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Job summary

Main area
Speech and Language Therapy - Prison Services
Grade
Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday - Friday - office hours)
Job ref
350-SC6586224
Employer
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
HMP Liverpool
Town
Liverpool
Salary
£46,148 - £52,809 per annum pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
06/10/2024 23:59

Employer heading

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust logo

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Band 7

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Job overview

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust is the health provider for the delivery of an Integrated Mental Health Team (IMHT) within HMP Liverpool and HMP Altcourse.  The service is designed to support the holistic mental health needs of our client group in partnership with other Health providers and HMPPS colleagues.

HMP Liverpool and HMP Altcourse are both Category B, male only, local prisons, in the Liverpool area. 

The services provide individual, and soon will provide group-based interventions, based on the needs of the population. The service is developing and will adopt the biopsychological model to inform practice and tailor interventions accordingly. These interventions will be individualised, and trauma informed, alongside comprehensive risk assessment and management.

Core aims of the service are to improve mental and psychological wellbeing via a range of interventions, build the development of independent core skills, reduce risk, and advocate for mental health within the wider prison.

The post holder will be joining a dedicated team of clinical and from a range of backgrounds and experience. Team members have high levels of skill, passion and enthusiasm (and humour!) and are committed to ensuring the on-going successful development of the service and the opportunities it provides for our population. 

Main duties of the job

We are now recruiting a full-time Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT) to work across both sites at HMP Altcourse and HMP Liverpool. The service at HMP Liverpool has had SaLT provision for the last two years, this work has proven to be hugely effective with the client group and has become a very valued and respected profession within the team. The successful post-holder will work alongside a part-time Highly Specialist SaLT at HMP Liverpool. 

The successful candidate will contribute to the effective on-going delivery of the SaLT service within HMP Liverpool and will lead on the development of the SaLT service at HMP Altcourse. The post holder will have clinical and leadership elements within their role. 

The post holder should have considerable experience of working with individuals with complex clinical and risk presentations including within institutional settings and as part of a multi-disciplinary team. This should include work with clients whose needs may mean that they find it difficult to engage with services.

Experience of working in complex service and organisational settings is required alongside an ability to constructively manage the personal, professional, and ethical opportunities and challenges such work can involve.

We are committed to creating an empowered staff team. We strive to be reflective and support of each other which is vital given the challenges this work can entail.

Working for our organisation

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To provide high quality consultation, specialist assessment and intervention of speech, language and communication needs.

To support the development of the Speech and Language Therapy service and strive for continuous improvement.

To take a lead on and provide evidence-based Speech and Language 

Therapy assessment, treatment and intervention to service users who have complex needs.

This role will be integrated in the therapy team and will work with the team to develop person centred care.

Supervision will be provided within the trust as applicable. 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Completion of a recognised training course awarding relevant degree/diploma approved by the RCSLT and HPC
  • Registered with the HPC – License to practice
  • Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses up to Master’s level or equivalent
  • Experiential training which demonstrates highly specialist skills in specialist area
  • Evidence of leadership / management training
  • Membership of relevant special interest groups
Desirable criteria
  • Post graduate certificate in speciality
  • Postgraduate Dysphagia qualification / competencies
  • Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria
  • Relevant experience at undergraduate/post graduate level
  • Experience of carrying out specialist assessments and intervention
  • Proven ability to work independently, prioritise and manage own complex caseload.
  • Experience of working with highly complex cases, such as progressive illness and rare conditions
  • Evidence of experience of: Multi disciplinary team working
  • Leading in service projects
  • Developing and leading training of others and Language Therapists
  • Advanced knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions relevant to the client group and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits
  • In depth knowledge of the principles of clinical governance/audit
  • Understands the roles of other professionals relevant to the client group
  • Understands the standards of record keeping
  • Understands confidentiality as relating to the NHS
Desirable criteria
  • Student training
  • Experience of delivering/developing training to staff/carers
  • Experience of facilitating groups
  • Experience of providing supervision to staff members
  • Experience of being a Clinical Educator
  • Experience of using iPads and other forms of technology

Values

Essential criteria
  • Continuous Improvement
  • Accountability
  • Respectfulness
  • Enthusiasm
  • Support
  • High professional standards
  • Responsive to service users
  • Engaging leadership style
  • Strong customer service belief
  • Transparency and honesty
  • Discreet
  • Change oriented

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Excellent interpersonal skills – including, listening and empathy skills
  • Highly developed negotiation and problem solving skills
  • Excellent analytical and reflection skills
  • Excellent presentation skills written and verbal
  • Able to be a good team member and assume leadership responsibilities
  • Able to work independently recognising own limits
  • Learns from experience and willing to adapt accordingly, including learning new skills.
  • Ability to communicate highly complex or sensitive advice and information to others
  • Well-developed concentration skills.
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Prioritisation and time management Skills
  • Good Auditory discrimination skills and ability to transcribe phonetically
  • Flexible and able to cope with change
  • Able to critically appraise research Articles

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardCTP The Ministry of Defence partnering with Right ManagementNavajo - Merseyside and CheshireDisability confident employerCare Leaver CovenantStep into healthArmed Forces Covenant

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Debbie Brennand
Job title
Clinical Services Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07443441371
Additional information

Danielle Welsh - AHP Lead

[email protected]

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