Dear prospective candidate,

Thank you for taking the time to review the details of this exciting role.

We are excited to recruit a part-time (up to 0.8 WTE), highly specialist Speech and Language Therapist to work within the head and neck cancer service team at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford, on a fixed term basis for one year. This is an exciting opportunity for a dedicated Speech and Language Therapist to refine their skills in this specialist area, whilst working alongside a friendly and supportive team. We are looking forward to welcoming an experienced, driven and creative team player who thrives in a busy multi-disciplinary team environment.

You will work alongside other Head and Neck Speech and Language Therapists and be an integral member of the OUH Speech and Language Therapy team. You will work closely with the head and neck multi-disciplinary team and wider specialist services, ensuring patients receive high quality, person-centred and effective care. Your role will involve supporting the operational management and shared leadership of the Head and Neck pathway, with a particular emphasis on the rehabilitation/outpatient pathway, with support from the service manager and other lead SLTs.

If you are interested in this role please take the time to contact us to discuss further.

With best wishes,

Charlie and Nikki

Charlie Howland, Speech and Language Therapy Service Manager

Nikki Nash, Clinical Lead for Head and Neck Cancer Services

Main duties of the job

• To use highly specialist clinical skills to identify, assess and manage a specialist caseload of adults with communication and swallowing disorders resulting from a head and neck cancer diagnosis and treatment across the entire patient pathway.
• To demonstrate highly specialist skills relevant to Head and Neck Cancer, including surgical voice restoration, tracheostomy management, and instrumental swallow assessment (FEES and/or VFS).
• To initiate, undertake and take responsibility for service developments in the Head and Neck clinical area (with a particular emphasis on the rehabilitation/outpatient pathway), and the wider SLT service.
• Have a specialist advisory role for the Trust in these specialty areas, giving service wide second and expert opinions.
• To provide necessary cover for acute dysphagia inpatients in other clinical areas, during periods of other staff leave.
• Independently take students on placement for clinical teaching and supervision
• Take a leadership role for registered and unregistered staff working at lower grades and volunteers.
• To maintain intense concentration in all aspects of patient management for prolonged periods.

About us

Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) is a world-renowned centre of clinical excellence and one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the UK. We employ approximately 12,500 staff (including over 4,000 nurses and 2,000 doctors and 850 AHP staff). The Trust comprises four main hospital sites: the John Radcliffe Hospital (which includes the Children's Hospital, West Wing, Eye Hospital, Heart Centre and Women's Centre), the Churchill Hospital and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, all located in Oxford, and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury, North Oxfordshire.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family.

Find out more here www.ouh.nhs.uk

Job description

Job responsibilities

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Patient/client care

1. To assess, develop and implement highly specialist speech and language therapy treatment. To make appropriate clinical decisions following assessments, including differential diagnosis, on the basis of evidence from assessment. To develop specialist care plans based in best practice and expert knowledge.

2. To use clinical skills to generate written reports reflecting specialist knowledge.

3. To provide appropriate specialist intervention and evaluate outcomes. To use skills and knowledge to generate appropriate strategies for caseload management for complex clinical issues.

4. To provide advice to others regarding the management and care of patients/clients with communication and/or feeding and swallowing difficulties. To provide specialist advice in relation to relevant care group.

5. To work collaboratively and liaise with a wide range of professions across a variety of locations and agencies.

6. To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures.

7. To maintain intense concentration in all aspects of patient management for prolonged periods. In particular, to monitor auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of clients communication, adapting and facilitating according to perceived client needs.

Policy/service development/implementation

1. To take delegated lead on the implementation of team objectives or projects in liaison with peers.

2. To develop care protocols for specific clinical issues.

3. To advise line manager on issues of service delivery, including shortfall, service pressures etc.

4. To assume delegated tasks as requested by line manager, including participation in working groups, policy development groups.

5. To develop care protocols/packages relating to specialist area in liaison with other clinical leads and Service Manager to improve patient care.

6. To contribute to interagency/multi-disciplinary team building and policy development.

7. To be aware of, adhere to and implement Trust, Service and team plans and policies, including:

Providing regular, timely statistical returns in keeping with Trust requirements.

Maintaining high quality clinical records in accordance with Service and Trust Guidelines and within data protection guidelines.

Ensuring understanding and adherence to Trust health and safety requirements, including attendance on mandatory training courses.

To work within infection control and health and safety guidelines in order to deal appropriately with unpleasant conditions related to client contact as they arise: for example exposure to body fluids, infectious conditions etc. encountered on a regular basis.

Participation in the Trust incident reporting and risk management procedures.

8. To use specialist knowledge to inform Service/policy developments as appropriate, and to implement policy within own specialist area.

9. To play a lead role in specialist area in the implementation of Service/Trust Clinical Governance Plan.

Financial and physical resources

1. To monitor stock levels in own service area, and request new equipment as appropriate.

2. To be responsible for the security, care and maintenance of equipment, ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained including equipment loaned to clients.

Human resources

1. To provide regular specialist training on a range of topics.

2. To facilitate the development of others problem-solving/negotiation skills within peer review/support.

3. To provide mentoring, advice and support to more junior SLTs, assistants and volunteers. To supervise the work of unregistered staff, volunteers and other professionals.

4. To take responsibility for appraisal of more junior SLTs/unregistered staff. To provide full student placements, including assessment of the placements as appropriate

5. To participate in recruitment process, including interview and induction.

6. To provide second opinions to less experienced colleagues, and expert opinions to others.

7. To have an overview of the clinical service delivered by staff working in the specialty, ensuring coordinated delivery of an equitable and quality service.

8. To explain the role of Speech and Language Therapists to visitors, students, volunteers and other professionals.

9. To assist in the support of students from other professional groups as appropriate within the specialty.

10. To identify the training needs linked to the specialty for wider service.

Information resources

1. To maintain up-to-date and accurate case notes in line with RCSLT professional standards and local Trust policies.

2. To share information with others, observing data protection guidelines.

3. To gather and update activity data accurately and regularly, ensuring the provision of such information promptly within local Trust guidelines.

Research and development

1. To participate in and develop innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical effectiveness.

2. To initiate and undertake research/clinical governance/audit projects within area of expertise.

3. To represent the team within multi-disciplinary systems of clinical governance and research within the Trust.

4. To participate in departmental research and clinical governance/audit projects.

5. To collect and provide research data as required.

6. To participate in National trials requiring GCP registration.

Freedom to act

1. To provide leadership within appropriate specialist area.

2. To manage a complex and specialist caseload independently.

3. To monitor and evaluate own highly specialist service delivery and provide progress reports.

4. To be accountable for own professional action and recognise own professional boundaries, seeking advice as appropriate.

5. To work within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct.

6. To work independently, accessing appraisal within an Individual Performance Framework at pre-determined intervals.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Communication and relationship skills

1. 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.

2. To present and communicate complex condition related information in such a manner as to motivate and inform clients, carers, families and members of the multi-disciplinary team/other professions, agreeing decision-making relevant to patient/client management.

3. To use good interpersonal and advanced communication skills to listen well and counsel patients and carers, who may be highly distressed, or receiving bad news, so providing support and empathy without prejudice.

4. To use negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations.

5. To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible.

6. To form productive relationships with others who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties.

7. To maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of adults who are acutely ill and medically unstable with communication impairments and swallowing disorders and their carers, in particular when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of their difficulties and implications of the same.

Knowledge, training and experience

1. To demonstrate highly specialist knowledge in clinical specialism underpinned by current evidence-based practice.

2. To make highly specialist clinical decisions following assessment of complex cases.

3. To identify personal/professional development evidenced by Personal Development Plan/ Professional Portfolio developed within an appraisal framework, including objectives relating to clinical specialism.

4. To participate in the development of local clinical guidelines informed by evidence for clinical specialism.

5. To participate in appraisal ensuring that the objectives set reflect the Service and Trust plans, including specific objectives relating the clinical specialism.

6. To attend relevant training and development in order to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a highly specialist therapist working in this field, to keep up to date with new techniques and developments, for the promotion and maintenance of good Speech and Language Therapy practice in Oxford University Hospitals, and maintain up to date HCPC and RCSLT registration.

7. To demonstrate knowledge of, and adhere to, RCSLT Professional and Clinical and National and Local Clinical Guidelines.

8. To develop and deliver specialist training (formal and informal) to others in area of clinical expertise.

9. To provide advice to non-specialists and other specialists/ professionals within clinical field.

10. To maintain a working knowledge of relevant procedures/statutory requirements including: Working with Vulnerable Adults and other legal frameworks.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
• Health and Care Professions Council Licence to Practice
• Registered member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Experience/Skills

Essential

• Evidence of in depth experience in specialist clinical area of head and neck cancer, including complex surgica
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