Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist - Acute Stroke Team Lead
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
We have an exciting opportunity in our department.
You will provide a highly specialist Speech & Language Therapy service of assessment, diagnosis, advice and treatment, with acquired disorders of speech, language and swallowing.
Specific responsibility for the SLT management of a complex neurological caseload, predominantly stroke, mainly within the acute stroke unit at Torbay Hospital, although working across the stroke pathway will also be required. Leading the SLT Team on the acute stroke unit and developing the service alongside the Clinical Manager and Head of SLT.
Main duties of the job
This post is based within the stroke service on the acute stroke ward. There may be a requirement to work on weekends in the future. Some bank holiday working will be required.
1. Provide a highly specialist speech and language therapy service of assessment, diagnosis, advice, treatment and staff training to adults with acquired disorders of speech, language and swallowing in an acute hospital setting.
2. Actively participate as a member of the senior Speech & Language Therapy Team and contribute to service development.
3. Function as part of a multi-disciplinary team including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, etc.
4. Provide highly specialist advice, support, second opinions and line management to other speech and language therapists working in the acute stroke team, including non-registered SLT staff.
5. Prioritise and allocate work to the SLT team on the acute stroke unit, a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
6. Set up, run and evaluate training courses for nurses, other professionals, and carers as required.
About us
We work as part of an integrated care organisation, the first in the UK, serving rural and urban communities in South Devon. The demography has a high elderly population.
We provide well led acute, community and specialist services to people from the local area and were one of the first to run therapist led FEES clinics.
Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education and support for our clinicians.
Job responsibilities
1. Provide feedback and reports to other agencies involved with individual patients.
2. Attend case conferences and meetings concerning patients and their care.
3. Use highly developed communication skills when discussing clinical and emotional aspects of client care, including reflective listening, open questioning, empathy, and reassurance when explaining highly complex and sensitive information.
4. Take the lead in the multi-disciplinary team for establishing patient capacity to give informed consent regarding life choices and interventions.
5. Demonstrate good negotiation skills across a range of issues, and negotiate with others around case management in complex cases.
Please see full job description for further details
Person Specification
Qualifications and training
* Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree qualification or equivalent
* Registered with Health and Care Professions Council
* Registered Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
* Experience of leading a stroke SLT team
* Master's level qualification or equivalent experience
Knowledge and Experience
* Extensive specialist clinical experience of working with stroke patients and their carers across acute and community settings
* Experience of working autonomously with acquired speech, language and swallowing disorders in the following client groups: adult neurological diseases, MND, Parkinson's disease, MS, dementia and other complex conditions
* Post-graduate accreditation in dysphagia to the level of specialist practitioner (Level C)
* Must have or be working towards the National Competencies for Stroke
* Good presentation skills, written and verbal
* Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team
* Competent to perform FEES examinations
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.
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
£46,148 to £52,809 a year pro rata per annum
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