About this role
Job summary
AFC Band 6 £39,959 to £48,117 per annum pro rata
We are delighted to offer a permanent full time post for an enthusiastic, motivated and well-organised Speech and Language Therapist. The post holder will work within County Durham with children and young people with Developmental Communication Disorders.
As a key member of the team you will be passionate about improving health outcomes for clients and will work closely with health colleagues, partner agencies, parents and carers. You will be a great communicator and enjoy working both independently and as part of a team in different settings.
This post will provide you with the opportunity to:
Focus clinical work on children & young people with a complex and diverse range of social communication and/or language difficulties including autism, selective mutism and DLD.
To be an active member of the local multi-disciplinary team and work closely with the Childrens Therapy team to ensure continued development of the service.
Help develop an evidence-based pathways for the client group
Work within a range of community settings including clinics, homes, mainstream and special school settings
Main duties of the job
1. Generate appropriate strategies to manage an individual specialist caseload including the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and discharge of a diverse range of clients with complex communication difficulties with support and supervision from lead clinician
2. To provide specialist advice to the Autism Diagnostic Teams to contribute to the diagnosis of children with social communication difficulties
3. Develop and implement specialist care protocols and programmes of care and treatment, to meet the needs of clients in conjunction with their parents, carers, education staff and other members of the appropriate multi-disciplinary team (MDT) with support and supervision from a lead clinician.
4. Independently manage and negotiate the management of complex cases with others e.g. onward referral to highly specialist clinicians or other specialist support agencies e.g. consultants, Educational Psychologists.
5. Provide specialist advice and second opinions to less experienced colleagues.
About us
If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.
We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
Job description Job responsibilities
1. Generate appropriate strategies to manage an individual specialist caseload including the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and discharge of a diverse range of clients with complex communication difficulties with support and supervision from lead clinician
2. To provide specialist advice to the Autism Diagnostic Teams to contribute to the diagnosis of children with social communication difficulties
3. Independently manage and negotiate the management of complex cases with others e.g. onward referral to highly specialist clinicians or other specialist support agencies e.g. consultants, Educational Psychologists.
4. Provide specialist education, training and supervision to speech and language therapy assistant practitioners and to speech and language therapists with less experience in the management of the client group, with appropriate supervision from the clinical lead.
5. Provide specialist advice and second opinions to less experienced colleagues.
6. Continually evaluate the effectiveness of care protocols and packages of care, audit and implement changes as appropriate in conjunction with lead clinician/line manager.
7. Evaluate the effects of the communication difficulty on the psychological health of the client.
8. Work with the lead clinician(s) to develop and coordinate service provision and policy development for the client group.
Person Specification
Special Skills & Knowledge Essential
Knowledge of NHS and Education policies Knowledge of clinical guidelines/national documents/research relating to children and young people with social communication difficulties and Autism High level problem solving skills Ability to work under pressure Flexibility in approach Well motivated
Desirable
Skills in making formal presentations Use of Microsoft word processing packages for producing programmes and reports Leadership skills
Qualifications Essential
Degree or equivalent qualification in Speech and Language Therapy Certificate to practise as a Speech and Language Therapist
Desirable
Counselling qualification Evidence of leadership training Evidence of post graduate study
Experience Essential
Experience of working as a Speech and Language Therapist, some of which has included working with clients with social communication disorders Working in partnership with children and parents
Desirable
Experience of working as a member of a multi agency team Experience of planning and delivering teaching and training
Statutory Registration Essential
HCPC registered
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 (Opens in a new tab).
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 (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Address Chester Le Street Community Hospital
Front Street
CHESTER LE STREET
County Durham
DH3 3AT
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)