Clinical Team Lead Speech Language Therapist - Community Stroke

We are looking to recruit a Clinical Team Lead SLT to join our integrated stroke therapy team and speech & language therapy service. This is an exciting opportunity to lead on the service design and delivery of SLT in inpatient rehabilitation with outreach into the community setting. Working within the SSNAP framework across the stroke pathway, complying with audit you will be part of an experienced and high achieving team. Recognised as a responsive and high-quality complex stroke MDT and SLT team, this service is well equipped and supported by a team of established Assistant Practitioners.

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are required together with good organisational and time management skills. You will be able to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service, be able to work under pressure and be self-directed, recognising your own limits. You will be a qualified and HCPC registered SLT with sound knowledge and experience of specialist assessment and treatment procedures for this client group. This post will suit an SLT ready to develop clinical leadership skills in a highly specialist role, or someone who already has this level of competency and is looking to extend their experience. You will need access to transport for work purposes and be able to travel between community visits in a timely manner. This post is part of the seven day/bank holiday rota.

The successful applicant will be based on the 24 bedded Marsden Rehabilitation Stroke (Pendle Community Hospital), as well as working as part of the community stroke therapy team across Pennine Lancashire. Providing a high level of clinical expertise, highly specialist assessment skills and interactions within the stroke rehabilitation pathways. Providing operational and line management to a designated team in the delivery of a highly effective, safe and personal service, delivered around the needs of individual patients/carers as described by agreed goals/outcome measures and within the SLT stroke clinical pathway.

The role will include teaching and the provision of highly specialist support in the management of complex conditions, educating other healthcare professionals and wider stakeholders. ELHT as an organisation and the Therapies directorate are committed to an integrated stroke pathway, with a range of transformation initiatives, including the development of hyper-acute stroke services, early intensive community intervention, and seven-day therapy provision. We are actively involved in research developments and as the clinical lead you will be required to participate in service improvement projects. Continual improvement is embedded in our daily work and service improvement initiatives. Our commitment to continuing professional is underpinned by monthly team meetings, supervision, regular line management and an annual appraisal system.

Established in 2003 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) is a large integrated health care organisation providing high quality acute secondary healthcare for the people of East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen. Our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 700,000 patients a year from the most serious of emergencies to planned operations and procedures. We employ over 8,000 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work and achievements.

You will join our experienced and supportive team of senior SLTs working within specialty groups in both the acute and community settings that include Neurology, Head and Neck Cancer, Voice, FEES, SLT led VFL, Stroke and Community (progressive and long term disease/care home) and are overseen by a professional lead for SLT. We host an annual SLT Showcase of best practice and SLT, Stroke and Neuro Improvement Showcase. We are actively involved in a range of service and workforce initiatives across the Lancashire and South Cumbria ICS and research including collaborations with the Lancashire South Cumbria ICB and within ELHT including Advanced Clinical Practitioners (Community Stroke and Neurorehabilitation) and a AHP professorial post in Neurorehabilitation.

Attached you will find the job description and person specification document which provides more detail about the essential and desirable skills and experience needed for this role. We highly recommend you review this document and use it when completing your application as these criteria are used by hiring managers as guidance during shortlisting.

• Qualifications

• Profession specific Degree/ Diploma or equivalent qualification
• Registration with Health and Care Professions Council
• Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio, including attendance at recent postgraduate courses relevant to the clinical service area
• Evidence of management and/or leadership development/training
• Evidence of advanced or working towards advanced practice in dysphagia
• Involvement in Special Clinical Interest Group
• Evidence of training and development relevant to stroke

• Significant post graduate experience, including experience in a relevant specialist role
• Demonstrate clinical expertise in the management of highly complex patients within clinical area
• Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team and wider system partners
• Experience of leading service change and quality improvement projects for safe, personal, and effective care
• Experience of undergraduate student and/or support staff supervision
• Contribution to clinical education of junior staff, students and assistants
• Clinical supervision, including formal appraisal and objective setting
• Experience of clinical guidance, pathway and protocol development and implementation
• Involvement in audit, research and evidenced based practice with demonstrable impact on quality improvement
• Committee membership e.g., Safety Committee
• Experience of formal presentations including presenting to MDT, leadership, and clinical teams

• In depth knowledge of local and national NHS/Social Care agenda and its relevance to service area
• In depth knowledge of national policy, clinical practice standards and guidelines relevant to service area
• Able to manage high levels of risk in relationship to patient care
• Advanced workload management skills including prioritisation and delegation
• Advanced knowledge of a variety of assessment and clinical interventions skills relevant to service area
• Highly developed supervision and appraisal skills
• Advanced written and verbal skills to optimise patient management
• Able to demonstrate skills in advanced clinical reasoning skills
• Highly developed negotiation and problem-solving skills
• Excellent analytical skills and the ability to process relevant clinical and performance data and systems
• Highly developed ability to reflect and critically appraise own professional competency level and seek help from others appropriately
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office 365

• Highly developed ability to work effectively alone as well as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Able to work in a pressurised, unpredictable environment, with a proven ability to multi-task and support others
• Listen to views and opinions of others, demonstrate compassion, kindness and self-awareness
• Able to deal with challenging behaviour of patients, carers and/or families
• Value difference, diversity and inclusion and ensure fairness for all
• Commitment to continuous professional development

• Access to private vehicle to be able to travel across ELHT sites, including to patient's usual place of residence, where required
• Ability to travel between sites in a timely manner as required in accordance with the agreed job plan