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Associate Head/Clinical Expert of Speech & Language Therapy
Band 8a
Main area: Speech & Language Therapy
Grade: Band 8a
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 438-PB2424
Site: Royal Preston Hospital
Town: Preston
Salary: £53,755 - £60,504 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 05/01/2025 23:59
Job overview
We are looking to recruit an experienced and compassionate Speech and Language Therapist who is interested in further developing their career in service leadership in the position of Associate Head of Speech and Language Therapy at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust.
The Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Department is situated at the Royal Preston Hospital site of LTHTR, however, the team also deliver SLT services to Chorley District Hospital and our Community Healthcare Hub (intermediate care/step down facility).
The Associate Head of SLT is a combined clinical and leadership role, roughly split into 3 days of clinical activity and 2 days of leadership. Your clinical work will be determined by your area of clinical expertise, but flexibility to support the service will be needed as required. You are required to be competent in complex dysphagia (including tracheostomy & ventilated patients) and have experience of instrumental assessment, both FEES & VFS. The education and professional development of SLTs within the service is of paramount importance, therefore competence in training is essential.
The Associate Head of SLT will also work alongside the Head of Service to operationally manage the team. Leadership training opportunities will be supported to enable the successful candidate to gain the knowledge and skills required.
We have a flexible approach and will consider part-time working and flexible working with the successful candidate as required.
Main duties of the job
The Associate Head of SLT is a valued leadership position and essential to support optimal SLT service delivery. You will work alongside the Head of SLT to provide professional leadership to our large team of 25 speech and language therapists, plus administration staff. You must be an autonomous and clinically focused practitioner, capable of using transferable knowledge and skill to support staff with their varied clinical caseloads.
Main responsibilities include:
* Ensure the service provides timely responses to referrals through triage and identifying the appropriate pathway for intervention.
* To ensure staff have a designated caseload and coordinate and plan the care for that group.
* Provides leadership for the team to deliver expert advice related to specific conditions or treatment pathways.
* To lead the development of the workforce through developing and delivering education and training.
* Deliver excellent care with compassion and promote this across the service.
* To lead the collaborative approach with the multidisciplinary team to ensure the cohesive management of patients.
* To support operational and workforce management.
* Deputise for the Head of Service as required.
Working for our organisation
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals is a large acute organisation, delivering specialist services both locally and regionally. LTHTR is committed to visible AHP leadership and there is a strong support network with access to excellent in-house leadership development.
It is an exciting time to join The Department Speech and Language Therapy at LTHTR as we are currently reviewing the services we provide and are on an improvement journey. This provides an exciting opportunity to support the Head of SLT to drive innovation and service development forward.
The SLT department has a strong reputation for delivering high quality person-centred care and the caseload provides complex presentations across dysphagia, communication and voice respectively. We have established FEES and VFS clinics, with in-service training to provide sustainability.
You will join a large, friendly team of speech and language therapists covering a range of specialist services. The department is rated ‘GOLD’ on the STAR quality assurance framework, with a strong commitment to evidence-based practice. CPD and training are supported.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
* To carry a clinical caseload in area of clinical expertise.
* Be competent in complex dysphagia (including tracheostomy/ventilation) and instrumental assessment.
* Proficient MDT working.
* Provide clinical expertise and oversight in other specialist clinical areas.
* Proactively monitor and improve efficiency and effectiveness within the service.
* Provide leadership, guidance and development for the team of SLTs.
* Ensure high quality, evidence-based practice.
* To deputise for the Head of SLT and support operational management of the service.
Person specification
Qualifications and Education
* Degree in Speech and Language Therapy.
* Dysphagia trained.
* HCPC registration.
* Postgraduate clinical education/training at master's level (or equivalent).
* Leadership or management training.
* Independent in FEES/VFS.
* Educated to master's level.
* Project management training.
Knowledge and Experience
* Previous experience in a clinical lead post.
* Significant clinical experience in leading a team.
* Significant experience in clinical leadership, training and developing staff.
* Significant experience of clinical governance and applied to practice and service delivery.
* Significant experience of managing change.
* Participation in business planning/contribution to business case development.
* Significant experience of leading audit activity.
* Knowledge of national, local and professional health service agendas.
* Significant experience of workforce management including recruitment and selection, performance management.
* Knowledge and experience of IT systems.
* Experience in business cases.
* Experience with continuous improvement methodologies to demonstrate systems-wide improvements.
* Experience in teaching and assessing FEES/VFS competencies.
Thanks for taking the time to view this advert; we’re looking forward to receiving your application. You should be aware that the vacancy may close earlier than the published date if sufficient applications are received so it would be best to apply as soon as you can. We’ll contact you by e-mail to update you on the progress of your application so please check the e-mail account that you applied from (including spam/junk) regularly.
We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership, neurodiversity or veteran status are encouraged to apply for this post.
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