Job Description

Specialist Speech & Language Therapist - 1.0 WTE



Don't miss this exciting opportunity to join our adult acute Speech & Language Therapy team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich! We are proud to be part of Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust who serve a diverse & multicultural local community.



Our SLT teams are friendly & inclusive, we work closely across the MDT & value audit & quality improvement to better refine & develop our services. We have strong links with other acute & community Speech & Language Therapy services within the Trust & our local areas.



We are looking for a therapist who has previously held an independent dysphagia caseload and demonstrates experience of working with adults with acquired disorders with established competence in both dysphagia & communication disorder management.



Our Band 6 roles offer excellent opportunities to build on acute assessment and therapy skills including developing or expanding on existing competencies in objective assessment (both VF & FEES) and tracheostomy management.

A typical day might include:

Assessment and treatment for patients with communication and swallowing disorders



Working with patients who are tracheostomised as part of the MDT



Participation in weekly VF clinics and FEES assessments on the medical wards



Supervision of Junior staff and students as necessary



Participating in Quality Improvement and service development projects within the team and wider trust



The successful candidate will share our commitment to excellence & ensure high standards of evidence based therapy practice. Within our lovely team, you will benefit from diverse opportunities to engage in regular supervision, in-house & external CPD, action learning sessions, leadership development, peer supervision and advanced skill development such as FEES and VF. You will be supported & encouraged to complete & participate in audit, research & quality improvement projects as relevant to your role.



Contact us for an informal chat in confidence, or arrange a visit and allow us to welcome you to the department.



Helen Sampson, Cross-site Lead - Adult Speech and Language Therapy, h.sampson@nhs.net



At Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust, our hospitals & community bases are easily accessed from central London by overland rail, the new! Elizabeth line, DLR & bus.



Working in Therapies



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVS-EjGWloM



"This is what a therapist looks like" - YouTube



Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:



Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development



Widening access (anchor institution) and employability



Improving the experience of staff with disability



Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development



Making equalities mainstream



JOB PURPOSE



To provide a specialist SLT service to patients from acute (medical and surgical) and Critical Care wards at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich



To assess, diagnose and manage adult clients with acquired swallowing andor communication disorders, using sound theoretical knowledge to inform advice, support and therapy.



To work closely with the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) in the management and discharge planning of these patients in an acute setting



To assist the Head of Speech and Language Therapy with service evaluation and development



KEY RELATIONSHIPS



Site Lead SALT



Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapists - Acute team



L&G Acute and ITU Consultants



All Therapists/Leads in Occupational Therapy / Physiotherapy / Dietetics



All L&G Speech and Language Therapy Staff



L&G nursing staff



Referring Hospitals



Social Services



Community Services



Home Enteral Nutrition Team MDT & Community Head & Neck Team



GPs



Voluntary Services



Academic Institutions



Acute & Stroke Specialists external to LG