Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to join a newly established Physical Health Therapies service, covering acute mental health and transitional care wards within North London NHS Foundation Trust. This role could be ideal for an experienced Band 6 looking for promotion or an established Band 7.
This innovative role involves working collaboratively with the physical health and multidisciplinary teams to build an effective, evidence-based service that integrates physical health interventions into mental health pathways.
The Physical Health Therapies service delivers Physiotherapy and Speech and Language Therapy, alongside Dietetics and Podiatry through Service Level Agreements. The team works in partnership with colleagues across the North London NHS Foundation Trust to provide holistic care for adult service users. This is an excellent opportunity to shape a service, raise awareness of physical health needs in acute mental health settings, and champion physiotherapy's contribution to multidisciplinary care.
** It is highly recommended that candidates reach out to the service lead for an informal chat before the interview.**
Main duties of the job
The post holder will play a pivotal role within the newly established Physical Health Therapies service, providing highly specialist clinical expertise in speech and language therapy, with a primary focus on assessing and managing dysphagia and communication difficulties for adult service users on mental health pathways.
This role includes clinical leadership within the Physical Health Therapies Team, ensuring the delivery of evidence-based, high-quality care while maintaining the highest standards of professional conduct.
The post holder will work alongside senior clinicians in the team to deliver a case management approach to integrate, coordinate and pro-actively assess service users' health and social care needs. They will develop care plans to ensure safe, timely and effective discharge, optimise service users' outcomes and provide service users and professionals with necessary skills and knowledge. The post holder will work on a referral basis, providing services to all divisions across the trust.
In addition to managing their own caseload, the post holder will lead on clinical audits, quality improvement initiatives, and service developments to ensure the evolving needs of service users are met effectively.
This role presents an exciting opportunity to contribute to a pioneering service, champion therapy in mental health care, and raise awareness of the physical health needs of individuals in acute mental health settings.
About us
North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.Our Five-Year Strategy:
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We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
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With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
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We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
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We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.
In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For a comprehensive details of the key responsibilities, required skills, and essential experience associated with this exciting opportunity, we encourage you to carefully review the accompanying 'Job Description & Person Specification' document.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For a comprehensive details of the key responsibilities, required skills, and essential experience associated with this exciting opportunity, we encourage you to carefully review the accompanying 'Job Description & Person Specification' document.
Person Specification
Qualifications/ Registrations
Essential
- Degree-level professional qualification in Speech and Language Therapy
- Registered member of RCSLT and HCPC
- High level post-graduate courses in related area of expertise
Skills/ Abilities
Essential
- Specialist level of clinical skills - able to conduct appropriate assessment, diagnosis and treatment for communication difficulties and dysphagia (Clinical)
- Demonstrate an ability to manage and prioritise own workload across a designated area as required, responding to unpredictable changes to patients and staffing levels (prioritisation, delegation etc)
- Ability to work efficiently, effectively and professionally as part of a multi-disciplinary team, understanding the role and nature of team working (MDT work)
- Able to communicate effectively with professionals, service users and caregivers; demonstrates excellent interpersonal, negotiation skills and adaptability in response to others (communication))
- Able to work independently using own initiative with regular supervision (indep. work with supervision))
- Demonstrable clinical leadership skills, able to develop, lead, manage and support staff (leadership)
- Complex planning and organisational skills, including project management (project management)
- RCSLT Dysphagia Competency Framework - Level CRCSLT Dysphagia Competency Framework - Level C
- Awareness of own competency level and how to seek appropriate help
Experience/ Knowledge
Essential
- Demonstrate a working knowledge and experience of clinical governance with examples of participation in projects for the improvement of patient care and service developments, including leading on projects as required (service development project management))
- Commitment to and evidence of own continuous professional development and evidence-based practice, including reflective practice, in-service training, any courses attended and clinical experienced gained (CPD evidence))
- Evidence of active participation in and organisation of in-service training programmes
- Good understanding of national strategy, legislation, guidance and key standards in own specialist area and their application in practice
Desirable
- Experience of working within mental health, CAMHS, secure care or learning disability environment
- Cervical auscultation training and/or recognised post graduate qualification in dysphagia management e.g. RCSLT dysphagia competencies and/or post graduate dysphagia training
- Participation in clinical research activities
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Able to work flexibly and co-operatively as part of a team
- Able to use own initiative and make decisions independently as appropriate to the band
Other Requirements
Essential
- Able to work across and travel between partnership sites as required
Person Specification
Qualifications/ Registrations
Essential
- Degree-level professional qualification in Speech and Language Therapy
- Registered member of RCSLT and HCPC
- High level post-graduate courses in related area of expertise
Skills/ Abilities
Essential
- Specialist level of clinical skills - able to conduct appropriate assessment, diagnosis and treatment for communication difficulties and dysphagia (Clinical)
- Demonstrate an ability to manage and prioritise own workload across a designated area as required, responding to unpredictable changes to patients and staffing levels (prioritisation, delegation etc)
- Ability to work efficiently, effectively and professionally as part of a multi-disciplinary team, understanding the role and nature of team working (MDT work)
- Able to communicate effectively with professionals, service users and caregivers; demonstrates excellent interpersonal, negotiation skills and adaptability in response to others (communication))
- Able to work independently using own initiative with regular supervision (indep. work with supervision))
- Demonstrable clinical leadership skills, able to develop, lead, manage and support staff (leadership)
- Complex planning and organisational skills, including project management (project management)
- RCSLT Dysphagia Competency Framework - Level CRCSLT Dysphagia Competency Framework - Level C
- Awareness of own competency level and how to seek appropriate help
Experience/ Knowledge
Essential
- Demonstrate a working knowledge and experience of clinical governance with examples of participation in projects for the improvement of patient care and service developments, including leading on projects as required (service development project management))
- Commitment to and evidence of own continuous professional development and evidence-based practice, including reflective practice, in-service training, any courses attended and clinical experienced gained (CPD evidence))
- Evidence of active participation in and organisation of in-service training programmes
- Good understanding of national strategy, legislation, guidance and key standards in own specialist area and their application in practice
Desirable
- Experience of working within mental health, CAMHS, secure care or learning disability environment
- Cervical auscultation training and/or recognised post graduate qualification in dysphagia management e.g. RCSLT dysphagia competencies and/or post graduate dysphagia training
- Participation in clinical research activities
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Able to work flexibly and co-operatively as part of a team
- Able to use own initiative and make decisions independently as appropriate to the band
Other Requirements
Essential
- Able to work across and travel between partnership sites as required
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).
