Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist-Blackberry Hill Hospital

Do you bring passion and commitment to delivering high quality care? Do you understand the clinical and sensory needs of people with a Learning Disability and or Autism? If so this role will provide you with a rare and exciting career opportunity to be part of our new service implementation.
Avon and Wiltshire Partnership (AWP) are looking for an exceptional person to provide leadership to deliver our vision for excellent care for people with a learning disability and autistic people in our specialist acute inpatient mental health service and outreach team.
We are working with SW NHSE to provide a new inpatient unit as part of the transformation of end to end pathways in the region. We aim to be a centre of excellence. The services are being designed and developed with clinicians and people with lived experience. We expect to open in 2025. Until then, you will be employed to work as a core member of the project team until opening. You will be instrumental in the development, implementation and delivery of the clinical and operational model for the inpatient service.
We will support you to develop your knowledge and skills and to further develop your operational and management leadership skills as part of the expanding expertise in learning disabilities and neurodiversity within AWP making this an exciting career opportunity., We are looking to recruit an experienced and highly specialist Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) as part of an innovative and purpose-built new unit for people with a learning disability and autistic people who require specialist inpatient mental health services.
The new unit will form part of a regional service and you will work closely with speech and language therapists within AWPs existing network as well as colleagues across the South West region. As part of a new service, you will be involved in developing and evaluating the speech and language therapy service to deliver high quality including participation in audit, research, and clinical governance.
You will offer assessment and intervention for people who have complex communication needs as well as working with the wider team to share skills, identify training needs, and provide input into formulation. You will independently manage and prioritise a complex, highly specialist caseload of dysphagia including delivering training to the wider MDT. A strong clinical background in learning disability, autism, and mental health will be supported by ongoing CPD opportunities in addition to providing clinical and managerial supervision of junior colleagues.

Essential:
· Recognised Speech and Language Therapy degree qualification or equivalent.
· Registration with Health Professions Council as a speech and language therapist.
· Registered member of RCSLT.
· Recognised post-graduate dysphagia qualification or accredited training and competency Level C of the RCSLT Dysphagia Competency Framework (Specialist level dysphagia practitioner)
Desirable:
· Membership of relevant CEN
Experience
Essential
· Experience of working with adults with a learning disability and autistic people
· Experience of working with complex mental health presentations
· Significant post graduate experience of working in dysphagia with a range of client groups.
· Experience of managing complex risk presentation and contributing to risk management plans
· Experience of working within a multicultural framework of assessment, formulation and treatment/intervention
· Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team
· Experience of compiling and using accessible information and appropriate range of IT skills to support this
· Evidence of audit
· Evidence of training/ presenting
Desirable:
· Attendance at conferences /courses in area of specific interest
· Experience of supporting less experienced staff/assistants
· Experience in working in inpatient mental health settings
· Experience of coproduction
Knowledge and skills
Essential
+ Highly specialist knowledge of adult acquired communication and swallowing impairments in relevant specialist area
+ Highly specialist knowledge and use of up-to-date assessment and interventions
+ Specialist knowledge of dealing with complex cases in terms of multiple mental and physical health diagnoses, presentation and the effects of the environment.
+ Knowledge of relevant national and RCSLT policies on competencies/role of SLT in learning disability, autism, and mental health
+ Knowledge and understanding of relevant models of care e.g. positive behaviour support (PBS).
+ Understanding of clinical governance and risk management
+ Sound knowledge of current national guidance / pathways relating to mental health, learning disability, and autism.
+ Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
+ Ability to work with a high level of autonomy, within professional boundaries, seeking support from more senior clinicians where necessary.
+ Ability to recognise and manage challenging situations in a calm, empathetic and professional manner.
+ Highly specialist analytical, problem solving and clinical reasoning skills.
+ Excellent Presentation skills
+ Good Time management
+ Advanced communication skills
+ Clinical supervision skills
+ Standard IT skills - word processing, internet, data inputting
We are proud to be fostering a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. A key commitment to this is improving staff representation from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those from the LGBTQ+ communities, people with 'lived-experience' of mental health conditions and people living with disabilities,- we are a 'Disability Confident Employer' offering a guaranteed interview to Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria.
We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service users.

Working for our organisation
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.
We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.
Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.