Senior Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (General Oncology)

Band 7 Senior Specialist Speech and Language Therapist - General Oncology (Excluding Head and Neck Oncology) Fixed Term 1 year Maternity Cover - 0.6 WTE We have an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and experienced Senior Specialist Speech and Language Therapist with an interest in oncology to join our team at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital. You will be based at Guy's Hospital and the Guy's Cancer Centre delivering a service to both inpatients and outpatients presenting with communication and/or swallowing impairments secondary to a diagnosis of cancer (excluding head & neck cancers). Main duties of the job

• As an autonomous specialist to take clinical responsibility for the provision of a high quality service to adult inpatients and outpatients presenting with communication and or swallowing impairment secondary to their diagnosis of cancer and/or associated treatment, excluding patients with Head and Neck cancer.
• To support the development and expansion of expert Oncology Speech and Language Therapy services in collaboration with the Clinical Lead SLT and Trust Head of SLT.
• To be an advanced specialist resource in Oncology SLT services and to provide training and support to colleagues in other disciplines / specialties.
Working for our organisation Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK's best known hospitals - Guy's, St Thomas', Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield - as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation. We are among the UK's busiest, most successful foundation trusts. We provide specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services as well as a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark. Detailed job description and main responsibilities To provide highly specialist independent clinical management of inpatients and outpatients with disorders of communication / swallowing referred from Oncology services, predominantly but not exclusively from lung, upper GI, neuro-oncology and haematology services. To independently assess, make a clinical diagnosis and implement specialised therapeutic programmes of care for patients with complex communication and swallowing disorders associated with their cancer diagnosis and/or treatment. To be a specialist resource for Oncology multidisciplinary teams regarding management of swallowing and communication disorders. As a core member of these MDTs to participate in team meetings and where appropriate propose and assist in the implementation of policy/service development. Person specification


• Diploma/Degree leading to RCSLT licence to practice
• Post-graduate dysphagia training leading to independent practice
• Registered member of HCPC
Desirable criteria
• Membership/regular attendance of relevant CEN
Previous Experience Essential criteria
• Specialist experience of working with adults with acquired disorders of communication and swallowing associated with a diagnosis of cancer
• Significant experience of working as an integrated member of a multidisciplinary team
• Previous participation in clinical governance activities (audit, quality improvement)
Desirable criteria
• Experience of working with outpatients in an acute or community setting
Skills Essential criteria
• Specialist knowledge of a range of approaches to dysphagia therapy
• Advanced videofluoroscopy competency and training
• Demonstrate skills to manage and supervise SLTs and SLT students
Desirable criteria
• Competency in interpretation of FEES
  
  Guy's and St Thomas' is among the UK's busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.
Guy's is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas' has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children's Hospital. Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions. Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients. In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research. We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King's Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King's College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit. Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of 'good'. Our adult community services achieved a rating of 'outstanding'. The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients. We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS. Job overview, Guy's and St Thomas' celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study's at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity , gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.

Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy. As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends. Flexible working We are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance and to work in a way that is best for them and our patients. We will consider all requests to work flexibly, taking in to account the individual's personal circumstances as well the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the recruiting manager as part of the on-boarding process. Your e-mail address is important to us - We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis. Please apply for this post by clicking "Apply Online Now." Employer certification / accreditation badges Applicant requirements You must have appropriate UK professional registration. This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service. Documents to download
• Band 7 General Oncology JD (PDF, 496.3KB)
• Band 7 General Oncology PS (PDF, 176.4KB)
• Band 7 General Oncology FRF (PDF, 376.6KB)