Job Summary
We are pleased to be able to offer a permanent full-time post for an enthusiastic, motivated, and well-organised Speech and Language Therapist. The post holder will work within County Durham with children and young people with neurodisability.
As a key member of the team, you will be passionate about improving health outcomes for clients and will work closely with health colleagues, partner agencies, parents, and carers. You will be a great communicator and enjoy working both independently and as part of a team in different settings.
This post will provide you with the opportunity to:
1. Focus clinical work on children & young people with complex and additional needs including learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and swallowing difficulties.
2. Help develop evidence-based pathways for the client group.
3. Work with other specialist and clinical lead speech and language therapists to deliver individual and group therapy approaches.
4. Work within a range of community settings including clinics, homes, mainstream, and special school settings.
Main Duties of the Job
1. Generate appropriate strategies to manage an individual specialist caseload including the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and discharge of a diverse range of clients with complex communication and/or swallowing difficulties with support and supervision from the lead clinician.
2. Develop and implement specialist care protocols and programmes of care and treatment, to meet the needs of clients in conjunction with their parents, carers, education staff, and other members of the appropriate multi-disciplinary team (MDT) with support and supervision from a lead clinician.
3. Independently manage and negotiate the management of complex cases with others, e.g., onward referral to highly specialist clinicians or other specialist support agencies, e.g., consultants, Educational Psychologists.
4. Provide specialist education, training, and supervision to speech and language therapy assistant practitioners and to speech and language therapists with less experience in the management of the client group, with appropriate supervision from the clinical lead.
5. Provide specialist advice and second opinions to less experienced colleagues.
6. Continually evaluate the effectiveness of care protocols and packages of care, audit, and implement changes as appropriate in conjunction with the lead clinician/line manager.
7. Evaluate the effects of the communication difficulty on the psychological health of the client.
8. Work with the lead clinician(s) to develop and coordinate service provision and policy development for the client group.
Person Specification
Experience
* Essential: Experience of working as a Speech and Language Therapist, some of which has included working with clients with complex and additional needs including dysphagia.
* Desirable: Experience of working as a member of a multi-agency team, experience of planning and delivering teaching and training, experience of AAC.
Qualifications
* Essential: Degree or equivalent qualification in Speech and Language Therapy, Certificate to practise as a Speech and Language Therapist.
* Desirable: Counselling qualification, evidence of leadership training, evidence of post-graduate dysphagia qualification.
Specialist Requirements
* Essential: Ability to travel between venues in a short timescale.
Special Skills & Knowledge
* Essential: High-level problem-solving skills, knowledge of NHS and Education policies, knowledge of clinical guidelines/national documents/research relating to children and young people with complex needs including dysphagia, ability to work under pressure, excellent communication skills, flexibility in approach, well-motivated.
* Desirable: Skills in making formal presentations, use of Microsoft word processing packages for producing programmes and reports, leadership skills.
Statutory Registration
* Essential: HCPC registered.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
Employer Details
Employer Name: County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Chester Le Street Community Hospital, Front Street, Hollyhurst Road, Chester Le Street, County Durham, DH3 3AT
Employer's website: https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/
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