Job summary
This is an opportunity for a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) to join the Integrated Community Children's Therapy team within Barts Health NHS Trust. The successful applicant will have experience in the assessment and intervention of eating, drinking and swallowing and complex communication difficulties including augmentative and alternative communication strategies. The post holder will work across the community Eating and Drinking Clinic and an early years and primary special school.
The post holder will be supported by the Lead Speech and Language Therapist for Complex Needs and Dysphagia and will receive regular supervision and access to professional development opportunities. The post holder will be joining a highly supportive and innovative Children's Therapy Department. The main office is at Mile End Hospital, conveniently located between Mile End and Stepney Green tube stations and serviced by local buses.
Flexible working will be considered. For more information about the post, please contact Gaynor Owen, Lead SLT for Complex Needs and Dysphagia on gaynor.owen3@nhs.net or 07927 683010
Main duties of the job
The Community Children's Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Service sits in Specialist Community Children's Services within the Children and Young People's Division of Barts Health NHS Trust. It offers a community-based service to the children of Tower Hamlets and is delivered predominantly in clinics, schools, pre-school settings and service users' homes. It aims to address the communication and eating and drinking needs of the child population through the provision of universal, targeted and specialist level services.
The post holder is an autonomous practitioner, providing assessment, diagnosis and a variety of therapy and intervention approaches for children with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties and communication difficulties at a highly specialist level. The post holder will manage a caseload of children in a community clinic setting and a special school in Tower Hamlets, including providing clinical leadership and supporting for other SLTs and co-workers. The caseload comprises children with complex medical and developmental needs aged 0-19 years.
About us
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.
The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
Person Specification
Qualifications and knowledge
Essential
- Degree in Speech and Language Therapy
- HPCP Registration and Licence to Practice
- Member of RCSLT
- Evidence of continuing professional development
- Successful completion of specialist post-graduate dysphagia study relevant to the community setting, (e.g. accredited dysphagia course).
- Good understanding of the clinical governance principles
- Basic knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research approaches and the key elements to writing a research protocol
- Demonstrates knowledge of HPCP code of ethics and professional conduct
Desirable
- Evidence of audit and research activity
Experience
Essential
- At least three years post-qualification experience working within relevant field.
- Experience in assessment and interventions of eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties and communication difficulties in children aged 1-19 years, demonstrating the evidence base for these approaches.
- Clinical experience within the NHS
- Working with children/families from multi-cultural/multi-lingual backgrounds and working with interpreters
Desirable
- Experience in managing feeding difficulties in babies under the age of 12 months.
- Experience in supervision of SLTs and students.
- Competency in Tracheostomy management
- Carrying out evidence-based research projects/audit projects
- Team leadership experience
- Virtual eating, drinking and swallowing assessment and intervention
Skills
Essential
- Good clinical skills/specialist knowledge across a wide range of dysphagia and communication difficulties
- Evidence of use of initiative and ability to maintain judgement under pressure.
- Skills in delivering presentations and training including basic adaptations to presentation/training style for a range of audiences.
- The ability to convey complex sensitive information.
- Good organisational and prioritisation skills
- Ability to lone work
- Working knowledge of IT
Desirable
- Specialist knowledge of community SLT working.
- Audit experience
- Virtual dysphagia assessment and intervention
Person Specification
Qualifications and knowledge
Essential
- Degree in Speech and Language Therapy
- HPCP Registration and Licence to Practice
- Member of RCSLT
- Evidence of continuing professional development
- Successful completion of specialist post-graduate dysphagia study relevant to the community setting, (e.g. accredited dysphagia course).
- Good understanding of the clinical governance principles
- Basic knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research approaches and the key elements to writing a research protocol
- Demonstrates knowledge of HPCP code of ethics and professional conduct
Desirable
- Evidence of audit and research activity
Experience
Essential
- At least three years post-qualification experience working within relevant field.
- Experience in assessment and interventions of eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties and communication difficulties in children aged 1-19 years, demonstrating the evidence base for these approaches.
- Clinical experience within the NHS
- Working with children/families from multi-cultural/multi-lingual backgrounds and working with interpreters
Desirable
- Experience in managing feeding difficulties in babies under the age of 12 months.
- Experience in supervision of SLTs and students.
- Competency in Tracheostomy management
- Carrying out evidence-based research projects/audit projects
- Team leadership experience
- Virtual eating, drinking and swallowing assessment and intervention
Skills
Essential
- Good clinical skills/specialist knowledge across a wide range of dysphagia and communication difficulties
- Evidence of use of initiative and ability to maintain judgement under pressure.
- Skills in delivering presentations and training including basic adaptations to presentation/training style for a range of audiences.
- The ability to convey complex sensitive information.
- Good organisational and prioritisation skills
- Ability to lone work
- Working knowledge of IT
Desirable
- Specialist knowledge of community SLT working.
- Audit experience
- Virtual dysphagia assessment and intervention
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
