Speech & Language Therapist

Job summary 24 hours per week.Come and join our friendly, supportive team in sunnyDevon!An exciting opportunity has arisen for a band 5 Speech andLanguage Therapist (SLT) to become part of our community team.
We arelooking for an enthusiastic SLT who would like to gain experience insupporting patients with a range of conditions.
This part time (24 hours per week) post offersthe opportunity to work with a mixed caseload of adults with acquiredconditions, both in domiciliary andoutpatient settings.
The post will involve working within a team, ensuring thatpatients receive excellent SLT support.
You will be supported by more seniortherapists and have the opportunity to develop your skills in a range of areas,including dysphagia, aphasia, apraxia and dysarthria.The post holder should be keen to working collaborativelywithin a team, possess excellent communication skills and a desire to learn anddevelop.The SLT service is committed to CPD, research, audit andpractice supervision.
We have a close working relationship withMarjons University and University Hospitals Plymouth.
If you likethe sound of this post but would like more information, please feel free tocall the team to discuss further.
Main duties of the job The post is based within the community SLT team, and willinvolve supporting patients with a range of conditions, including stroke,dementia, Parkinson's, MS, Huntington's, and other conditions.
You will visit patients in their own homes,care homes or see them in clinic.
Thepost involves supporting patients to maximise their potential for communicationand swallowing safely.
You will alsohave the opportunity to support our dysphagia training and quality improvementprojects within the service.
You willhave access to specialist SLTs for support, shadowing and CPD opportunities.This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility.Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted.
Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.
About us Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise providing integrated health & social care services for people across Plymouth, South Hams & West Devon, as well as some specialist services for people living in parts of Devon & Cornwall.
With teams in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, health & wellbeing hubs.As an organisation with a strong social conscience, we always value being kind, respectful, inclusive, ambitious, responsible and collaborative.
Transforming services to make them sustainable, ensuring that we value, support & empower each other.We are committed to involving the people we care for, families & carers in everything that we do, working towards co-production where we can.
Helping us to deliver the right care for people, in the right place & at the right time.
By putting people at the centre of what we do, we ensure to support people to lead, healthy independent lives & be the very best at helping people to live well.Valuing our employees making an investment in their development a priority.
We offer:Protected CPD time for registered staffVarious development pathways and ongoing regular training packages for all staffLeadership & mentoring programmesAccess & funding for training including Care Certificate, Assistant Practitioners Course & Scholarship Into Nurse TrainingA Robust PreceptorshipA bespoke induction programmeExisting members of the NHS Pension Scheme can continue their membership when they join the organisation.
Job description Job responsibilities MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES (Please see full Job Description in attachments section)Responsibilityfor People ManagementTo provideadvice, training and support to less experienced speech and languagetherapists, assistants and volunteers.
To providesupport and training in a variety of clinical areas through contributing to CPDsessions, supervision and other types of formal and informal training To contributeto and participate in Practice Supervision sessions.
To promotethe SLT role within the wider MDT and Livewell framework To be ableto recognise breakdown/conflict when it occurs and seek to reach resolutionwith support from Team Leader SLT if required.
To reflecton practice both individually and with peers/mentors and to identify personalstrengths and development needs in order to raise clinical competence.Responsibility for financial and/or physicalresourcesTo be responsible for notifying senior staff of need to update equipment to meet caseload demands (according to service guidelines)To beresponsible for maintaining equipment records and the safe use and security ofclinical equipment.
Toprovide clinical activity data and routine recording of CPD, travel, and otherrelated activity, observing data protection guidelinesTo ensureany day to day financialmatters (eg dealing with petty cash/ expenses etc) are documented and processedcorrectly according to departmental policy.Toensure clinical equipment is used correctly in accordance with Livewell'ssafety and GDPR policies.
Toidentify where high -tech electronic communication systems are required to meetpatient needs including assessment.
Withsupport from more experienced colleagues, provide onward referral to AAC Westor investigate identification and selection of appropriate aid, includingpotential funding sources.
With support, provide training for patients, carers,and other members of MDT in the effective use of communication equipment.Responsibilityfor administrationTo ensure that all clinical records comply with professionalregistration and Livewell Southwest policies.To ensure that all adaptations to communication and media complywith Accessible Information Standards.To support general day to day admin and running of the departmentincluding taking telephone calls, and dealing with clinical and non clinicaladministration as required by the service.
Responsibility for people who use our servicesTo independently manage personalcaseload with reference to theory, published research and evidence and agreedbest practice.
To identify, collect, analyse, andinterpret case related information and data from patients, carers and otherrelevant sources.To undertake a range of formal andinformal assessments as indicated by the presenting SLCD and/or dysphagia.
To reach differential diagnoses onthe basis of evidence gathered from assessments and other sources and withreference to theory.
To assess, manage and advise patients with dysphagia andtheir families with support from more experienced Speech and LanguageTherapists when required.
To attend meetings, including MDTand patient meetings, to update the MDT on individual SLT patient goals andspecialised care plans.To develop patient-centredtreatment/management plans ensuring patient/carers are fully involved in thedecision making process.To be responsible for the writingand dissemination of clinical reports based on assessment and treatmentfindings to appropriate professionals and relevant others.
To be responsible for triage,management and discharge of patients in relation to personal caseload withoutdirect supervision.To communicate complex informationto patients whose ability to understand and co-operate is the primarydifficulty and where a range of means and levels of communication are required.To appropriately explain complex andsensitive case related information to patients and their carers.
To demonstrate empathy andreassurance when providing patients and carers with unwelcome information thathas long-term implications where the communication difficulties are notlikely to resolve.To monitor, recognise and evaluatechanges in the patients condition and adapt the assessment and treatmentprogramme accordingly.To identify and communicate riskfactors for impaired swallow and communication difficulties.To recognise the need for onwardreferral for more specialist SLT intervention, further assessment ormultidisciplinary advice.To negotiate with carers/patientsand professionals around individual case diagnosis and management where othershave less specialist knowledge and/or experience in relation to speech,language, communication, and dysphagia and where differences of professionaljudgement can occur.
To pass on skills to inform andenable other professionals and carers to agree and carry out individualisedtreatment programmes and advice clarifying individual patients levels ofunderstanding thereby helping them give informed consent for complexprocedures/life choices.To be responsible for training andadvising patients, carers, professionals, and non-professionals how to supportspeech, language, communication and dysphagia.To contribute to clinical teams,both multi and uni-disciplinary, by discussing and negotiating own and othersinput around patients needs, ensuring a well-co-ordinated care plan based onbest practice, evidence and care pathways.Responsibilityfor implementation of policy and/or service developments To maintain registration with the Health and CareProfessions Council and the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists To be professionally accountable for independent clinical judgements forprioritisation, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, onward referral and dischargecriteria in line with HCPC and RCSLT standards.
To progress and develop professional and clinical skills across a rangeof acquired speech, language, communication and dysphagia difficulties byworking with more experienced staff, undertaking self-directed and more formalCPD activities and maintaining personal portfolio.
To recognise own professional and clinical boundaries and competenciesand seek advice, support and training when necessary with in an individualperformance review framework.To comply with all Organisational policies, Clinical Governance, Health and Safety and Risk Management procedures and undertake all required mandatory training.
Also to adhere to national recognised standards and rules of professional conduct.To comply with the Data Protection Act and Caldicott recommendations.
To follow and implement local and national policies with elements ofindependent professional judgement and make recommendations for change for ownspecialism through the clinical governance process.
To participate in Livewell's Annual Appraisal Process With the Team Leader SLT and more experienced therapists, to take part in research and clinical audit,and contribute to others research by providing data.
With the Team Leader and more experienced therapists, to supportcontinuous and quality improvements of the service.
OtherResponsibilitiesMonitor satisfaction of people using the service and support change in response to this, in collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team.With support from more senior staff, ability to cope with emotionally complex and demanding scenarios involving patients and families who are dealing with challenging diagnoses.
The post will includeflexible working patterns over hours working week, including bankholidays.COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPSCommunicate sensitive and complex information with a range of staff internally and externally across the organisation.Communicate highly sensitive information with patients or carers which requires tact and where there are barriers to understanding.To adapt own communication styles to support patients with significant communication impairments.PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOBWorking in awkward spaces or positions, includingduring home visits.
Supporting physically unwell patients, which may alsoinclude exposure to unpleasant smells and bodily fluids.Working with distressed and anxious/aggressivepeople with communication and neurological impairment, their families &carers.Ability to discuss difficult topics relating to thecommunication and swallowing, with people with complex conditions (eg MS, PD), andwith their families and carers.Able to use good physical manipulation skills forexample, to thicken fluids, or to position therapy tools with a high level ofaccuracy.
Able to work with people with severe physicaldisability, cognitive impairment and communication problems.
This will requiregood levels of auditory and listening skills and an ability to minimize anybarriers to communication.
Frequent requirement for prolonged concentration for long periods oftime but deal with repeated interruptions and the unpredictability of clinicalwork.
To Operate a VDU every day.
Person Specification Qualifications Essential Degree or equivalent in speech and language therapy HPC Registration RCSLT Registration RCSLT Level C dysphagia competencies (completed) Evidence of on-going education and professional development Computer literate Recognised qualification in written and spoken English if this is not first language Desirable Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Network RCSLT accredited post-graduate dysphagia training or a willingness to undertake.
Knowledge & Skills Essential Demonstrate excellent knowledge of SLCD differential diagnosis in adult neuro client group.
Demonstrate an understanding of multi-disciplinary team working and individual roles Knowledge of outcome measures within adult neuro client group.
Knowledge and understanding of Clinical Governance Good skills in clinical assessment, intervention and evaluation Excellent communication skills, both written and spoken Excellent time management and organisational skills Ability to work in teams Excellent IT skills Knowledge of computer assisted therapy and AAC devices Ability to access/travel to patient homes across the locality Desirable Evidence of special knowledge/interest in aphasia and/or motor speech disorders Skills in clinical assessment, intervention and evaluation Innovative, Flexible Experience with computer assisted therapy and AAC Experience Essential Autonomous practitioner with experience of managing a caseload.
Experience in cognitive neuropsychological assessment and treatment planning Experience in dysphagia management Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team in a rehabilitation setting Evidence of CPD Desirable Experience of working with staff from other agencies Experience of teaching/ training Experience of working with Long term conditions Placement experience in a relevant setting