Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (Adults) in South Shields

We have an opportunity for two permanent, Band 6 Speech and Language Therapists. Each Post is 37.5 hours per week, in our Adult Speech and Language Therapy Team. We would like you to join us if you have the skills. Depending on your skills, you may be able to work within our ENT / voice team as well as working into our in-patient and out-patient services across Sunderland and South Tyneside.

You will join our well-established Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) service and will work mainly in outpatient and community settings. You will be a key part of our service and will have the opportunity to develop your skills in working with people with a wide range of voice, speech, language, communication and swallowing difficulties. As a team we work together to provide the best service we can whilst striving to develop staff who are our key asset to improve patient outcomes. You will have excellent support and will be encouraged to develop your clinical skills and will also be involved in instrumental assessment clinics as you develop competencies. You will be keen to drive services forward as we change and develop. You will align to our vision and values which include using research and innovation to improve patient care.

Main duties of the job

• The Adult team provides SALT across South Tyneside and Sunderland.
• Demonstrate proven clinical expertise and experience in working with adults with a range of speech, language, voice, communication and swallowing difficulties.
• Have excellent prioritisation, communication and team working skills.
• Have excellent training and presentation skills.
• Be keen to work within a large, forward-thinking department which is embedded in a successful Therapy Services Directorate.
• Have a pro-active and flexible approach to problem-solving and caseload management to ensure we take the Service forward to support care across acute and community settings.
• Be able to meet the travel requirements of this Post.

We are a patient-focused service and continually strive to improve what we do for the benefit of the people who live in our area. Our team has a strong research background and you will be encouraged to develop your skills in this area to ensure we translate innovation, audit and research outcomes into practice for improved patient care and outcomes.

About us

One Team One Trust - There are many reasons to work at our Trust. From our commitment to putting people first to our accessible services and award winning teams. We have a passion for research, innovation and tackling inequalities. We are committed to respect, fairness and civility and promote a compassionate, caring and positive culture / working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of peoples race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under-represented groups. Looking after our workforce's health and wellbeing is a priority for us. We also provide access to high quality education, training, career progression and support. Flexible working is supported via our Flexible Working Policy.

Job responsibilities

• To provide a specialist service (assessment, diagnosis and implementation of specialist SALT treatment) to adults in the Adult Service who present with a range of speech, language, voice, communication and swallowing disorders including those who have complex and / or severe difficulties.
• To supervise the work of more junior SALTs, SALT Assistants / Technical Instructors and students.
• To participate in research in specialist area as required.
• To work in close collaboration with other professionals to provide an integrated approach to each client's specific difficulties.

Person Specification

Experience

• A period of post-qualification experience in communication, swallowing and voice disorders.
• Good working knowledge of a wide range of developmental and acquired speech, language and communication difficulties and their treatments.
• Experience of working within multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience liaising with other health, education and social professionals.
• Experience of planning and delivery of training for other professionals and parents/carers.
• Experience of working alongside highly-specialised therapists for highly-complex cases.
• Membership of relevant Special Interest Groups.
• Evidence of CPD and attendance at a range of short courses e.g. Dementia, Sentence Processing, Social Models of Therapy, Videofluoroscopy, Ethical issues, Dyspraxia.
• Significant specialist experience post-qualification across range of clinical areas.
• Completion of Level 1 Counselling Skills or equivalent.

Physical Skills

• To have due regard for own personal safety and that of clients/carers, in particular to have regard to moving and handling regulations, restraining policies and ensure the safe positioning of self and others.
• Lifting and carrying equipment for assessment and treatment on a regular basis.
• To maintain intense concentration in all aspects of client management for prolonged periods, in particular, to monitor auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of clients' communication, adapting and facilitating according to perceived client needs including cultural and linguistic differences.
• To be flexible to the demands of the environment including unpredictable work patterns, deadlines and frequent interruptions.
• To employ counselling skills with carers and clients (including clients with highly-complex needs).
• To demonstrate the ability to manage clients with challenging behaviours, including the application of appropriate management strategies.
• To be adaptable to the demands of a variety of working conditions and / or a wide range of clients.
• To work within infection control and Health & Safety guidelines in order to deal with unpleasant conditions relating to client contact as they arise, for example exposure to body fluids, infectious conditions, encountered on a regular basis.
• To employ appropriate strategies to manage verbally-aggressive behaviour within the workplace.

Qualifications

• Membership of Health and Care Professions Council.
• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree qualification.
• Fulfilment of RCSLT competency criteria.
• Completion of external courses in specialist area.
• Basic counselling skills.
• Successful completion of specialist post-graduate training e.g. Dysphagia Management Course.
• Evidence of CPD including attendance of a wide range of short courses in specialist clinical area e.g. Aphasia, Dysphagia, Motor Speech Disorders.
• Membership of relevant Special Interest Groups.
• Well-established knowledge of a range of specialist assessment tools relevant to a wide range of adult communication disorders.
• Developing skills in instrumental swallowing assessment eg VF, FEES.
• Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Skills & Knowledge

• Knowledge of current national policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of trends / best practice across the clinical specialisms.
• In-depth knowledge of a range of therapeutic interventions relevant to the client groups and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits of each.
• Knowledge of the principles of clinical governance / audit.
• Understanding of the roles of other professionals relevant to client group.
• Knowledge of standards of record-keeping.
• Working knowledge of safeguarding.
• Working knowledge of structure, policies and functioning of the NHS and Local Authority.
• Excellent interpersonal skills - including observation, listening and empathy skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with Health, Education and Social Services professionals, as well as parents / families / carers.
• Influencing and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrate excellent analytical, assessment, deduction and reflection skills.
• Excellent presentation skills - written and oral.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
• Innovative thinking skills.
• Demonstrates ability to be a good team member and assume supervisory responsibilities of assistants and mentoring responsibilities of less experienced therapists.
• Independent and autonomous working.
• Highly-developed discrimination skills and ability to transcribe speech phonetically.

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.