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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Principle Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Clinical

• Provide timely and efficient speech and language therapy to patients according to clinical protocols and service priorities.
• Ensure patients receive a high standard of clinical care and that you meet the standards expected from Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and Health and Care Professions Council
• Use investigative and analytical skills to undertake a comprehensive speech and language therapy assessment of the patient.
• Reflect on complex facts gathered or situations presented and use analysis and judgment skills to consider options for interventions, and outcomes.
• Formulate individual management and treatment plans, using clinical reasoning and a wide range of treatment skills appropriate to paediatric speech and Language Therapy
• Implement Speech and Language therapy interventions/care packages in partnership with the service user, with the carer as necessary and in consultation with colleagues.
• Plan and organise to carry out assessment and interventions in the most appropriate setting.
• Monitor and evaluate the outcome of interventions in partnership with the service user if possible, with the carer if necessary and in consultation with colleagues.
• Collaborate with the MDT to improve patient pathways.
• Respond to unforeseen situations that take precedence over planned work.
• Provide advice, teaching and instruction for relatives, carers, and other health professionals to promote understanding of the aims of paediatric Speech and language therapy and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
• Provide specialist advice to therapy and dietetic colleagues working within other clinical areas across the Trust.
• Support the development of assistants and students.
• Use highly developed communication skills to establish good working relationships with colleagues, service users and carers.
• Use verbal and non-verbal communication skills and sensitivity with patients, relatives and carers to overcome barriers to communication e.g. loss of hearing, altered perception, expressive and receptive difficulties, anxiety, problems with cognition.
• Deal effectively with complex, sensitive or contentious communications with support of a senior therapist
• Complete documentation appropriate to the role in accordance with professional and service protocols.

2. Leadership and Management

2.1   Follow supervision guidelines and consult with senior therapists to ensure optimum outcome for patients with clear presentation of complex facts and analysis to enable effective decision making

• Contribute to the development of the paediatric Speech and Language Therapy and Children’s Therapy services

• Take responsibility for delegated tasks and service development activities.
• Communicate effectively within the immediate team, MDT and with other internal and external organisations e.g. Children’s therapy service/Paediatric services, local authority, education providers and voluntary sector
• Contribute to the planning and evaluation of clinical training to students ensuring all clinical protocols are accurately followed.
• Ensure equipment is stored in adherence with to relevant policies and that are up to date with competencies to use equipment within paediatric speech and language therapy.
• Adhere to health and safety policies and procedures
• Raise incidents and near misses using the incident reporting systems.
• Be aware of the need for judicious use of resources and maintaining stock control
• Be prepared to work flexibly in terms of time and workload to meet service needs.

3. Personal and Professional Development

3.1   Adhere to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Standards of Proficiency and Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Speech and Language Therapy and maintain professional registration.

• Maintain own continuing professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of new trends and developments, use of reflective practice and incorporating learning into working practice.
• Attend and present in-service training sessions at designated times and at staff meetings as well as sharing existing knowledge and skills and feeding back from external courses.
• Be a role model for professional behaviours in all aspect of practice.
• Ensure compliance with supervision and appraisals standards and maintain a professional portfolio.
• Support team by participating in relevant internal and external research and quality improvement projects.
• Establish links with speech and language therapy colleagues through regional and national groups to promote sharing of good practice and evidence-based research.

4. Service Improvement and Governance

• Evaluate individual and group interventions through the use of outcome measures and audit, and implement necessary service improvements.
• Where there is an identified need for a new or updated policy or procedure in own work area as a result of an evaluation contribute to its implementation.
• Undertake research and audit of Children’s therapy and speech and language therapy and present the results to the team and wider MDT.
• Keep abreast of new research and clinical developments
• Respond to requests for information and actions in a timely manner.
• Participate in the development of risk assessments strategies for speech and Language Therapy and Children’s Therapy
• Ensure maintenance of accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date documentation in line with professional, legal and service requirements.
• Communicate clinical and personal information confidentially and in an appropriate format
• Follow Trust and departmental policies and guidelines

For further information and full details of the job role please see the attached job description and person specification.