About this role
Job summary
We are offering an exciting opportunity for a Speech and Language Therapist to secure a full time Band 6 post, 12-month fixed term contract with Camden Service for Young People (CSYP 11-19s). The SLT will have clinical caseloads of young people aged 11-19+ and may work within mainstream secondary schools and/or post-16 college settings. The SLT would provide assessment, 1:1 and group interventions, close working with the school/college team and provide universal input such as staff training, whilst being part of a large team of creative and innovative SLTs who specialise in working with the 11+ age group.
Currently, Camden secondary schools and college settings commission additional time from our service on annual service level agreements. Subject to service needs, the role provides potential for working in other well-established Camden or Whittington Health SLT teams after the initial 12 months.
Although this is a full-time post, candidates who are looking for part time, flexible working or job share opportunities will be considered. We have an agile working policy which offers opportunities to work from home, particularly in the school holidays.
Main duties of the job
Please see the Job Description and the Persons Specification for further details about the job role. If you are unable to access the PDFs, the details of the job description can also be found in the 'Detailed Job Description and Main responsibilities' section.
Find out what it is like to work in our friendly, supportive teams which span hospital and community settings across vibrant and diverse North Central London first hand, visit www.whittington.nhs.uk/CYPrecruitment (you may have to copy and paste this link into your browser) to hear from some of our current staff about why they chose to join and stay at Whittington Health.
About us
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Job description Job responsibilities
Clinical
1. Implement interventions and staff development at a whole school level including joint target setting and outcome monitoring.
2. Use specialist clinical expertise in the assessment, treatment and management of language and communication problems in children and young people, providing appropriate specialist assessment and intervention and evaluating outcomes in face to face and/or online sessions.
3. Use specialist knowledge in supporting children and young people with speech, language and communication needs underpinned by current evidence-based practice and outcome measures.
4. Make appropriate differential diagnoses and specialist clinical decisions on evidence from assessment of complex cases.
5. To use / apply specialist knowledge to inform sound clinical judgements/decision making for case management, developing clear care plans based on best practice.
6. Use an understanding of how to develop and differentiate the curriculum in subject areas and develop communication schemes of work for the student population alongside school staff.
7. Work with feeder schools/services to support effective transition of students into and out of the school/setting.
8. Provide advice to others regarding the management and care of children and young people with a wide range of SLCN, Learning Disabilities, SEMH and ASD and DLD.
9. Work closely with children/young people, carers and families, in order to agree plan of management.
10. Deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible.
11. Employ excellent communication skills.
12. Demonstrate skills in motivating children/young people and /or carers to engage in the interventions, targets, and outcomes.
13. Employ counselling skills with carers/young people with highly complex needs.
14. Always maintain sensitivity to the emotional needs of children/young people when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the childs/young persons difficulties and implications of the same.
15. Manage children/young people with challenging behaviours including applying appropriate management strategies as designated by the commissioning provisions.
16. Monitor and review the progress of children/young people against the targets set and agreed, and to modify targets as appropriate.
17. Reflect on clinical practice both individually and with peers identifying strengths and needs and providing evidence of sound clinical judgements, based on research and evidence-based practice.
18. Demonstrate knowledge of current policies and practice in education and incorporate these into the model of working as appropriate e.g., the local offer.
19. Manage and prioritise a complex and specialist caseload under supervision, advising line manager on issues of service delivery including shortfall, service pressures etc.
20. Contribute to multi-agency assessment procedures as required, including Educational, Health and Social Care Plans.
21. Demonstrate good negotiation skills across a range of issues and situations, recognising and resolving potential breakdown and conflict when it occurs.
22. Ensure that children/young people are referred to other services as appropriate.
23. Contribute to Whittington Healths systems of clinical governance, developing innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical effectiveness in collaboration with others.
24. Be accountable for professional action and recognising professional boundaries and working within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct.
Liaison and Teamwork:
1. Contribute to the function of clinical teams both multi disciplinary and uni disciplinary by discussing own and others input around children/young peoples needs ensuring a well co-ordinated care plan.
2. Liaise and share information with health, educational and other professionals as appropriate, observing data protection guidelines.
3. Contribute to meetings, annual reviews, case conferences and co-production meetings, as appropriate, contributing to inter-agency / multi-agency team building and policy development where appropriate, e.g., education, social services and the voluntary sector.
4. Provide clinical placements for undergraduate, post graduate and MSc students training to be speech and language therapists, as required.
5. Undertake any other duties as required by the Head of Speech and Language Therapy, which may include a change in workplace.
ADMINISTRATION
1. Carry out administrative duties including activity data collection, updating this accurately and regularly, ensuring the provision of such information promptly within local Trust guidelines and GDPR compliance.
2. Be responsible for the security, care and maintenance of equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained including equipment loaned to clients.
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Participate in annual appraisal ensuring that the objectives set reflect the Service, School and organisational plans. Attend specialist short courses and advanced training in order to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a specialist SLT working in this field and maintain up to date HCPC and RCSLT registration. Contribute to team meetings and participate in in-service training as required.
Person Specification
Education, qualifications, training Essential
BSc. in Speech and Language Therapy or equivalent (including Dip. CST) Health and Care Professions Council Registration to Practice Registered Member of RCSLT
Desirable
Successful completion of specialist post graduate study relevant to communication and specific speech and language disorders e.g. DLD, SLCN, SEMH, ELKLAN etc.
Skills/abilities Essential
Of a specialist range of direct and indirect interventions relevant to communication demonstrating the evidence base for these approaches (where appropriate)
Desirable
Skills in delivering presentations and training, including basic adaptations to presentation/ training style for a range of audiences
Experience Essential
Of a specialist range of assessment tools and procedures to evaluate communication, speech & language skills relevant to communication and specific speech and language disorders
Desirable
Experience of delivering training to a range of audiences e.g., teachers, teaching assistants and specialist education and health professionals Experience of working at a specialist level with adolescents and/or clients with a range of speech, language and communication needs aged between 11-19
Knowledge Essential
Knowledge of the key characteristics leading to a specialist differential diagnosis between SLCN/SEMH/DLD/LD/ASD.
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 Whittington Hospital NHS Trust
Address Finsbury Health Centre
17 Pine Street
London
EC1R 0LP
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)