Speech and Language Therapist Adult Acute - Band 5/Band 6 Development

Speech and Language Therapist Adult Acute - Band 5/Band 6 Development Band 6

Main area: Speech and Language Therapist Grade Band 6

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (9am-5pm)

Job ref: 220-WHT-2930

Employer: Whittington Health NHS Trust

Employer type: NHS

Site: Whittington Hospital

Town: London

Salary: £44,806 - £53,134 per annum inclusive of HCAS

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 26/02/:59

Getting vaccinated, and getting a booster, remains the best defence against COVID-19. We encourage and support staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose as and when they are eligible.

Job overview

The post is a Band 6 position; however, we also encourage applications from Newly Qualified Therapists and Band 5 therapists with the view to develop to a Band 6 when competencies have been achieved.

We are able to offer the opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic Speech and Language Therapist to join our innovative and supportive team at the Whittington Hospital. This post is based at the Whittington Hospital, which is a teaching hospital, and will cover all medical wards.

Main duties of the job

The post holder is responsible for delivering a comprehensive therapy service to patients, families, and carers of adults with neurological, respiratory, or surgical conditions, rehabilitation, and elderly referred to the speech and language therapy department at the Whittington Hospital, referred with communication and swallowing difficulties. They will need knowledge in the assessment, differential diagnosis, rehabilitation, and treatment of communication difficulties.

The Team offers:

1. Opportunities to develop competencies bespoke to the level of the applicant (NQP, dysphagia, VFSS, tracheostomy, critical care)
2. Excellent line management and peer support
3. Opportunities for ongoing personal development
4. The Whittington Hospital is a teaching hospital offering exciting learning opportunities and MDT working
5. Flexible working and career development

Working for our organisation

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will be a developing clinician working towards gaining RCSLT dysphagia training competency level C or above, in a supported and bespoke trajectory. Opportunities for developing further competencies including VFSS, tracheostomy, critical care, and FEES are available as part of this role.

The post holder will be an autonomous practitioner and is responsible for organising and managing a defined caseload, within their professional boundaries, seeking advice where indicated.

The post holder will be working closely with their clinical supervisor and members of the SLT adult team, to contribute towards optimum patient care and service delivery across the patient pathway.

The post holder will gain experience working with various MDTs throughout the hospital.

The post holder will have the opportunity to support SLT students and provide training across the MDT.

Person specification Qualifications

• BSc. Speech Path or Equivalent (including Dip. CST)
• HPC license to practice, and eligible for the full RCSLT register
• Successful completion of specialist short courses relevant to the field of adults with acquired speech, language, communication and/or eating and swallowing disorders

Knowledge

• Of a specialist range of assessment tools and procedures to evaluate communication, speech & language skills relevant to an acute adult caseload
• Of the key characteristics leading to a specialist differential diagnosis relevant to the client group of acquired communication and swallowing disorders.
• Of a range of specialist therapeutic interventions relevant to patients presenting with acquired communication disorders demonstrating the evidence base for these approaches.
• Of specialist assessment and treatment options for neurogenic dysphagia - both informal and formal techniques.
• The application of specialist knowledge of local cultural, linguistic & demographic factors affecting client management.
• Knowledge of multi-disciplinary team approaches.
• Of basic understanding of clinical governance principles
• Advanced approaches to support clients & carers with challenging behaviour, mental health needs, or in high levels of distress
• Basic qualitative and quantitative research approaches
• Basic approaches to delivering presentations and training, and adapting style to a range of audiences.

Experience

• Minimum of one year's post-registration experience relevant to disorders seen in an acute adult caseload
• Of working within a team setting

Skills

• Communicate complex, sensitive information

Additional requirements

• Flexibility
• Ability to reflect on practice
• Negotiation and problem-solving
• Organisational Skills
• Effective self-management

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS

To comply with the Trust's Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This will require you to:

• Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
• Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
• Participate in required training and supervision.
• Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct

Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Your application form:

• Provide only business email address for your referees - we are unable to request references from Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail accounts.
• Make sure you include all evidence of where you meet the essential requirement on the job description as this forms the base of our shortlisting criteria.

Our processes:

• Closing dates are given as a guide; we are within our right to close adverts early so please ensure you submit your application as soon as possible to avoid delay.
• If you do not hear from us up to 3 weeks after the closing date of the job unfortunately this means you have not been successfully shortlisted for interview. If you require feedback on your application please contact the appointing manager detailed in the body of the advert.
• Please check your emails regularly as all correspondence from us will be via trac.systems - occasionally these emails will go into your Junk folder.
• Employment at Whittington Health is offered subject to successful completion of a 6 month probationary period for all staff with the exception of GMC Registered Doctors.

Other important information:

• Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
• Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns. We are committed to equal opportunities.
• In submitting an application form, you authorise Whittington Health NHS Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process should you be appointed to the post.

If you are offered a role with one of the NLPSS partner trusts, as part of pre-employment checks your identity and right to work documentation will be verified remotely (in most circumstances), using a certified identity verification service provider TrustID.

Please note that during the recruitment process your Identity Documentation (i.e. passport, driving licence, visa, etc.) will be scanned using a device which recognises UV, Infrared and Machine Readable Zone security features of the documents provided.

The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.

We would welcome applications from individuals who are from underrepresented groups in the organisation

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.