Specialist Speech and Language Therapist - Stroke

Job description

Job summary

Specialist Speech and Language Therapist - Stroke - Fixed term: 12 months (18.75 hours)
The Speech and Language Therapy team are recruiting an enthusiastic and innovative SLT for a 12 month fixed term role based on the inpatient Stroke wards. This post is to cover maternity leave and is 18.75 hours per week.

Stepping Hill Hospital is 1 of 3 Primary Stroke Centres across Greater Manchester, boasting a hyper acute stroke unit, thrombolysis service and a team of specialist staff. The service has frequent access to a videofluoroscopy and FEES clinic.

You will work as part of a supportive MDT delivering a service on our hyper acute, acute and rehabilitation stroke wards. We work collaboratively with the Nutrition MDT for holistic management of patients.

You will receive monthly supervision with a senior SLT. You will also be responsible for supervising junior SLTs and Assistants. There will be opportunity to contribute towards and receive regular in-service training as well as other CPD opportunities.

This post will include five working days, flexible over a 7 day rota. Where weekend working is involved an enhanced rate of pay is received.

Main duties of the job

To provide a safe, effective and consistently high quality Speech and Language Therapy service at Stockport Foundation Trust.

Manage a delegated caseload within the specialist area of stroke, including hyper-acute, acute and rehabilitation. To assess, plan and implement patient centred, evidence-based interventions

To provide evidence-based care, education and information to patients, carers and health care professionals. This will be in a range of inpatient and outpatient settings.

Contribute to the training and development of Speech and Language Therapy students, as well as supervising and supporting Speech and Language Therapists and Speech and Language Therapy Assistants.
To support and develop the Speech and Language Therapy service within specialist clinical areas
About us

We hold a unique position in the Stockport community as the provider of healthcare and we are one of its largest employers.

Our mission is to make a difference every day. Our values are that we care, we respect, and we listen.

We believe that the best organisations are those that reflect the communities they serve. We are therefore seeking to improve the diversity of our workforce to make it truly representative of our local population.

We actively encourage applications irrespective of race, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage & civil partnership, or pregnancy or maternity. Recognising those communities that are underrepresented within our workforce, we would particularly welcome applications from you.

We recognise that flexible working is important. We take requests for flexible working seriously, consider any request we receive and try to work with you, so we can explore if your request may fit with the needs of the service.

The salary for the role is only one part of the excellent package of benefits we offer to you:

• Between 27-33 days of annual leave plus bank holidays
• NHS pension scheme membership
• Salary sacrifice schemes for lease cars, home electronics and more, to make your salary go further
• NHS Staff discounts
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salary finance - for loans, savings, budget planning and tips on managing debt
• Stockport Credit Union- for local financial advice

Job description

Job responsibilities

The job description gives an overview of the main tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specifications focuses on the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. These documents are attached on the page and can be downloaded. The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed

Important Notice on Visa Sponsorship Eligibility:

Please note that whilst the trust does offer sponsorship this role is unfortunately not eligible for visa sponsorship under the UK Health and Care Worker/Skilled visa route. This is due to the position not meeting the minimum salary threshold of £25,000set by UK Visas and Immigration.

We appreciate your interest in this opportunity and encourage applications from candidates who already have theright to work in the UK.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and promote safeguarding by implementing the Trusts policies and procedures, acting promptly on concerns, communicating effectively and sharing information appropriately.

If successful this vacancy will require an enhanced DBS check at a cost of £54.50. This cost will be deducted from your first Trust salary

In addition to this it will be a condition of your employment that you will join the DBS update service and pay the annual subscription fee of £16.

Job description
Job responsibilities

The job description gives an overview of the main tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specifications focuses on the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. These documents are attached on the page and can be downloaded. The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed

Important Notice on Visa Sponsorship Eligibility:

Please note that whilst the trust does offer sponsorship this role is unfortunately not eligible for visa sponsorship under the UK Health and Care Worker/Skilled visa route. This is due to the position not meeting the minimum salary threshold of £25,000set by UK Visas and Immigration.

We appreciate your interest in this opportunity and encourage applications from candidates who already have theright to work in the UK.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and promote safeguarding by implementing the Trusts policies and procedures, acting promptly on concerns, communicating effectively and sharing information appropriately.

If successful this vacancy will require an enhanced DBS check at a cost of £54.50. This cost will be deducted from your first Trust salary

In addition to this it will be a condition of your employment that you will join the DBS update service and pay the annual subscription fee of £16.

Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

Essential

• Degree level qualification in Speech and Language pathology/therapy.
• Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Post graduate training and experience in dysphagia.
• Postgraduate specialist courses and post qualification experience across a wide range of relevant specialist areas.

Desirable

• Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (R.C.S.L.T.).
• Post graduate training in specialist area.
• Attendance at courses, conferences or study days which support Speech and Language Therapy knowledge and/or practice.

Knowledge

Essential

• Highly specialised knowledge of the head, neck and thorax.
• Maintenance of clinical knowledge base/level of professional competency across the range of acquired communication and swallowing disorders to ensure evidence-based practice.
• Able to identify areas for own personal/professional development.
• Specialist knowledge relevant to stroke
• Awareness of the potential uses of videofluoroscopy and FEES in dysphagia management and patient referral criteria.
• Understanding of audit and its role in clinical practice/service development.
• Awareness of SSNAP (The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Program).

Desirable

• Knowledge of policies and procedures and guidelines relevant to role.
• Awareness of range of software available for therapeutic. purposes.
• Understanding of NHS structure and systems.
• Awareness of cultural diversity and equality issues.
• Good working knowledge of frailty and underlying health conditions.

Experience

Essential

• Post-graduate clinical experience working as a Speech and Language Therapist in a clinical setting.
• Experience in providing therapy to patients following a stroke.
• Working in a multi-professional environment.
• Able to independently make complex discharge decisions and advise the MDT on the safety of potential discharges in terms of communication and swallowing.
• Working in a team.
• Ability to work autonomously.
• Managing a clinical caseload and prioritising tasks.
• Clinical audit.

Desirable

• Presenting training sessions/talks.
• Experience of supervising junior colleagues
• Training student Speech and Language Therapists

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Competent in the assessment and management of a range of swallowing and communication disorders.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills to facilitate therapeutic relationships.
• High quality written communication skills.
• High quality verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate complex and potentially distressing information to clients, carers and other professionals in a sensitive manner.
• Ability to communicate effectively with angry or distressed patients/relatives
• Ability to adapt communication style to overcome barriers to understanding.
• Able to communicate effectively with members of the MDT regarding patient care.
• Able to manage the emotional consequences of working with communication impaired clients and their relatives, in distressing situations, such as late stage terminal illness or coming to terms with disability.
• Able to carry out assessment in physically restricted situations e.g. at the bedside.
• Excellent observation skills.
• Able to analyse and evaluate results of formal/informal assessments of communication and swallowing, evaluate outcomes and modify approach to maximise outcome.
• Able to contribute to complex discharge decisions, advising the MDT on the safety of potential discharges in terms of communication and swallowing.
• Behaviour change skills.
• Ability to motivate or persuade others to facilitate change.
• Able to keep accurate records relating to patient care.
• Ability to reflect on practice with peers/supervisor(s).
• Active team member.
• Able to train/teach students, other professionals and assistants.
• Flexibility/adaptability in handling work pressures, competing interests and busy caseload to meet service need.
• Prioritisation skills.
• Developed time management skills.
• Well-developed problem solving/analytical skills.
• Able to recognise own clinical and experience boundaries and to seek support/advice when appropriate.
• Well-motivated, with a commitment to developing the service
• Strong commitment to personal development.
• IT skills (word-processing, e-mail; internet, intranet searches, presentation skills).

Desirable

• Competencies in the interpretation of videofluoroscopies.

Work Related Circumstances

Essential

• Exposure to potentially distressing or emotional situations pertaining to the clinical or social circumstances of patients.
• Able to apply policies to own work area and identify potential difficulties.
• Able to implement infection control guidelines on a daily basis when dealing with bodily fluids e.g. sputum and phlegm whilst engaged in swallowing assessments.
• Prepared to carry out lone working in community settings when required.
• To employ appropriate strategies to manage aggressive behaviour within the workplace.
• Must maintain patient confidentiality at all times.
• Able to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service.

Person Specification
Education & Qualifications

Essential

• Degree level qualification in Speech and Language pathology/therapy.
• Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Post graduate training and experience in dysphagia.
• Postgraduate specialist courses and post qualification experience across a wide range of relevant specialist areas.

Desirable

• Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (R.C.S.L.T.).
• Post graduate training in specialist area.
• Attendance at courses, conferences or study days which support Speech and Language Therapy knowledge and/or practice.

Knowledge

Essential

• Highly specialised knowledge of the head, neck and thorax.
• Maintenance of clinical knowledge base/level of professional competency across the range of acquired communication and swallowing disorders to ensure evidence-based practice.
• Able to identify areas for own personal/professional development.
• Specialist knowledge relevant to stroke
• Awareness of the potential uses of videofluoroscopy and FEES in dysphagia management and patient referral criteria.
• Understanding of audit and its role in clinical practice/service development.
• Awareness of SSNAP (The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Program).

Desirable

• Knowledge of policies and procedures and guidelines relevant to role.
• Awareness of range of software available for therapeutic. purposes.
• Understanding of NHS structure and systems.
• Awareness of cultural diversity and equality issues.
• Good working knowledge of frailty and underlying health conditions.

Experience

Essential

• Post-graduate clinical experience working as a Speech and Language Therapist in a clinical setting.
• Experience in providing therapy to patients following a stroke.
• Working in a multi-professional environment.
• Able to independently make complex discharge decisions and advise the MDT on the safety of potential discharges in terms of communication and swallowing.
• Working in a team.
• Ability to work autonomously.
• Managing a clinical caseload and prioritising tasks.
• Clinical audit.

Desirable

• Presenting training sessions/talks.
• Experience of supervising junior colleagues
• Training student Speech and Language Therapists

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Competent in the assessment and management of a range of swallowing and communication disorders.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills to facilitate therapeutic relationships.
• High quality written communication skills.
• High quality verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate complex and potentially distressing information to clients, carers and other professionals in a sensitive manner.
• Ability to communicate effectively with angry or distressed patients/relatives
• Ability to adapt communication style to overcome barriers to understanding.
• Able to communicate effectively with members of the MDT regarding patient care.
• Able to manage the emotional consequences of working with communication impaired clients and their relatives, in distressing situations, such as late stage terminal illness or coming to terms with disability.
• Able to carry out assessment in physically restricted situations e.g. at the bedside.
• Excellent observation skills.
• Able to analyse and evaluate results of formal/informal assessments of communication and swallowing, evaluate outcomes and modify approach to maximise outcome.
• Able to contribute to complex discharge decisions, advising the MDT on the safety of potential discharges in terms of communication and swallowing.
• Behaviour change skills.
• Ability to motivate or persuade others to facilitate change.
• Able to keep accurate records relating to patient care.
• Ability to reflect on practice with peers/supervisor(s).
• Active team member.
• Able to train/teach students, other professionals and assistants.
• Flexibility/adaptability in handling work pressures, competing interests and busy caseload to meet service need.
• Prioritisation skills.
• Developed time management skills.
• Well-developed problem solving/analytical skills.
• Able to recognise own clinical and experience boundaries and to seek support/advice when appropriate.
• Well-motivated, with a commitment to developing the service
• Strong commitment to personal development.
• IT skills (word-processing, e-mail; internet, intranet searches, presentation skills).

Desirable

• Competencies in the interpretation of videofluoroscopies.

Work Related Circumstances

Essential

• Exposure to potentially distressing or emotional situations pertaining to the clinical or social circumstances of patients.
• Able to apply policies to own work area and identify potential difficulties.
• Able to implement infection control guidelines on a daily basis when dealing with bodily fluids e.g. sputum and phlegm whilst engaged in swallowing assessments.
• Prepared to carry out lone working in community settings when required.
• To employ appropriate strategies to manage aggressive behaviour within the workplace.
• Must maintain patient confidentiality at all times.
• Able to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service.

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.
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

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.
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Employer details

Employer name

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
Address

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust

Poplar Grove

Stockport

SK2 7JE

United Kingdom

Employer's website