Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 7

Main area: Head and Neck Cancer

Grade: NHS AfC: Band 7

Contract: Fixed term: 12 months (Until December 2025)

Hours: Part time – 22.5 hours per week

Job ref: 395-HV721-24

Site: Porters Avenue Health Centre

Town: Dagenham

Salary: £46,148 – £52,809 Pro rata per annum Plus HCAS

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 05/01/2025 23:59

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award-winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients.

Job overview

We are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for a Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist with skills in Head and Neck Cancer to join our Adult SLT team at NELFT. We are looking for an enthusiastic, innovative and motivated individual to join our friendly department as part of our Head and Neck Cancer and ENT team on a fixed term contract until December 2025.

The Adult SLT Team are a respected and integrated part of the Head and Neck Cancer multidisciplinary team, with a positive record of developing innovative and patient-centered services. The service runs weekly community videofluoroscopy and FEES clinics, and a monthly joint voice/swallowing clinic with ENT. The team also runs an Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programme and we have proudly pioneered the provision of laryngectomy care in the community. CPD is actively supported through regular clinical supervision, appraisals and excellent training opportunities.

Main duties of the job

As an experienced and highly specialist SLT you will independently prioritise and manage a highly specialist caseload of head and neck cancer patients right across the cancer care pathway from diagnosis to survivorship. This will include management of a complex laryngectomy caseload therefore requiring competencies in SVR and laryngectomy care. The post holder will be required to support our innovative, pioneering and groundbreaking domiciliary laryngectomy service that operates across the three London boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge.

The successful candidate will have an opportunity to further develop their existing skills, and work in an exciting and dynamic team. They will work closely with ENT, Oral & Maxillofacial and Oncology teams via weekly H&N cancer multidisciplinary team meetings whilst networking with a vast group of cancer care professionals across the North East London Cancer Alliance.

The ideal candidate must be able to work independently as well as part of a team and have good time management and prioritisation skills. Although not essential, the ideal candidate would have competencies in Videofluoroscopy and FEES.

Working for our organisation

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

Starting with NELFT

NELFT places a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached Job description and Person specification for more information about this role and working at NELFT. We encourage you to refer closely to this when completing your application.

Person specification

• Demonstration of Trust Values

Qualifications

• NVQ level 2 or equivalent standard of literacy and numeracy
• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
• HCPC Licence to Practice
• Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy
• Show active interest in CPD in line with RCSLT guidelines
• Competencies in working with patients with laryngectomies
• Competencies in FEES
• Competencies in videofluoroscopy
• Competencies in tracheostomy

Experience

• Working collaboratively with carers and other professionals
• Experience of working in a multi-agency and/or multi-disciplinary team
• Working with clients who have a range of speech, language and communication needs resulting from head and neck cancer and voice disorders
• Planning and delivery of training to other professionals
• Experience of supervising others
• Experience of videofluoroscopy
• Experience of running a FEES clinic

Knowledge

• Awareness of NHS Plan, NSF, clinical governance priorities and changing service needs
• Government policy and legislation and how this may affect service delivery
• Knowledge of acquired communication and swallowing disorders
• Knowledge of assessment tools, treatment techniques and therapeutic interventions
• Awareness of the roles of other professionals
• Awareness of standards of record keeping
• Awareness of the principles of clinical governance/audit
• Understanding of safeguarding

Skills

• Basic awareness of IT and IT skills
• Demonstrate clear clinical reasoning based on evidence-based practice
• Able to use own initiative
• Organise and manage own caseload
• Allocate duties and supervise junior SLT
• Formulate care programmes, identify goals by organising and prioritising
• Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy
• Negotiation, problem solving concentration, analytical and reflection skills
• Written and verbal presentation skills
• Present information in clear and logical manner
• Ability to be a good team member

Other

• To be able to travel efficiently throughout the area

We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.

Equal opportunities employer

We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity and positively encourage applications from all sections of the community regardless of any protected characteristic.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name: Mark Allinson

Job title: Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapy

Email address: mark.allinson@nelft.nhs.uk

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