Bank Specialist Speech and Language therapist, Head and Neck Cancer

Demonstrate highly specialist clinical expertise in the assessment, treatment and management of swallowing and communication problems related to head and neck cancer following surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy as well as maxillo-facial disorders, benign head and neck disease, complex airway disorders and trauma.

Demonstrate highly specialist clinical skills in the assessment, treatment and management of communication and swallowing problems after total laryngectomy, including surgical voice restoration.

Demonstrate highly specialist knowledge in this clinical area underpinned by current evidence based practice and outcome measures.

Demonstrate highly specialist clinical skills for interpretative assessment techniques and interventions in the care of patients with tracheostomies, including those requiring ventilation and weaning from ventilation on ICU.

Demonstrate specialist clinical skills for interpretative assessment techniques and interventions involving instrumental procedures e.g. FEES and videofluoroscopy and videolaryngoscopic evaluation (VLE).

Consistently maintain sensitivity to the emotional needs of clients with communication and swallowing disorders and their carers, in particular when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the clients difficulties and implications of the same.

Ensure responsibility for own clinical workload as an autonomous practitioner, within designated area, with liaison with the other Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapists and the Lead Clinical Head and Neck Speech and Language Therapist.

Access appraisal within an Individual Performance Framework at pre-determined intervals.

Assist in the provision of high-quality Speech and Language Therapy within the Trust, by close collaboration with all members of the MDT in the service area and Directorate.

Be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients, use of equipment and in all written documentation.

Promote high standards of clinical care, working as an autonomous Speech and Language Therapy practitioner.

Maintain regular communication with Consultant and other Highly Specialist Head and Neck Speech and Language Therapists to ensure that clinical practice is appropriately informed.

Promote high standards of clinical care within the service areas with patients with highly complex and rare head and neck conditions, aiming to:

• Manage and be responsible for own caseload in an efficient manner with supervision from other Highly Specialist and Consultant Clinical Head and Neck Speech and Language Therapists.
• Demonstrate ability to prioritise own caseload and referred patients effectively and according to departmental policy.
• Assess and identify the problems of patients, families and significant others referred using a Speech and Language Therapy model of practice.
• Provide intervention based on a client centred approach to ensure, where possible, patient needs and priorities are met.
• Encourage patient participation and achieve a therapeutic relationship with patients who may exhibit challenging behaviour and/or cognitive difficulties.
• Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive, and contentious information regarding SLT treatment and management of patients on individual case load, to patients, families, secondary and primary care providers, social services and the MDT.
• Employ counselling skills with patients, carers/ clients with highly complex needs including those related to terminal illness, death and severe disability or disfigurement.
• Plan, organise, lead, and participate in case conferences and family meetings with patients, MDT, families and carers and outside agencies.
• Participate in the MDT decision making process around consent to treatment when capacity is questionable, being aware of the legal and ethical considerations.
• Initiate and coordinate discharge planning (in accordance with the Trust Discharge Policy) for patients under SLT care with other members of the MDT and outside agencies such as social services, GP, primary care trusts etc., which may be based anywhere in the United Kingdom depending on where the patient lives.
• Provide specialist SLT intervention adapting communication style for people with cognitive/psychiatric disorders, communication difficulties and challenging behaviour in given intervention area.
• Participate in joint assessment sessions with other MDT members where appropriate to enhance patient care.
• Design and provide specialist head and neck SLT therapy treatment programs for patients, carers and their families.
• Use clinical and instrumental assessments of speech, voice, communication and swallowing to design and evaluate treatment sessions with patients.
• Analyse, interpret, articulate, and document clinical reasoning around direct care needs for patients.
• Constantly evaluate and monitor patient needs, using appropriate methods of standardised and non-standardised outcome measurement.
• Adjust Speech and Language Therapy practice as necessary.
• Identify unmet needs of patients, discuss these areas with appropriate agencies and refer on in a timely fashion.
• Provide highly specialist Speech and Language therapy skills, e.g. tracheostomy management for communication and swallowing, videofluoroscopy assessment of swallowing disorders, clinical and instrumental assessment of voice and speech disorders.
• Access to advice and support from other Highly Specialist and Consultant Clinical Head and Neck Speech and Language Therapists is available.
• Maintain a high standard of patient records and data of all patients, (including uni-disciplinary and interdisciplinary reports) documenting all relevant information according to standards of practice.
• Documentation will include integrated care pathways, medical notes, uni-disciplinary notes, initial interim reports, and discharge reports.
• Undertake evidenced based audit and research projects to further own and teams clinical practice.
• Make recommendations to Highly Specialist/ Clinical lead Head and Neck Speech and Language Therapists for changes to practice within the team.