Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Job summary

Our tertiary centre would like to welcome a Highly Specialist SLT to our Head & Neck Cancer / Oncology team.

You would provide Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapy to patients with swallowing, voice and communication difficulties, primarily but not limited to, pre- and post- head and neck cancer surgery, surgical voice restoration, laryngectomy, tracheostomy, non-head and neck cancer and oncological treatments. This will include outpatient and inpatient assessment, management and rehabilitation within the acute ward setting.

You will benefit from a robust supervision structure alongside innovation, participation in research and clinical/professional development being encouraged. You would be part of a well-established team which also benefits from SLT-led Videofluoroscopy and FEES services so opportunities to access these instrumental assessments to help to shape your clinical practice would also be available.

QEHB benefits from one of the largest acute SLT teams in the country with more than 30 team members and is one of the largest teaching hospital Trusts in England, treating over 2.8 million people every year. We are a regional centre for cancer, trauma, dialysis and have highly specialist cardiac, liver, transplant and neurosurgery services.

The team offers:

*A full induction programme, robust supervision & peer support

*A wide range of opportunities for career development

*Well-being facilities, mindfulness sessions & an on-site faith centre

Main duties, tasks & skills required

You would work within the Speech and Language Therapy team at QEHB, specifically working within the Head & Neck Cancer and Oncology team.

The post holder will have operational and leadership responsibilities including service development, governance, prioritisation, supervision and training.

You would work closely with two peer Band 7 Team Leaders plus Band 5 Speech and Language Therapists and Band 6 Specialist Speech and Language Therapy peers to provide an excellent level of care to our patient group.

The successful candidate will be highly experienced in dysphagia management and have a clear passion in Head and Neck cancer, oncology and altered airways.

Your responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:

*Assessing and managing patients with dysphagia and communication disorders

*Assessing and managing patients with altered airways e.g. tracheostomy or laryngectomy

*Service development

*Training of colleagues and members of the MDT and supervision responsibilities for junior members of the team

*Involvement in instrumental assessment clinics

*Working flexibly and thriving in a fast-paced, acute environment

At present, we have a voluntary weekend service in some clinical areas. Please note, interviews will be via video.

We would welcome interested candidates to get in touch for an informal discussion. Please contact Stef Matthews (Clinical Lead) via Stefanie.matthews@uhb.nhs.uk or 0121 371 3483.

About us

We are recognised as one of the leading NHS Foundation Trusts in the UK. Our vision is to Build Healthier Lives, and we recognise that we need incredible staff to do this.

Our commitment to our staff is to create the best place for them to work, and we are dedicated to:

Investing in the health and wellbeing of our staff, including a commitment of offering flexible working where we can;
Offer our staff a wide variety of training and development opportunities, to support their personal and career development objectives.

UHB is committed to ensuring that our staff are treated fairly and feel that they belong, by creating a kind and inclusive environment. This is about equity of opportunity; removing all barriers, including discrimination and ensuring each individual member of staff reach their true potential, achieve their ambitions and thrive in their work. This is more than words. We are taking action. Our commitment to an inclusive culture is embedded at all levels of the organisation where every voice is heard, driven by our diverse and active staff networks, and at Board level by the Fairness Taskforce led by our CEO. We nurture a culture which empowers staff to challenge discriminatory behaviours and to enable people to bring their 'whole self' to a kinder, more connected and bold place to work.

Job description

*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description* 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

A good standard of secondary education including A-Level or equivalent.

BSc or recognised MSc degree in Speech and Language Therapy.

Membership of RCSLT.

Registration with HCPC.

Completed RCSLT Level C dysphagia competencies (or above).

Desirable

FEES and/or videofluoroscopy interpretation and scoping skills

Experience

Essential

Significant experience of working independently with adult dysphagia caseload at a specialist level.

Significant experience working with a head and neck cancer/oncology caseload including laryngectomy

Significant experience of working independently within an acute hospital setting.

Significant post-graduate training, through attendance at short courses and via personal study, practical skill development and in-depth experience in a multi-disciplinary setting in specialist fields.

Experience of working successfully as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

Evidence of attendance at national conferences.

Demonstration of people management at either an individual or team level.

Experience of training Speech and Language Therapy undergraduates and junior SLTs.

Desirable

Membership of a relevant CEN.

Experience of working with FEES interpretation and scoping and/or videofluoroscopy.

Post-graduate education or research.

Knowledge acquired through attendance at postgraduate specialist courses which would be expected to be at Masters level or equivalent.

Knowledge of the strategic direction of the Trust.

Additional Criteria

Essential

Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of assessment and management of dysphagia, voice and communication disorders following oncological treatment and/or surgery.

Advanced theoretical and conceptual knowledge and of evidence based practice in the area head and neck cancer/oncology.

Excellent written and spoken communication skills.

Ability to communicate sensitive and complex information effectively and an awareness of the appropriate use of counselling skills.

Excellent skills of persuasion, motivation, negotiation and problem solving skills with patients, colleagues in the department, the MDT and other professionals.

Effective communication skills with people who have significant and complex communication and or swallowing difficulties.

Well-developed perceptual and auditory skills.

Ability to absorb, interpret and summarise verbal information in a clinical environment.

Systematic and organised.

Keen to embrace change consistent with delivery of service whilst keeping the patient as an individual at the centre of care.

Punctual and reliable in service delivery.

Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Organisational skills with the ability to organise own workload and work in a systematic way.

Excellent time management.

Excellent interpersonal and team working skills.

Thriving in a fast-paced environment.

Ability to work weekends as part of a 7 day working pattern (when appropriate service delivery allows and commences).

Desirable

FEES and/or VFS competencies.

Tracheostomy competencies.

Skills in training students and peers including presentation skills.

Able to manage and negotiate complex discussions or disagreements with patients, relatives and professional colleagues in a professional, supportive manner.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Professional Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

For help with your application, contact: 

Stef Matthews 

stefanie.matthews@uhb.nhs.uk 

01213713483