Principal Speech and Language Therapist - Neurodevelopmental services inBrighton inBrighton PUBLISHED WED 20 NOV 2024

Are you a specialist Speech and Language therapist who is passionate about neurodiversity?

We are seeking a Principal SLT who specialises in neurodiversity to lead our SLT service across the neurodevelopmental diagnostic pathway and our Transforming Care autism team in Sussex.

You will be a core member of the diagnostic teams and will be directly working with autistic people who are at risk of admission or already in acute inpatient care and who would benefit from being understood through an autistic/neurodiverse lens to minimise their length of stay, reduce restrictive practices and establish long term housing and support needs.

We pride ourselves in neuroaffirmative practice as a service and actively welcome applications from neurodivergent SLTs, people with other protected characteristics and people with lived experience.

in this role you will be :

working with the MDT in assessing for neurodevelopmental conditions and making differential diagnoses with Speech, Language and communication needs.

supervising other SLTs in the team or the Trust with your expertise in neurodevelopmental conditions.

providing direct assessment and interventions as part of our Transforming care autism team.

leading the development of the SLT service and ensuring SLT is fully part of the MDT.

About us

The principal SLT role provides strategic and day to day leadership to the neurodevelopmental assessment service and the Transforming care autism team together with clinical expertise in Speech, Language and Communication assessment in the field of neurodevelopmental services and mental health.

The principal SLT is a core member of the NDS senior leadership team and SLT mental health leadership team.

Core role:

• Developing a clear account of the role of SLT in the ND assessment process within limited resources and working with the leadership team to address this.
• Contributing fully to the ongoing development of an all age ND pathway with the ICB.
• Leading and developing the role of SLT in the Transforming care autism team as part of the MDT.
• This role requires the need for flexibility to visit and assess patients who are, occasionally, out of area.
• Hold a clinical caseload of autistic people aged 14 years plus with complex mental health needs.

Job Purpose:

Continue to establish the role of SLT is in NDS assessments within SPFT working collaboratively with SLT leads across Divisions and services.

Work with the NDS leadership team and the ICB to build business cases for additional resources to be able to deliver the NHSE operational model for NDS assessments as part of the developing all age ND pathway in the ICB.

Establish a clear pathway for SLT assessment and differential diagnosis of communication need within the ND assessment process across divisions and services.

Lead the SLT team in the Transforming care autism service - developing the service further and providing clinical and professional supervision to other SLTs in the service.

Provide joint supervision to SLTs with the service manager regarding caseload management and prioritisation.

Clinical supervision of other SLTs within TCAT and those working in other services contributing to ND assessments as required/ agreed with Clinical lead NDS.

To hold a specialist caseload of autistic people with complex mental health needs in TCAT.

To develop support and training to upskill others in recognising and managing risks in relation to eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties and making referrals as needed.

To ensure appropriate referrals for eating, drinking, swallowing assessments are made if required.

To develop and deliver training programmes as required in relation to social communication needs relating to autism and other ND conditions in order build capacity in the wider system.