Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

We have an opportunity for a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to work as a Clinical Lead in Pembrokeshire. As part of this role, there are opportunities to work primarily with pre-school children presenting with a range of communication needs including complex needs and/or eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties. The role will also include being a Line Manager for staff within the service.

The post holder will be responsible for all elements of operational line management of staff members working within their team, including but not limited to day-to-day support and queries, carrying out regular management supervision with staff members, and supporting the team and service to develop. The clinical aspect of the post will involve holding a highly specialist clinical caseload in Pembrokeshire, which will include supporting children who may present with complex needs, as well as managing waiting times and triaging new referrals. Occasionally, there will be an expectation to support children and their families in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion too. The successful applicant will also be responsible for identifying opportunities for service development to meet the population need.

Main duties of the job:

• Directly line manage staff working for the SLT service, working together with Service Leads and colleagues to support equitable service provision and development.
• Using demonstrable coaching and facilitative skills to enable the team to provide high quality clinical services and to think outside of traditional boundaries of service provision and development.
• Working with other SLT staff to ensure operational and clinical service development are joined together.
• Responding innovatively to service pressures and prioritising service activities according to local needs.
• Leadership and strategic oversight of service areas to provide equitability and accessibility of support and timely intervention.
• Manage a highly specialist clinical caseload, which will include supporting children who may present with complex needs and/or eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties, manage waiting times and triage new referrals.
• To provide supervision, advice and second opinions to more junior colleagues.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; English and/or Welsh speakers are equally welcome to apply.

Qualifications and Knowledge:

• Degree in Speech & Language Therapy
• Evidence of successful completion of training/specialist short courses up to Masters Degree or equivalent level, and relevant to area of clinical expertise
• Understanding of implications of bilingualism on language use and development
• Knowledge of a wide range of paediatric or adult specialist assessment tools and procedures to evaluate communication skills, particularly relevant to area of clinical expertise
• Knowledge of key characteristics leading to a specialist differential diagnosis relevant to area of clinical expertise
• Knowledge of selecting, setting and evaluating specialist treatment goals
• Knowledge of a highly specialist range of therapeutic interventions relevant to specialist clinical area, and able to demonstrate the evidence base for these approaches
• Well established knowledge of legal and professional issues of confidentiality
• Knowledge of record keeping standards, data protection / Caldicott guidelines
• Knowledge of health and safety issues
• Knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to area of clinical expertise
• Basic Counselling
• Knowledge of a range of research approaches
• Understanding of principles of change management
• Accredited postbasic dysphagia training

Experience:

• Extensive post registration clinical experience relevant to the post including experience of audit and service evaluation
• Delivering highly specialist training to a range of audiences
• SLT Student placement, inclusive of assessment up to and including final year
• Supporting less experienced staff
• Supervision of associate practitioners/support workers.
• Experience of providing second opinions to SLTs and other professionals
• Management of change
• Demonstrable leadership experience
• Delivering therapy through the medium of Welsh
• Supervision/line management SLTs

Other:

• HCPC registration
• RCSLT Membership
• Member of Relevant CEN/SIG/PPG
• Able to work in a variety of sites based upon service need
• Ability to travel between sites in a timely manner

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.