Clinical Lead Inpatient Speech & Language Therapy & Clinical Education

This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified speech and language therapist to work as clinical lead within the inpatient speech therapy team across the Inpatient wards, advancing clinical practice in this area of work and taking a lead in evolving and embedding best practice. The role will also involve taking a lead on supporting the clinical education needs of the team, including the completion of newly qualified competencies and dysphagia competencies. There will be strong working links with the Professional lead for speech & language therapy and the AHP workforce team. You will be supported to develop links with local universities to support recruitment strategies and to promote retention of colleagues through ensuring the necessary support and training is in place to meet the individual needs of the speech and language therapy inpatient team.

• To perform specialist assessment of patients with diverse presentations and complex conditions.
• To implement, evaluate and modify highly complex, individualised care/ interventions.
• To be involved in best interest and mental capacity assessments as required.
• To lead service development and implement evidence based protocols and standards of care.
• To provide support and supervision to colleagues (both inpatient and community settings where required), and supervision of student(s) on clinical placement.
• Co-ordinate, monitor and undertake or delegate training for adult speech & language therapist requiring skills and knowledge development across Areas related to swallow and communication.
• Be responsible for organising the induction of new staff with planned induction programmes and collation of post graduate learning needs. This will include supporting colleagues through newly qualified competencies and dysphagia competencies and working with the AHP workforce team to implement preceptorships.
• Be the key contact for advice and guidance on issues relating to clinical education and colleague training needs
• When required competencies are developed, contribute to the Videofluroscopy Service rota and support the development towards offering a FEES service., Act in accordance with the Health and Care Professions Council code of conduct - promote compliance with the standards of conduct, proficiency, performance, continued professional development (CPD) and ethics.
• Work within the Inpatient therapy service leading, co-ordinating and developing effective clinical interventions within the speciality of Acute Medicine in order to advance clinical practice in the team in line with current evidence base.
• Manage autonomously a clinical workload of patients / clients at a highly specialist level, assessing and treating patients and maintaining clinical records.
• Apply evidence based knowledge within the highly specialist clinical area, acquired through experience and academic study at post graduate level.
• Within the Inpatient therapy service, act as a resource and provide advice for Speech & Language Therapists, other professionals and colleagues within the MDT about the assessment, treatment, management and care of patients / clients who have a multi-pathological illness and/or complex psychosocial need.
• Work collaboratively with health and social care, community and acute colleagues.
• Take a lead, and work with other members of the MDT to ensure effective care pathways and transfer of care / discharges.
• Proactively and appropriately facilitate a seamless transfer of care and continuing therapeutic management of patients between care settings.
• Work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary manner with the MDT, being able to debate the blurring of boundaries across professions and where competent take on aspects of blurred boundary working.
• Develop highly specialist programmes of assessment, treatment and intervention for inpatients with communication and/or swallowing deficits.
A full list of responsibilities can be found in the Job descriptio

We employ more than 6,500 staff who deliver compassionate care from our two main hospitals, Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary as well as in community sites, health centres and in patients' homes. We also are incredibly proud to have almost 150 volunteers here at CHFT. We provide a range of services including urgent and emergency care; medical; surgical; maternity; gynaecology; critical care; children's and young people's services; end of life care and outpatient and diagnostic imaging services. We provide community health services, including sexual health services in Calderdale from Calderdale Royal and local health centres. These include Todmorden Health Centre and Broad Street Plaza. We continue to modernise and invest in our health services to build on our strong reputation. Foundation trusts are public leaders in improving quality in health services. They are part of the NHS - yet decisions about what they do and how they do it are driven by independent boards. Boards listen to their Council of Governors and respond to the needs of their members - patients, staff and the local community. Foundation trusts provide what the health service wants, yet are also free to invest quickly in the changes to the local community needs, in striving to be the best, and in putting their patients first.