Job summary
The Speech and Language Therapy Department at Kingston Hospital are pleased to offer this exciting role to lead and develop the Speech and Language Therapy service within Critical Care.

The successful candidate will be a strong team player, be highly motivated and flexible, with a commitment to new ways of working and have an innovative approach to patient care and service delivery.

Experience in acute and critical care is essential. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate highly developed skills in the management of dysphagia and acquired communication disorders and be a competent practitioner with FEES, although we will consider applicants will limited experience. There will be some leadership responsibilities within the Speech and Language Therapy Department, so experience of supervising / line managing other SLTs would be an advantage. Other key responsibilities may include leading videofluoroscopy, running training sessions, deputising for the Principal SLT and covering acute medical caseload as required. The successful candidate will have post-graduate specialist experience in swallowing and communication disorders, including tracheostomy, FEES and videofluoroscopy skills. They will have a proven track record of working as an autonomous SLT within a multi-disciplinary team. You should have recent and relevant experience in an acute setting with a high volume, high throughput caseload and be able to work well under pressure.

Main duties of the job
To provide an effective and evidenced-based Speech & Language service to adult in-patients with communication and / or swallowing difficulties within the critical care, medical and surgical settings. This will include patients on ventilators and with tracheostomy tubes in-situ. The post-holder will be expected to co-ordinate seamlessly with other SLT teams within the Trust to provide prompt and timely management of acute patients, according to the demand of services. The post holder will work as a highly specialist, autonomous practitioner, independently prioritising and managing an in-patient caseload. The role will also have responsibility for overseeing the management of caseloads of more junior members of staff within the SLT department. Participation in the development and monitoring of the SLT service to medicine, surgery will be required.

About us
Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust has four key values and we want to employ and work with people who share these values and demonstrate behaviours that support them. They are:

• Compassionate- We treat everyone with kindness, understanding and empathy
• Inclusive- We are respectful, fair and open, valuing everyone's unique contribution
• Collaborative-We work together across our teams and with our partners and are helpful, positive and supportive
• Inspiring- We strive for the best for patients, communities, staff and partners and are always learning and improving

Job description
***Please see the attached supporting document/s (JD) which contains more information about the role in the job description and person specification***

NB: ensure any supporting statements align with the job description and person specification, as your application will be assessed against these criteria.

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Extensive experience of SLT practice post-graduation with adults with acquired communication and swallowing disorders
• Relevant SLT practice within an acute hospital environment
• Competent in the areas of Dysphagia, Dysphasia and Dysarthria
• Competent in Tracheostomy management, including management of ventilator dependent patients

Skills
Essential

• Specialist SLT skills in the area of Dysphagia
• Specialist SLT skills in Tracheostomy
• Ability to formulate independent clinical decisions underpinned by evidence-based practice
• Demonstrates ability to be a team player
• Demonstrates a high level of reflective practice
• Experience of developing and running quality improvement projects

Education/Qualifications
Essential

• Recognised degree or equivalent in Speech & Language Therapy
• Registered with and member of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists (RCSLT) and the Health Professions Council (HCPC); HCPC licence to practice and eligible for full RCSLT register
• Successful completion of highly specialist / expert short courses in the interpretation of Videofluoroscopy and / or FEES
• Completion of post graduate study / qualification in swallowing (accredited course) and tracheostomy e.g. tracheostomy management, laryngectomy, cervical auscultation, etc

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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).