Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust

This job is now closed

Job summary

Would you like to be part of a team of talented, skilled and compassionate Speech and Language Therapists and Support Workers?

Are you looking for a new challenge and motivated to make a difference?

We are recruiting for enthusiastic Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapists who are first class clinicians with strong communication and interpersonal skills to join our friendly and welcoming team.

The successful candidate(s) will work in special schools as part of our complex needs team. The post involves working with children with both communication and swallowing difficulties. Training and development opportunities are available for those seeking to develop a specialism in complex needs.

As a Trust:

Cambridgeshire Community Services is not merely a healthcare institution but a beacon of universal care, diversity, exceptional patient care, lifelong learning, and an enriching work-life balance.

As a Service we provide:

Full Trust and service induction.

Formal and informal training for the role, including shadowing opportunities.

Regular clinical supervision and a mentoring system.

Excellent Continued Professional Development opportunities including in-house training and external courses.

Reflective clinical forums and buddying systems.

Regular whole service and locality team meetings.

(Should we receive a high number of applications, we reserve the right to close the advert earlier than advertised).

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for the management of a clinical caseload in special schools. We have roles in Luton and Central Bedfordshire.

The role will involve working independently and managing complex cases. The post holder will hold both a communication and dysphagia caseload.

As a clinical lead, the post holder will supervise and support more junior staff and contribute to service improvement and re-development.

There is an opportunity for the successful candidate to complete training, and receive in-service support, to achieve their dysphagia competencies.

About us

Rated 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.

There's one reason why our services are outstanding - and that's our amazing staff - who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.

If you share our passion for innovative and high-quality care delivery, then please submit your application and join us on our exciting journey as a leading-edge specialist community provider. All are welcome to apply and our promise to you is a culture which prioritises staff engagement and development.

Date posted

22 August 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£43,742 to £50,056 a year per annum, pro-rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working, Term time hours

Reference number

448-BCHS-6565208

Job locations

Redgrave Children and Young People's Centre

Redgrave Gardens

Luton

LU3 3QN

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will provide highly specialist clinical input to the special schools across Luton. They will have day-to-day responsibility for coordinating a speech & language therapy service to special school children and independently manage the caseloads in these settings.

They will:

Use highly specialist clinical skills to manage a caseload of children with complex difficulties in speech, language, communication and/or eating and drinking (dysphagia) and AAC.

Identify, assess, and diagnose communication/swallowing impairments and determine appropriate intervention for effective treatment.

Assess children and provide written recommendations and ongoing support for implementation, for class teams.

Attend and provide reports to Annual Reviews/Multi Agency Meetings as appropriate.

Provide Communication Support and advice in relation to functional communication, to support teaching and learning.

Demonstrate specific speech and language therapy support programmes and the use of equipment to specific teachers or groups of staff.

Provide guidance and whole school training in relation to functional communication including receptive, expressive, and interactional skills.

Contribute to relevant research, audit, and development work within the schools, relating to the Speech Language and Communication curriculum.

Attend relevant meetings as required within school or as part of wider SLT team

Use specialist clinical skills to manage a caseload of children with complex difficulties in speech, language, communication and/or eating and drinking (dysphagia) and AAC.

Identify, assess and diagnose communication/swallowing impairments and determine appropriate intervention for effective treatment.

Tossess children and provide written recommendations and ongoing support for implementation, for class teams.

Attend and provide reports to Annual Reviews/Multi Agency Meetings as appropriate.

Provide Communication Support and advice in relation to functional communication, to support teaching and learning.

Demonstrate specific speech and language therapy support programmes and the use of equipment to specific teachers or groups of staff.

Provide guidance and whole school training in relation to functional communication including receptive, expressive and interactional skills.

Contribute to relevant research, audit and development work within the schools, relating to the Speech Language and Communication curriculum.

Take a clinical lead role in service development and actively contribute to the development of the SLT service in special schools.

Work collaboratively and liaise with a wide range of professions across a variety of locations and agencies.

Attend and report to case conferences/review meetings etc. for patients on the caseload with support as requested for situations where conflict management/negotiation may be required.

Present and communicate complex condition related information in such a manner as to motivate and inform patients, carers, families and members of the multi-disciplinary team/other professions, agreeing decision -making relevant to patient management.

Use good interpersonal skills to listen well and counsel patients and carers, so providing support and empathy without prejudice.

Establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships with other staff, which are characterised by open communication, trust and respect.

Attend and participate in professional meetings and other relevant meetings.

Present and convey complex information clearly to patients, carers and other professionals both in verbal and written form.

Communicate effectively with patients with communication problems where difficulties in understanding exist, using observation, listening and empathy.

Use negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations.

Dysphagia

To understand and support patients and carers through quality-of-life decisions regarding eating and drinking risks.

To provide specialist clinical/technical skills for interpretive assessment techniques and interventions, including auscultation, video fluoroscopy, and blue dye testing with tracheostomy patients.

To recognise the signs of respiratory distress and be aware of management strategies.

To understand the risks of associated procedures including endoscopy and anaesthesia and how they affect the dysphagia client group.

Communication

To share information with others, observing data protection guidelines

Key Relationships

Internal: Teaching and education staff in special schools Speech and language therapy colleagues Other AHPs Administrative staff External: Parent Carer Forum SEND support team and wider Learning Support teams Staff in specialist tertiary settings