Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist Warrington

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to join our large, friendly and innovative paediatric Speech and Language Therapy team. We can offer the opportunity to work alongside a diverse range of skilled clinicians and support staff across a well-established service. We place equal importance on delivering excellent outcomes for children and young people and ensuring the wellbeing, development and support of our workforce.

In this role, you will oversee our Clinic and Designated Provision (DP) services, managing day-to-day queries and supporting Team Leads with service targets, planning and ongoing service development. You will provide highly specialist assessment and intervention for children with a range of speech, language and communication needs and provide clinical support to your colleagues. You will work alongside other Highly Specialist SLTs and benefit from regular support, supervision, training and flexible working.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will manage day-to-day clinical and operational queries, offer specialist advice and support to SLTs and SLTAs, and promote consistent, high-quality practice. Working closely with Team Leads, they will support caseload and pathway planning, monitor performance against service targets, and contribute to clinical governance and quality improvement. The role will involve leading service development across both areas of the service.

The postholder will also provide highly specialist assessment and evidence-based intervention for children accessing the Clinic and Designated Provision services. The role requires excellent clinical reasoning, communication, organisation and leadership skills, alongside the ability to make independent decisions within the scope of the role and recognise when issues should be escalated to Team Leads.

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose: The post holder will provide clinical leadership for the Clinic and Designated Provision (DP) services, supporting Team Leads with service planning, targets and development. They will deliver highly specialist assessment and intervention for children with a range of speech, language and communication needs, while providing expert clinical advice and support to colleagues.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• To assess and diagnose within the highly specialist clinical area.
• To develop and implement highly specialist Speech and Language Therapy treatment and evaluate outcomes.
• To produce detailed reports reflecting specialist knowledge regarding patients' needs and summarising proposed treatment plans.
• To contribute to legal documents such as Education, Health and Care Plans, annual reviews and individual education plans.
• To provide specialist advice to patients, carers and other professionals regarding the management and care of patients with communication difficulties.
• 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 maintain up to date and accurate case notes in line with RCSLT professional standards and local trust policies.
• To share information with carers and other professionals, observing data protection guidelines.
• To contribute to multi-disciplinary and uni-disciplinary teams to ensure a patient focused approach to treatment.
• To represent at health panels where required.
• To communicate complex information from specialist assessment and treatment, to patients, carers and other professionals.
• To work closely with patients, carers and other professionals to negotiate and agree patient management.
• To demonstrate empathy with patients, carers and other professionals, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where significant barriers to understanding exist.
• To respond sensitively at all times, in particular when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the clinical difficulties and their implications.
• To oversee the clinic based service to children with SLCN driving innovation in line with best practice.
• To monitor care pathways and service outcomes to ensure clinical effectiveness.
• To demonstrate expert skills in motivating patients, carers and other professionals to engage in the therapeutic process.
• To demonstrate expert skills in managing conflict within the context of the highly specialist clinical area.
• To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible, in line with trust policy.
• To foster productive relationships with others who have challenging communication difficulties and/or who may be under stress.
• To employ excellent communication skills.
• To apply expert strategies to facilitate and enhance the effectiveness of communication, both verbal, non-verbal and environmental.
• To provide specialist assessment and advice on optimising the patient's communication environment, including the communication skills of carers and other professionals within the patient's environment.
• To provide supervision and specialist clinical advice, support and second opinions for therapists and other professionals working within highly specialist clinical area, offering case discussions, joint assessments, joint intervention and therapy programmes as appropriate.
• To demonstrate independence in dealing with complex issues associated with caseload management.
• To employ counselling skills with patients and carers with highly complex needs.
• To discharge appropriately, agreeing a point of closure with the client/carer, and informing other professionals.

Person Specification

Experience

• Essential: Relevant experience at a post graduate level in early language difficulties, Social Communication difficulties (ASD), speech disorders, dysfluency, selective mutism. In-depth experience within preschool/ clinic service area. Experience of managing large caseloads, prioritisation, planning workloads. Experience of monitoring service outcomes. Experience of supporting / mentoring less experienced staff. Experience of managing/supporting Speech and Language Therapy assistants.
• Desirable: Experience assessing social communication skills and contributing to a neurodevelopmental pathway assessment for ASD diagnosis. Experience working in specialist provision / school setting.

Skills and Knowledge

• Essential: In depth knowledge of SEND Code of Practice and National Curriculum. Knowledge of relevant NICE guidelines. Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills. Negotiation and problem solving skills. Demonstrates good analytical and reflection skills. Well developed concentration skills. Good presentation skills, both written and verbal. Good organisational skills. Prioritisation skills. Good auditory skills and ability to transcribe speech phonetically. Demonstrates ability to be a good team member. Well established knowledge of assessment tools relevant to the client group. Well established knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions (relevant to the client group). Knowledge of national policies and procedures (relevant to the client group). Understanding of the roles of other professionals (relevant to the client group). Knowledge of standards of record keeping. IT skills. Evidence of CPD.

Relationships

• Essential: If you are related to a director or have a relationship with a director or employee of an appointing organisation, please state the relationship.

Qualifications

• Essential: Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or Equivalent. Health Care Professions Council registration. RCSLT Licence to Practice. Evidence of additional training / continuing professional development around specialist area.
• Desirable: Registered member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Networks. Knowledge of a range of AAC including both electronic and paper-based.

Job Specific Requirements

• Essential: The ability to travel independently across North Cheshire and Mersey Trust. The ability to work flexibly in accordance with service needs.

Right to Work

• Do you currently have the unrestricted right to work in the UK? If appointed, will you require sponsorship under a UK work visa route (now or in the future)? Please note that sponsorship is not available for all roles. Sponsorship will only be considered where the post meets the relevant UK immigration requirements and where the organisation determines that sponsorship is appropriate for the role.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship 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.

For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.

Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.