



This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.



Overview of the role from the job description



To provide Specialist Speech and Language Therapy assessment, diagnosis and treatment to adults in Gloucestershire. This may include patients with acquired communication, voice and swallowing disorders and may be across a wide range of settings including, community hospitals, outpatient clinic or patient's own home or care home.

To manage and prioritise own clinical workload as appropriate seeking guidance from team leads as required

To supervise Speech and Language Therapy assistants or newly qualified SLTs

To work autonomously within Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC) policies and professional practice maintaining accurate and comprehensive electronic records

To participate in service improvement projects as indicated



Duties, responsibilities and key Relationships



Clinical



To provide specialist differential diagnosis, clinical advice, and care plans/therapy to clients with communication / swallowing difficulties; this includes analysis of facts and a comparison of a range of options for appropriate intervention, implementing specialist programmes where appropriate.

To provide advice and second opinions to SLT colleagues when necessary to support the clinical management of patients.

To assess and analyse type, severity and impact of complex conditions of speech, language, communication and swallowing impairments in a wide range of adult patients, through specific formal and informal assessments.

To provide advice and second opinions when necessary to support the clinical management of clients within multi-disciplinary team decision making with patients and their significant others

To demonstrate clear communication skills when presenting specialist clinical information in both verbal and written formats when dealing with sensitive situations such as end of life.



Professional



To monitor and/or undertake quality improvement projects as service demands in order to inform the SLT service and Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS trust (GHC) and Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Trust (GHNHST) of development needs

Contribute to local clinical guidelines

To monitor and evaluate clinical effectiveness using provided support, evidence-based practice and outcome measures.

To maintain up to date and accurate case notes, both paper and electronic records in line with RCSLT Professional Standards, GHC Trust Policy and departmental guidelines.

To adhere to and maintain the standards and guidelines as recommended by the RCSLT and the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) codes of conduct and practice.

To attend relevant training and development in order to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a specialist therapist working with a variety of patients and maintain up to date HCPC and RCSLT registration. This includes participating in regular supervision and annual personal development planning.

To prescribe augmentative and alternative methods of communication (e.g. communication aids) and provide support, advice and training to clients, carers and professionals with the support of highly specialist AAC therapist both in house and in specialist centres of excellence.

To refer patients on to other services and agencies and to liaise with members of voluntary organisations concerned with the client group eg Early Stroke discharge team, Parkinsons Disease support group

To negotiate with patients/carers/ significant others around individual case management, ensuring patient involvement in their clinical outcomes.



Leadership / Management



To manage communication breakdown/conflict in complex cases generating potential solutions

To attend departmental development meetings, presenting and leading as appropriate to sharing skills or recent training

To provide clinical and line management supervision to colleagues including band 5 colleagues, assistants and students