Speech and Language Therapist

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a permanent Developing Band 5 Speech and Language Therapist post (0.94wte - 35.25 hours per week) within the Adult Community Speech and Language Therapy Service in the London Borough of Newham. The Service is comprised of a small, friendly and supportive team looking for a dynamic and enthusiastic speech and language therapist to join us. The Adult Speech and Language Therapy Service provides assessment, therapy and management to adult clients with acquired speech, language, communication and / or swallowing difficulties in community settings. The service provides input to clients with a wide range of diagnoses, including dementia, adult mental health, respiratory conditions, palliative care and end of life care. The Team works closely with colleagues in the Community Neuro Service (CNS), other MDT services within the Trust and the local acute hospital Newham University Hospital. The post holder will have opportunities for cross working within CNS, and will have access to regular clinical supervision, as well as an established SLT and MDT CPD programme. The post holder will receive supervision and support within dysphagia management as necessary. If you have any queries about this post or would like to arrange an informal visit please contact Lorena Gonzalez, Clinical Lead Adult Speech and Language Therapist on ., Due to internal team restructuring, an exciting opportunity has arisen for a passionate and experienced Speech and Language Therapist to join our Adult Community Speech and Language Therapy Service. This role is specifically designed for a Developing Band 5 Speech and Language Therapist with 12-18 months of post-graduate experience, including independent dysphagia management. You will work independently and as part of a uni-disciplinary SLT, and wider multidisciplinary teams, to assess, diagnose, and devise intervention plans for adults/elders with a range of acquired communication and swallowing disorders in community settings. This role offers opportunities to further develop your skills in clinical care, multidisciplinary working, and service delivery, with robust support and supervision from senior colleagues. What We Offer:

• Comprehensive induction and supervision program.
• Access to CPD opportunities tailored to your career development.
• A supportive and friendly multidisciplinary team environment.
• Flexible working arrangements., Patient Care
• To conduct comprehensive assessments for adults with communication and swallowing difficulties.
• To independently manage a caseload of dysphagia patients, with supervision as necessary, providing safe and evidence-based interventions.
• To develop and deliver individualized treatment and management plans, ensuring they align with patient-centered goals.
• To monitor and evaluate therapy outcomes, modifying interventions as needed.
· To screen, assess, diagnose, develop and implement specialist speech and language therapy treatment for clients. · To write reports reflecting specialist knowledge. · To provide appropriate specialist intervention and evaluate outcomes. · To provide advice to others regarding the management and care of patients/clients with communication and/or feeding and swallowing difficulties. · To ensure that patients are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their care plans wherever possible. · To demonstrate negotiation skills. · To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence based practice and outcome measures. This requires maintaining knowledge of current research and agreed best practice in working in the field of specialism. · To adapt practice to meet individual patients' circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic differences · To provide a service that takes account of the needs of clients from a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. · To demonstrate skills in dealing with complex issues to generate appropriate strategies for caseload management. · To develop ideas of innovative practice in working in the promotion and development of adult clients' communication skills in specialist area. · To adhere to inter-agency child protection and vulnerable adults policies.
• To deliver care in diverse settings, including patients' homes, care homes, outpatient clinics, and other community venues.
• To provide education and training to patients, families, and caregivers to support self-management and promote long-term recovery.
Clinical · To independently manage large, complex caseloads, with support and supervision as necessary. · To contribute to monitoring and evaluating own specialist service delivery and provide progress reports as necessary. · To be accountable for own professional action and recognise own professional boundaries, seeking advice as appropriate. · To work within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct. · To work independently, accessing appraisal within an Individual Performance Framework at pre-determined intervals. · To carry out, analyse and interpret phonetic transcription (transcribing speech sounds produced by clients using phonetic symbols). · To reflect on auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of client's communication and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative effectiveness. · To negotiate with carers, clients and others around individual case management. · To recognise potential breakdown and conflict when it occurs and seek advice and support to resolve as appropriate. · To use specialist knowledge to inform sound clinical judgements/decision-making for case management. · To make a differential diagnosis on the basis of evidence from assessment, seeking advice as appropriate. · To develop clear care plans based on best practice. · To demonstrate the ability to reflect on practice with peers and mentors and identify own strengths and development needs. · To target training (formal and informal) appropriately to the needs of course participants. · To reflect on and evaluate training provided. · To adapt practice to meet individual patient/client circumstances. Administration · To maintain up to date and accurate case notes and write reports in line with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' (RCSLT) professional standards as well as local trust policies. · To adhere to Trust and departmental policies and procedures to protect the confidentiality of information about clients' and colleagues at all times. · To share information with others, observing data protection guidelines. · To gather and update activity data accurately and regularly, ensuring the provision of such information promptly within local Trust guidelines. · To assist in defining and collating data for the purposes of service monitoring and clinical governance activities. · To contribute to, develop and maintain a store of specialist information and resources accessible to Speech and Language Therapy colleagues.
• To maintain accurate and timely clinical records in line with professional and organizational policies.
• To contribute to service data collection and reporting requirements.
• To manage workload effectively, demonstrating good organizational and time management skills.
Management · To use specialist knowledge to inform service/policy developments as appropriate. · To liaise with other specialist Speech and Language Therapists working in specialist area both regionally and nationally through Clinical Excellence Networks. · To take a role in creating, developing and updating care pathways for specific clinical issues, within the SLT service. · To participate in the development of care protocols/packages relating to specialist area in liaison with senior colleagues to improve patient care. · To advise line manager on issues of service delivery including shortfall, service pressures, change in demand etc. · To assist with the identification of training needs within the team. · To assume delegated tasks as requested by line manager, including participation in a wide range of working groups and policy development groups, chairing where required. · To liaise with relevant professional staff in Health, Education and Social Services and contribute to interagency/multi-disciplinary team building and policy development. · To be aware of, adhere to and implement service and team plans and policies. · To use specialist knowledge to inform service/policy developments as appropriate. · To participate in projects aiming to promote the Speech and Language Therapy profession and service.
• To work closely with multidisciplinary colleagues, including dietitians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and nursing staff.
• To actively participate in case discussions, team meetings, and discharge planning to ensure holistic care.
Human Resources · To provide regular specialist training on a range of topics (e.g. facilitating communication) to a range of key personnel (e.g. carers, Education staff, other Speech and Language Therapists, other Health staff). · To provide mentoring, advice and support to students, assistants, co-workers and volunteers. · To work through Health Advocates in order to ensure access to an equitable service for all. · To take responsibility for volunteers, people on work experience and Speech and Language Therapy support staff as required, and ensure that Trust and Speech and Language Therapy policies are adhered to by those staff. · To develop and provide full student placements, including student supervision and evaluation according to university and service requirements, for individual, pair and/or groups of students. · To assist in providing support for students from other professional groups. · To explain the role of Speech and Language Therapists to visitors, students, volunteers and other professionals. · To identify training needs within section/team. · To participate in service planning to provide service cover in the event of staff absences. · To participate in Trust Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures as necessary. Performance and Quality · To participate in and develop innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards-setting and clinical effectiveness. · To participate in departmental research and clinical governance/audit projects, taking a lead role where appropriate to area of specialism. · To collect, provide and evaluate research data as required.
• To engage in regular supervision, peer support, and reflective practice to enhance clinical skills.
• To participate in service audits, research, and quality improvement initiatives.
• To stay updated with current evidence-based practices and national guidelines relevant to the role.
Financial and Physical Resources · To monitor stock levels in own service area and request new equipment as appropriate. · To be responsible for the security, care and maintenance of equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained - including equipment loaned to clients. Making Things Better Quality Improvement is a key part of our work to improve our services and refine how we do things. We have a global reputation for our quality improvement work and we don't stand still! So we offer a fantastic opportunity for our staff to learn, lead and contribute towards improving our services. We launched our Five Year Strategy in April 2018, which identified four main strategic outcomes to improve: population health outcomes, experience of care, staff experience and improve value. This complements the NHS Long Term Strategy and sets out our direction of travel. Our Community We provide a wide range of community health and mental health inpatient services to children, young people, adults of working age, and older adults in The City of London, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Bedfordshire and Luton. We also provide psychological therapy services to the London Borough of Richmond, and provide Forensic services to the whole of North East London. We provide services in urban and rural settings, sometimes in our inpatient units, but mostly in the community close to where people live. Integrated care is key in making the best use of resources and providing effective care. Aiming High We were rated 'Outstanding' by the CQC in 2016, were proud to be rated 'Outstanding' again in 2018 and continue to be rate 'Outstanding' in 2021.. We were named in the HSJ's Top 10 best places to work in healthcare and were voted Provider Trust of the Year in 2018. Staff and Service Users United We strive to ensure that staff feel valued by the Trust and as they are truly pivotal in delivering better outcomes for our patients and service users. Our aspiration is to help to make ELFT the best place to work. This Trust is clinician-led and provides the highest possible level of clinical expertise throughout its services. We pride ourselves on our service user involvement. A service user will be on your assessment centre and interview panel if you are invited to meet us. We especially welcome people with lived experience of health difficulties, with insight and understanding of different backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles in our population as we believe that this will equip staff to deliver a high standard of care to our service users and patients. Diversity ELFT Is committed to being a diverse organisation and our workforce is reflective of the population and communities we serve. We believe that having colleagues with a range of backgrounds and life experiences enriches and adds value to the outcomes we have set out to achieve. Having partnered and endorsed by organisations who are representative and experts in various areas of equality and diversity, we can ensure we are meeting the pre-set standards all the way from recruitment stage throughout the career journey of our employees by being accessible, having fair inclusive practices and a host of staff networks to support, nurture and celebrate our valued staff in the workplace. Other reasons to apply As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that's job share, part time or another flexible pattern. As part of the relocation scheme we presently have, the Trust could support you with offering up to £10,000 for removal and associated expenses. This is subject to change and terms and conditions apply.

ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental and health care, innovation and improvement. So it is a very exciting time for you to come and work for us. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations., Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.