Band 5-6 Development Speech & Language Therapist

You will support Adults with Learning Disabilities who have communication needs and those who have dysphagia needs as your skills develop, in line with the band 5-6 competency framework developed by the Trust. We would consider applications for candidates who have a specialist interest in communication and wishing to work within communication services only, and applications from those who would like to develop both their communication and dysphagia skills. Service Users range from having a borderline Learning Disability, to having profound and multiple Learning Disabilities, in addition to comorbidities (such as Epilepsy, Dementia and acquired neurological conditions). You will receive regular clinical supervision and support from the members of the Speech and Language Therapy team, peer supervision and will be actively encouraged to participate in continuing professional development. You will have the opportunity to work creatively and support with service development. The team is an integrated MDT and joint working is typical of the team's working style and ethos.

• Degree in Speech and Language Therapy
• State registration with HCPC
• Evidence of continued professional development
Desirable criteria
• Postgraduate training in Learning Disabilities, mental health/challenging behaviour and physical/sensory disabilities
• Accredited dysphagia training or willingness to undertake, Essential criteria
• Range of clinical experience and ability to demonstrate application of clinical skills
• Specialist knowledge and application of speech and language therapy assessments and interventions
Desirable criteria
• Experience of delivering care to service users with complex needs
• Experience of supervising junior staff and students
• Post qualification SLT experience
• Experience of working within Learning Disabilities, Car driver essential, or access to a car (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 which prevents you from driving)., Broad knowledge of current best practice in SLT and Learning Disabilities
• Planning and co-ordination of treatment packages
• Ability to use problem solving techniques
• Ability to analyze professional and ethical issues
• Knowledge of risk assessment and management
Desirable criteria
• Applied knowledge of mental health legislation, Commitment to client-centered, non-discriminatory practice, Clear communication through written, verbal and non-verbal modes, You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
  
  Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust (HPFT) is committed to providing excellent health and social care with the vision to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country. The Trust has an outstanding track record of service delivery and quality. It provides services to over one million residents and is rated as "Outstanding" by the Care Quality Commission.
Key goals for the Trust include being the provider of choice; delivering high quality integrated health services in collaboration with local people, to improve overall health and well-being. To deliver this the Trust is committed to employing the best workforce, recruiting individuals with the ability to provide care at the cutting edge of innovative practice. We have excellent development and training programmes which rank us in the top 20% of Trusts in the UK and a strongly embedded learning culture to support and facilitate staff to develop their potential and progress in their careers. Buckinghamshire is located just north of London, with direct train routes into the city centre from many of the county's historic and picturesque towns. The fast train in to Central London takes a little as an hour. There are also excellent connections to the rest of the UK and the M25, M40 and M1 are all within easy reach., Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is rated by the Care Quality Commission as an Outstanding provider of mental health and learning disability services. In 2021, we won the prestigious Health Service Journal award for Mental Health Trust of the Year, with the judges saying they were "blown away" by our people's achievements and that everything they saw "sings and hums". This year, our staff rated us the 4^th best mental health and learning disability trust to work for out of all 52 trusts in the country. Our staff tell us that they are proud to be part of the HPFT team, proud of the standard of care we provide and proud that service users are our top priority. Our people tell us they feel supported though a great development, wellbeing and work-life balance offer and a highly compassionate, values-driven culture. We are equally proud of our staff, who live our values of being welcoming, kind, positive, respectful and professional