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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings

CLINICAL

To use highly specialist clinical skills to manage and prioritise a complex caseload of adults with learning disabilities who present with communication and/or swallowing difficulties.

To provide highly specialist assessment of communication and swallowing problems, formulate a hypothesis using a high level of clinical reasoning and to give evidence of sound clinical judgements.

To develop and implement appropriate interventions or rehabilitation, as appropriate in the community settings.

To apply specialist knowledge and skills to implement high and low technology alternative and augmentative communication aids with a range of service users.

To provide appropriate highly specialist intervention and evaluate outcomes.

To write comprehensive reports that are accessible to a range of professionals and service users, reflecting highly specialist knowledge.

To develop clear care plans, advice and information, based on best practice and to use highly specialist knowledge to inform clinical judgments for care management.

To ensure the service users and/or their carers and support workers are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their care plans.

To facilitate, wherever possible, the service user’s involvement in the process to ensure meaningful outcomes, taking into account the severity of their learning disability and their communication and/ or swallowing difficulties.

To provide advice and training to other professionals, carers, support workers and relatives regarding the safe management and care of patients with communication and/or swallowing difficulties to maximise the service users’ skills and reduce clinical risk.

To work collaboratively and liaise with a wide range of other professionals across a variety of locations and agencies

To adapt practice to meet individual service users’ circumstances, including due regard for cognitive ability, cultural and linguistic backgrounds and differences.

To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence based practice and outcome measures, and maintain knowledge of current literature and developments within the specialist clinical field of communication and dysphagia within learning disability, which may at times include progressive conditions and dementia.

To supervise student placements and promote the area of learning disabilities within the Speech and Language Therapy profession

TEAM WORKING

To attend Multidisciplinary Team Meetings, and to actively promote and contribute to MDT working, maintaining effective communication and client centred focus.

To assume delegated tasks as requested by line manager related to the development of the speech and language therapy service.

To work closely with service users, carers and other community healthcare professionals where appropriate discussing the needs of service users and ensuring a well-co-ordinated care plan.

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIP SKILLS

To employ excellent communication skills.

To communicate information following assessment related to complex conditions, to service users, carers, support workers, families and members of the multidisciplinary team/other professions.

To work collaboratively with service users, carers, support workers, and families, agreeing decision making relevant to the service user’s care package.

To demonstrate empathy with service users, carers, support workers and families and colleagues, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where problems with understanding exist.

To include use of augmentative or alternative communication, as well as accessing interpreter services where patients do not have English as a first language.

To demonstrate negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations.

To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible.

To recognise potential breakdown and conflict when it occurs, and seek advice and support to resolve.

To actively build links with relevant local support / community groups.

To facilitate continuity of care through appropriate liaison with relevant agencies and services on transfer or discharge of clients from service.

To provide training to a variety of audiences on communication and dysphagia in relation to learning disabilities.

MANAGEMENT OF SERVICE

To triage and direct SLT community / inpatient referrals to the appropriate sources.

To advise line manager of issues of service shortfall or pressure.

To monitor stock levels in own service area and request new equipment as required.

To be responsible for the security, care and maintenance of SLT equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained – including equipment loaned to clients.

To advise on and record the stock of equipment / communication aids to patients.

To actively provide input to Team and Departmental meetings.

To contribute to proposed service/policy developments related to the speech and language therapy service.

To provide mentoring, advice and support (including second opinions) to more junior Speech and Language Therapists, assistants, volunteers and other professional groups as appropriate.

To participate in the supervision and training of junior staff and students on placement as appropriate.

To facilitate the development of others problem solving / negotiation skills within peer review / support.

To participate in Individual Performance Reviews and appraisals of more junior staff ensuring that the objectives set reflect the Service and Trust plans.

This job description is intended as a guide to the main responsibilities of the post and not as an exhaustive list of duties and tasks. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties appropriate to his/her grade, which are not listed above, time after consultation with the post holder.