Bank Speech and Language Assistant Practitioner
Band 4
Main area Bank Speech and Language Therapy Grade Band 4 Contract Bank Hours Flexible working - 0 hours per week (As and when required) Job ref 350-CCBANK6771018
Site Various trust sites Town Liverpool Salary £26,530 - £29,114 pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 02/01/2025 23:59
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Bank Band 4 Speech and Language Therapy Assistant working across Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. This role will give the successful applicant opportunities to work within specialist inpatient and/or community services to support adults or children with physical and mental health conditions, learning disabilities and/or brain injuries. We are looking for a highly motivated and creative individual with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
You should have good organisational and time management skills. You will be proactive in supporting the development of easy read information, work as part of the integrated approach modelling communication strategies, deliver communication assessment, therapy and training; and input into the eating, drinking and swallowing clinical pathway.
The assistant will support the work of a Speech and Language Therapist and be a part of a range of well-established Speech and Language Therapy Teams. You will also have the opportunity to work across a range of Speech and Language Therapy services based within the division.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will:
1. Communicate effectively with all members of the speech therapy team and carry out work as outlined within professional competency frameworks for assistants.
2. Work under direction from a qualified and registered speech therapist.
3. Work directly with children or adults with learning disabilities/mental health conditions/brain injuries and have related difficulty with communication therefore will need to use skilled communication techniques to overcome these barriers. The post holder will work routinely with people who may also experience additional communication barriers to their learning disability, mental health conditions, physical health, disability and challenging behaviours.
4. Develop and advise others within MDT on the development of accessible information for service users.
5. Complete client records and client sensitive information according to professional guidance and MCFT Trust policy.
6. Be an integral member of the MDT.
7. Attend relevant professional meetings at the request of a senior clinician.
8. Share and disseminate information in a professional manner with other members of the broader multi-disciplinary and uni-disciplinary speech therapy team.
9. Maintain and develop competency in IT skills.
Working for our organisation
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 11 million people.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Analytical and Judgmental Skills:
1. Make appropriately detailed observations in regard to physical health, communication, behaviour and emotional presentation to contribute to therapy assessment and assess progress in relation to therapy goals.
2. Observe general behaviour, functional ability and responses of patients when engaged in therapy activities to make routine records of the information following each intervention and report to the appropriate member of the multi-disciplinary team.
3. Following appropriate training respond appropriately to changes in the person’s condition or needs and make changes to care plans within own area of competence, as delegated by the registered speech therapist.
4. Understand the scope of their own role and when to refer to the speech therapist.
Planning and Organisational Skills:
1. Organise own time and prioritise workload with support from the supervising speech and language therapist.
2. Deliver therapy programmes in the most appropriate setting for the person and in a timely manner.
3. Provide individual activity and performance data in a timely manner on request.
Responsibilities for Policy and Service Development:
1. Support a learning environment within the speech therapy service through practical assistance and input into the education and development of student health professionals who are undertaking training within the service.
2. Make a key contribution to the multi-professional team to ensure the continued development of the service and maintain a knowledge and understanding of current legislation, policies, procedures, codes of practice and guidelines relevant to role.
3. Participate in audit, quality projects and research as appropriate.
4. Participate in changes in clinical practice as directed by the registered speech therapist.
5. Adhere to MCFT Policies and procedures.
6. Engage in MCFT PDR process ensuring objectives are met and a personal development plan is maintained and evaluated.
7. Attend mandatory training and relevant courses/training deemed appropriate for role.
8. Maintain CPD portfolio and work to Assistants competency framework.
9. Participate in service development, research and audit as required.
Responsibilities for Finance:
1. Purchase items requested by the speech therapist e.g. through petty cash.
2. Maintain equipment in safe working order and that minimises cross infection according to Trust policies.
Responsibilities for HR:
1. Actively participate in their own PDR and appraisals maintain a CPD portfolio in line with professional standards.
Responsibility for Information Resources:
1. Provide reports or client related data at the request of a clinician.
2. Keep client records in accordance with professional standards and Trust policies.
Research and Development:
1. Participate in research and clinical development as requested by senior Clinician.
Risk management:
1. The post holder will be required to lone work and will need to adhere to Trust policy and developed individual risk management strategies.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Foundation Degree or equivalent or equivalent work-based experience.
Knowledge/Experience
* Assessing, planning and implementing individualised programmes of care.
* Understanding local and national influences on health care delivery, including Public Health.
* Experience of previous work in health care.
* Clinical Governance and Risk Management.
* Actively involved in professional development.
* Knowledge of Health Promotion strategies.
Values
* Accountability.
* Support.
* High professional standards.
* Responsive to service users.
* Engaging leadership style.
* Transparency and honesty.
* Discreet.
* Change oriented.
Skills
* Excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills.
* Ability to travel for work purposes.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
FULFILL YOUR POTENTIAL AND SPREAD YOUR WINGS WITH MERSEY CARE
At Mersey Care, our commitment to ‘perfect care’ lies at the heart of everything we do, a person-centred care that starts with you. It’s a pledge to create an environment and staff support that will enable you to do the best job you can possibly do, to be the best you can possibly be.
You’ll be joining one of the most innovative and progressive NHS trusts in the country. One that offers specialist inpatient and community services to support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. We are the founding member of the Zero Suicide Alliance, and one of only three Trusts in the country which delivers high secure mental health care.
You’ll be made to feel at home, joining an almost 11,000-strong Mersey Care family comprising doctors, nurses, clinical staff, as well as countless other roles from dieticians to dentists, from data analysts to physiotherapists. You'll find a full list of our roles in our A-Z list.
You’ll have a home in the North West of England where your work/life balance is respected and working from sites easily commutable from Liverpool, Manchester, North Wales and Cheshire with many roles operating a hybrid working system.
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