There is an exciting opportunity for an appropriately experienced Speech and Language Therapist to join PHU SLT team in a Band 6 rotational acute stroke/neuro rehab/community stroke rehabilitation post. We have a number of full and part time posts available and will consider offering as a Band 5/Band 6 development post to the right candidate.

The successful post holders will play a key role in providing a specialist speech and language therapy rehabilitation service to adults with stroke related disorders of communication and swallowing in a range of settings.

As a Band 6 Speech and Language Therapist you will work closely with physiotherapists, occupational therapists, associate practitioners and nursing staff.

You will receive regular clinical supervision by senior members of speech and language therapy team.

Confident car driver and user is essential for the community stroke rehabilitation role.

We recommend and welcome visits to the team if you would like to find out more.

Main duties of the job

This post involves a 9-12 month rotation across Queen Alexandra Hospital Hyperacute and Acute stroke unit, Lotus rehabilitation unit and the Community Stroke Rehabilitation team (involving regular home visits across a wide geographical area with weekly MDT meetings, planning meetings, in service training based at Queen Alexandra hospital in Portsmouth).

You will have a Degree in Speech and Language Therapy and current HCPC registration and have achieved Level C dysphagia competencies.

The post holder will be able to independently manage a range of patients with dysphagia and communication needs post stroke. A positive attitude to team working and flexible working is essential.

You will be expected to prioritise and manage your own caseload, treating patients who may have complex dysphagia and/or communication needs and have recently been discharged from hospital.

You will need a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act and be able to support members of the wider multidisciplinary team in implementing this with communication impaired patients.

You will be a part of a closely working interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams, so excellent communication skills will be essential and experience of delegating therapy programmes, and training of support and other MDT staff will be valuable.

About us

The Trust is committed to driving excellence in care for our patients and communities and was rated good by the Care Quality Commission report published 2020 and became a University Hospital. We are ranked as the third in the country for research embedding education and training across the organisation and we continuously strive to achieve our core values which are at the heart of everything we do. The Trusts main hub is the Queen Alexandra Hospital, starting life as a military hospital over a century ago and now one of the largest hospitals on the south coast and you may have seen us on the TV series Nurses on the Ward. The Trust provides comprehensive secondary care and specialist services to a local population of 675,000 people across South East Hampshire. The Trust employs over 8,000 staff and are #ProudtobePHU our patients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because its the right thing to do, but because it makes our hospital stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for providing outstanding care and support for patients, colleagues and our community you will find a home at PHU. In recruiting for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veterans status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.

Job description

Job responsibilities

• To collaborate with MDT colleagues to provide care to patients in a a range of settings ( acute stroke, rehabilitation Unit and an integrated early supported discharge setting (CSRT) for patients who have had a stroke.
• To work as an autonomous practitioner, assessing diagnosing, and providing timely intervention and management of communication and/or swallowing needs as a member of the relevant stroke team.
• To provide support including training to other colleagues, including students, SLT assistants and Band 4 Associate Practitioners in CSRT.
• To be able to prioritise referrals following locally devised systems.
• To be flexible in providing occasional cover in patient stroke and rehabilitation settings as directed by clinical lead.
• There will be a requirement to work occasional bank holidays.
• Driving essential for CSRT home visits.

Key Responsibilities:

Professional/Clinical

• To assess clients and to make a differential diagnosis on the basis of evidence from the assessment seeking advice as appropriate.
• To develop care plans and activity plans in order to provide appropriate intervention using knowledge and sound clinical judgement
• To provide advice to others regarding the management and care of patients/clients with communication and/or feeding and swallowing needs.
• To work closely with clients, carers and families, agreeing decision making relevant to the patient/client management, ensuring that patients are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their care plans (e.g. goal setting) whenever possible to ensure optimum outcomes.
• To Support MDT in carrying out mental capacity assessments for those with communication impairment.
• To comply with the safeguarding policies of the Trust, ensuring all concerns, incidents and allegations are reported in line with this.
• To demonstrate negotiation skills to develop effective working relationships with patients, carers and their families,contribute to inter-agency/multidisciplinary team building, developing effective working relationships with members of the multi-disciplinary team, related agencies and colleagues.
• To evaluate the outcomes of intervention and demonstrate clinical effectiveness and by use of evidence based practice and outcome measures.
• To maintain up-to-date and accurate case notes in line with RCSLT and HCPC professional standards and local trust policies, including assessment results, treatment plans and reporting to source of referral and other appropriate colleagues. Reports will reflect knowledge of diagnosis and management/care plans.
• To contribute to clinical teams both multi-disciplinary and uni-disciplinary by discussing own and others input around clients needs ensuring a well coordinated care plan. This may include taking the Speech & Language Therapy lead at case conferences.
• To communicate complex condition-related information from assessment to clients, carers, families and members of the multi-disciplinary team/other professions. This involves maintaining sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of clients and their carers in particular when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the clients difficulties and implications of the same.
• To demonstrate empathy with clients, carers and families and colleagues, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist.
• To motivate clients and/or carers to engage in the therapeutic process, demonstrating the skills of working productively with people who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties.
• To develop enhanced negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations, seeking advice and support to resolve, where appropriate.
• To demonstrate the ability to reflect on auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of clients communication and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communication effectiveness.
• To adapt practice to meet individual patient/client circumstances, including cultural and linguistic differences.
• To manage and prioritise own case load independently, using locally and nationally identified prioritisation systems where available.
• To manage and prioritise own workload, demonstrating an ability to be flexible in day-to-day operational activity including being responsive to unpredictable work patterns, deadlines and frequent interruptions.
• To contribute to inter-agency/multidisciplinary team building, developing effective working relationships with related agencies and colleagues.
• To demonstrate the ability to manage clients with challenging behaviours including the application of appropriate management strategies, and to manage the emotional consequences in self and others of working with clients with distressing conditions.

Management and Leadership

Responsibility for ensuring that:

Staff are managed and standards of work are maintained and Trust policies for the management of staff performance are adhered to.

Appraisals of staff directly managed are undertaken and that the appraisal process is maintained throughout the team.

Staff receive appropriate health and safety and other mandatory training as prescribed and that relevant records are maintained.

Other records are maintained by the team ensuring compliance with the agreed record keeping systems of the Trust.

Informed consent is obtained where appropriate and documented in accordance with Trust procedures.

New and replacement equipment is not used until it has been commissioned in accordance with Trust policy.

Appropriate risk and other assessments are completed and documented in a timely manner in accordance with Trust policy.

Defective equipment is reported and made safe without delay in accordance with Trust procedures.

Equipment is maintained in accordance with Trust policy.

Infection prevention and control procedures are followed by all staff within their area of responsibility.

All staff follow Trust clinical governance requirements.

• To supervise the work of CSRT APs, Speech & Language Therapy Assistants, students and volunteers as required.
• To receive initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible, and responding in line with Trust policy.
• To contribute to the development of innovative practice in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical efficacy.
• To participate in Clinical Governance/audit projects/departmental research within local service, and to contribute to writing and implementation of action plans as required.
• To comment on and suggest service/policy developments as appropriate.

Administrative

• To monitor stock levels in own service area and request new equipment, assessment materials and forms as appropriate.
• To share information with others, observing information governance guidelines.
• To gather activity data accurately and regularly, ensuring the provision of such information promptly within local Trust guidelines.

Education

• To contribute to formal and informal teaching and training, both within the profession and with other professionals or voluntary groups, adapting it appropriately to the needs of course participants and reflecting on and evaluating the training provided.
• To assist with the identification of training needs within the team.
• To participate in clinical supervision of Speech & Language Therapy students.
• To provide mentoring to more junior Speech & Language Therapists.
• To explain the role of Speech & Language Therapists to visitors, students, volunteers and the public.
• To demonstrate the ability to reflect on practice with peers and mentors and identify own strengths and development needs.

Limits of Authority

• May not dismiss or suspend staff under the disciplinary procedures.
• May not take annual leave without prior agreement of the manager.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of receiving clinical supervision.
• Experience of a broad range of adult/acute communication and swallowing impairments/disorders.
• At least 2 to 3 years working as a qualified SLT preferred.
• Experience of working in a changing environment.
• Experience of integrated working in multi-disciplinary teams.
• Training and presentation experience.

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Demonstrates ability to be a good team member.
• Demonstrates good analytical and reflection skills.
• Sensitivity to a broad range of clients.
• Supportive excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills.
• Proven skills in prioritising and being flexible and adaptable to meet competing priorities.
• Efficient and dependable working practices.
• Good organisational skills.
• Self motivated, assertive, diplomatic and tactful.
• Literate and numerate in English.
• Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.
  
  C8192-CD-23-0557