Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist (Critical Care)

We are looking for an experienced inpatient Speech and Language Therapist with knowledge and skills in critical care and a passion for rehabilitation to join our team. You will either be a proficient Band 6 or already working in a Band 7 role. You will be joining an established Critical Care & Tracheostomy speech and language therapy team. You will have clinical skills in supporting the communication/swallowing needs of critically ill patients, including those with a tracheostomy.

Competencies in FEES preferred, however, training and competencies can be provided and supported. This role will lead on: Rehabilitation of the critically unwell patients across their inpatient journey; AAC in the critical care setting; Training and education for critical care staff, including nurses and AHP's.

Our service is well established and covers a 28 bedded Integrated Critical Care Unit and step-down beds.

Our team has access to videofluoroscopy, and an established FEES service, providing responsive instrumental assessment to support dysphagia management and swallow rehabilitation.

We have a supportive admin team, embedded supervision, support structures for both professional development and wellbeing and CPD is very well supported and actively encouraged.

Our wider SLT staff work across a variety of inpatient and community settings. We also benefit from being part of a large SLT service which includes children's services. We have very strong SLT and AHP leadership within the Trust.

Main duties of the job

To undertake a comprehensive highly specialist assessment of patients including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi-pathologies; use advanced clinical reasoning skills, interpretation of available test results and assessment techniques to provide an accurate diagnosis of their condition.

To provide highly specialist advice on patient care to other health and social care professionals. This may involve challenging or requesting changes to treatment programmes /care plans set by other professionals.

To formulate and deliver a highly specialist individual SLT programme based on a sound knowledge of evidence-based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment, clinical reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment.

To hold responsibility for own caseload and be responsible for a defined area of the service or a particular patient type, as defined by the Head of Service, working without supervision. Access to advice and support is available from the Advanced Practitioner SLTs and Head of Service as required, clinical work is not routinely evaluated. To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner

To supervise more junior staff and students

To develop and deliver training of others as appropriate in the area of critical care

To undertake evidence-based audit and research projects to further own and team's clinical practice.

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is one of the largest NHS trusts in the West Midlands providing primary, acute and community services and we are incredibly proud of the diversity of both our staff and the communities we serve. We are building a workforce that can help us to fulfil our values, improve the quality of care for patients, and solve the health care problems of tomorrow. We're passionate about the value that diversity of thinking and lived experience brings in enabling us to become a learning organisation and leader in delivering compassionate care for our patients.

We are delighted that we have been rated as "Good" by CQC. We have achieved numerous awards; The Nursing Times Best Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Best UK Employer of the Year for Nursing Staff in 2020.

The Trust is a supportive working environment committed to creating flexible working arrangements that suit your needs and as such will consider all requests from applicants who wish to work flexibly.