An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 7 Speech and Language Therapist post within the Community Stroke and Neurorehabilitation Teams.

The post is based at Breightmet Centre and sits within a friendly, supportive, close working MDT. The post oversees the SLT provision to both new and existing stroke patients and a caseload of patients with neurological diagnoses.

The post holder is responsible for supervising / supporting a Band 6 and Band 5 SLT. This is a great opportunity to develop skills within a Band 7 role with support from existing Band 7s across different professions and PSL. Though the role is based in the specialist community teams it links in with the SLT provision on the Stroke Unit, as well as other community SLT provision.

Main duties of the job

• To provide highly specialist clinical input to patients with disorders of communication and swallowing in the Community
• To be a member of the team based at Breightmet Health Centre providing a highly specialist service to adults with acquired speech and language difficulties and dysphagia (swallowing problems) following a stroke and neurological conditions.
• To provide a highly specialist diagnostic and therapeutic service to patients with speech and language disorders and dysphagia who will be from a variety of ethnic and social backgrounds in the community in a variety of settings.
• To liaise with, and train other health and social service professionals and to work in partnership with patients, relatives and carers, and external agencies to ensure the delivery of a high quality service.
• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of one's professional and clinical work, working to agreed national and professional standards.
• To provide operational and professional leadership to the community team, identifying opportunities for quality improvement and innovation.
• To provide and discuss service level data on performance to the Principal Service Lead and represent the team at divisional meetings where required.

About us

Striving to deliver better healthcare services for a better Bolton is our commitment to delivering the quality of care we would want for ourselves, our families and our friends.

The Trust's overarching values underpin the Community Stroke and Neurorehabilitation Team service and the importance of support and development is evident in our team ethos.

Clinical supervision is provided through joint work with other team members team meetings in-service training and 1:1 management supervision sessions and annual appraisal with the Principal Service Lead.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Patient/Client Care

To be a source of senior, highly specialist clinical expertise within SLT in the field of stroke and neurorehabilitation, and to manage own caseload of patients with acquired communication and/or swallowing problems including complex patients

To demonstrate an advanced level of clinical expertise including extended scope of practice and maintain expert clinical knowledge in the field of stroke and neurorehabilitation which impact on communication and swallowing

As an autonomous practitioner to prioritise, organise and manage a highly specialist clinical caseload in demonstrating skills in dealing with complex issues and generating appropriate strategies for caseload management.

To effectively examine and assess patients, identify their problems and needs and ensure that patients' medical, cognitive, psychological, social, environmental and cultural factors are taken into account including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi-pathologies.

To select appropriate assessments to support the identification of each patients communication profile, in order to differentially diagnose patients with acquired speech and language impairment, collecting evidence from both formal and informal assessment, using highly specialist knowledge and extensive experience

To assess and diagnose patients with swallowing problems, using a range of assessments including cervical auscultation and bedside assessment making a differential diagnosis on the basis of evidence using highly specialist knowledge and extensive experience

To make clinical decisions following assessment and to develop highly specialist individual care plans based on best practice. To identify within the care plans appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative or swallowing effectiveness, making judgements that require analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options

To reflect on auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of clients communication or swallowing problem and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance the effectiveness of communication and / or swallowing

To take the lead in devising and implementing highly specialist individualised therapy programmes as appropriate, ensuring efficient and effective quality care

To produce, disseminate and update reports/guidelines, based on highly specialist knowledge, regarding individual care plans to patients/carers and other professionals, including those for legal purposes.

To set appropriate treatment goals and aims by working collaboratively and negotiating with carers, clients and others around individual case management, resolving any areas of conflict, generating possible solutions

To provide highly specialist advice and training regarding the management and care of patients/clients with complex communication and / or swallowing difficulties, and to counsel and give advice regarding the impact of the communication /swallowing disorder

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

To adapt practice to meet individual patients circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic differences

To ensure that patients and/or carers are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their care plans wherever possible

To use highly developed skills in motivating clients and/ carers to engage in the therapeutic process

To maintain up to date and accurate case notes in line with RCSLT professional standards and Bolton FT policies

Analytical and Judgement Skills

To use highly specialist clinical reasoning skills to assimilate complex information, taking into account cognitive, emotional, environmental and social issues, in order to make a clinical judgement regarding differential diagnosis and intervention.

To judge the need for instrumental assessment and select the appropriate methods to assess the patient in adequate detail. To interpret investigation results and communicate the information to all relevant parties.

To formulate clear care plans based on assessment, highly specialist knowledgeandinformation, some of which may be conflicting, gathered from a range of professionals and carers in order to select appropriate treatment options.

To demonstrate the ability to reflect on practice with peers and supervisors.

To demonstrate the ability to reflect on a patient's learning style and optimum mode of communication, such as the use of pictures and Alternative or Augmentative Communication aids.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Accredited honors degree or equivalent Certificate to practice (SLT)
• Registered with HCPC

Desirable

• Member RCSLT
• Leadership relevant qualification

Experience

Essential

• Recent and relevant experience
• Post graduate clinical experience across a broad range of adult acquired disorder settings including stroke
• Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team
• Member of relevant SIG

Desirable

• Attendance at conferences /courses in area of specific interest

Skills

Essential

• Highly specialist analytical, problem solving and clinical reasoning skills
• Excellent caseload management skills
• Ability to travel independently across the locality in accordance with the Equality Act

Employer details

Employer name

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Breightmet Health Centre

Bolton

BL2 6NT

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

241-683-IC-24-A