Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist Complex Needs Dysphagia

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust's Children and Young People's Therapies (CYPT) Service is excited to be offering a new Band 7 opportunity within its Speech and Language Therapy Team. We are looking to recruit an experienced SLT with specialist skills in dysphagia, and who has experience working with children and young people (CYP) with complex communication needs associated with a range of medical conditions, including those who require Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC).

This permanent post is 1.0 WTE. The postholder will:

• Provide clinical support for CYP across West Herts (St Albans/Hemel Hempstead).
• Undertake specialist feeding and swallowing difficulties assessments to identify and manage risk for infants and children within this locality.
• Provide sessions within a specialist school for pupils with a wide range of complex and profound learning difficulties in St Albans.
• Provide professional support to less experienced SLT/SLT Assistants in the locality.
• Work autonomously and as part of a wider multi-disciplinary team.

If you are looking to extend your leadership skills and continue to develop your specialist clinical skills, this opportunity could be just right for you.

Main duties of the job

As a band 7 you will:

• Work within a multidisciplinary team in community and specialist provisions, working with other health, education, and social care professionals, to carry out specialist assessments of CYP with complex communication needs, including AAC and eating and drinking needs.
• Triage and prioritise referrals based on identified risk and ensure assessments are completed within required timeframes.
• Provide eating and drinking management plans to minimise aspiration risk and optimise safe and efficient eating and drinking, including referrals onto other services as required/indicated.
• Establish and support the delivery of dysphagia service offer for specialist provisions across universal, targeted and specialist levels in the locality.
• Complete communication assessments as part of the EHCP process.
• Provide second opinions for children with complex needs and/or eating and drinking needs attending mainstream schools and other specialist provisions.
• Work collaboratively with highly specialist SLT colleagues to develop the service and ensure best practice and delivery of high-quality care systems.
• Provide professional support and supervision to less experienced colleagues and support the development of dysphagia competencies within the teams as indicated/appropriate.

If you are looking for somewhere to make a real difference and are passionate about helping CYP access the right support at the right time to help them stay safe, and thrive in their development, a career with us may be just what you're looking for. At HCT we strive to make a difference to the health and wellbeing of our communities.

We are proud to be an organisation which focuses on our people, and we welcome people who share our values to come and work with us. Our shared values support the development of a strong working culture, guiding and inspiring all of our actions and decisions. They enable us to be better at what we do ensuring we provide the highest quality of care to our patients.

Our patients, their families and carers are at the centre of our vision - Outstanding Services and Healthier Communities. Our staff are proud to be Innovative, Caring and Agile in their work to help achieve the Trust vision. We welcome diversity in our workforce and are interested in applicants from all backgrounds and ages.

Applications for full time and part time work will be considered. A full valid driving licence and access to a car to use regularly for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

In addition to the basic salary, this post attracts a High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of basic salary subject to a minimum payment of £1,192 and a maximum payment of £2,011 per annum (pro rata where applicable and dependent on base location).

If you would like to contact us for further information about this post, please contact Katie Tucker, Operational Manager, on 07833 237273.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training Essential

• Degree or equivalent in Speech and Language Therapy with experience and highly specialist knowledge in paediatric speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) acquired through further theoretical training, and experience to Master's level or equivalent relevant to complex communication needs and Paediatric dysphagia.
• Continued Professional Development in the area of dysphagia as evidenced by attendance at specialist postgraduate courses and/or completion of Dysphagia Practitioner competencies (RCSLT eating, drinking and swallowing competency framework) and membership of relevant CENs to maintain and develop specialist knowledge and expertise.
• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent (post graduate diploma or MSc in Speech and Language Therapy leading to registration with HCPC).
• HCPC Licence to Practice, Registered member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Membership of relevant CEN.

Experience and Knowledge Essential

• Experience of carrying out complex dysphagia assessments and differential diagnosis in identifying aspiration risk to provide comprehensive management plan to effectively optimise safe and efficient eating and drinking, including referrals into other service professionals as required.
• Experience of delivering specialist training to peers and other professionals in the area of eating and drinking/dysphagia.
• In depth and expert knowledge of a range of appropriate assessment tools and therapeutic interventions relevant to the service, and high level clinical skills in assessment, diagnosis and intervention.
• Working knowledge of electronic patient record system.
• Evidence of involvement in service policy development in area of specialism.
• Knowledge of NHS, Education Policy and directives including Tribunals where these impact on area of specialism or service delivery.
• Experience of supervising students and less experienced staff.

Desirable

• To demonstrate some knowledge of power-based AAC including hardware, software and access methods and have experience of supporting CYP with complex needs who require a range of AAC.

Skills and abilities Essential

• Excellent communication skills both oral and written, including the ability to liaise and negotiate.
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels across organisations and with a range of audiences.
• Knowledge of barriers to understanding and ability to explain complex issues simply.
• Able to analyse and interpret complex data.
• Excellent group presentation skills both written and verbal, as well as computer literate including use of Excel spreadsheets, databases and PowerPoint, Word.

Other Essential

• Hold a full valid driving licence and access to a car to use regularly for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.