Highly Specialist SLT – Paediatric & Neonatal Care inChertsey inChertsey PUBLISHED MON 20 JAN 2025

We are looking for a Band 7 highly specialist speech and language therapist to cover a maternity leave post on our Level 3 Neonatal Care Unit. The post holder will work closely with the band 8 speech and language therapist to provide highly specialist speech and language services within the neonatal unit, transitional care and when required to the paediatric ward. This will involve supporting the babies, their families and the MDT as well as service development and delivering training.

We are a friendly, dynamic and supportive unit where the successful candidate will work closely within the multidisciplinary neonatal therapies team, and support holistic developmental care, FiCare and BFI approaches in NICU. The post holder will be an active member of The Kent, Surrey and Sussex Network and be able to access regular supervision and career development.

Although this is a full time post we are open to flexible working and applicants considering a part time role.

This role is incredibly well supported by our Clinical Lead Paeds and Neonates SLT. We would be able to support with training needs and welcome applicants who need some upskilling.

Please contact Gemma Borkowski, Clinical Lead for Speech and Language Therapy ) if you have any questions or would like to visit.

• To provide a high-quality speech and language therapy service to premature and term babies in NICU (level 3), transitional care and paediatric inpatients on Ash ward.
• To assess and provide evidence-based interventions addressing the feeding and/or communication needs of babies and children with developmental, neurological and medical needs.
• To be an integral member of the AHP team within the neonatal unit and wider Multidisciplinary Teams (MDT) within St Peter's hospital.
• To deliver high quality training to parents and the MDT to help manage risk and improve developmental outcomes.
• To offer mentorship and /or supervision to more junior colleagues and SLT students within the department as agreed with the Clinical Lead.
• To deputise in the absence of senior colleagues as required in both management and clinical areas.
• To support the Clinical Lead SLT in the running and development of the speech and language service through audit, development of policies, procedures and guidelines using evidence-based practise.

About us

Main Responsibilities

To be an autonomous practitioner in managing a complex caseload across both NICU, transitional care and the paediatric ward.

To use advanced clinical assessment and reasoning skills and evidence based knowledge to assess patients with highly complex conditions, and to formulate prognoses and recommendations in line with national and trust clinical guidelines, protocols and pathways.

To formulate and deliver individual plans based on advanced clinical knowledge of current practice, evidence-based practice and treatment options.

To be able to read babies behavioural cues and handle neonates with complex presentations appropriately.

To be able to utilise or refer onto specialist investigations (e.g. VFSS/FEEs) to assist assessment and to plan the most appropriate interventions.

To make appropriate referrals to other services and clinicians based on assessment and investigation findings, and by having an in-depth understanding of the role of others in the multidisciplinary team.

To ensure effective discharge planning as part of a patients management, liaising with the MDT as appropriate, both locally and network wide and making onward referrals to community services.

To deliver high quality training to parents and the wider MDT to increase awareness and skill development to promote developmental outcomes.

To provide clinical leadership, supervision and support for other therapies in the team, offering second opinions when required.

To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible, in line with trust policy.

To contribute to the setting and monitoring of standards, policies and evidence based guidelines for clinical practice for the neonatal and paediatric service and evaluate outcomes.

To achieve and maintain a high standard of clinical care using evidence based practice; working with the Clinical Lead to ensure that the service responds to local and national initiatives and policy such as NICE guidelines and other appropriate service standards.

To keep up to date with clinical developments; analysing current research; accessing network groups, discussing and implementing changes in clinical practice and encouraging this throughout the team.

To participate in the writing of evidence based clinical guidelines and protocols as appropriate to the speciality and for regularly reviewing and updating those guidelines.

To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of professional activities working within codes of practice and professional guidelines.

To be recognise boundaries of own practise and be aware of risks involved as part of delivering clinical care and manage this within own patient case load.

To be able to reflect on self, patient care and evaluate the service, informing service development.

To play an active role in safeguarding, to attend safeguarding conferences/meetings and initiate referrals, as necessary to ensure the physical and emotional safety of children and adults.

To evaluate current practices in own work, based on research findings, evidence based projects, audits and the use of recognised outcome measures, to ensure that quality standards and effectiveness of patient care are continually monitored and improved.

Leadership/ Managerial

To contribute to the overall strategic view of neonatal therapy services at ASPH and monitor and evaluate key metrics.

To monitor more junior staffs mandatory/statutory training to ensure compliance with Trust targets.

To maintain the high standards of the service by contributing to the individual team and service objectives.

To be able to prioritise clinical and managerial work and balance other patient related and professional activities as the department requires.

To ensure team working within the department, assisting other members to effectively prioritise, plan and manage their caseloads.

To be able to manage potentially stressful and upsetting or emotional situations in an empathetic manner.

To supervise junior staff, therapy assistants, students and apprentices where appropriate.

To participate in the appraisal scheme as an appraiser as required and appraise.

To liaise with the Clinical Lead regarding business planning and staffing requirements for the service.

To demonstrate a high level of understanding of clinical governance and clinical risk.

To initiate audit and lead projects to develop services and relationships in line with recent NHS initiatives, unit projects and the Neonatal Working Groups.

To identify and liaise with the Clinical Lead regarding recommendations for the purchase and use of new equipment, based on evaluation of need, evidence for use and cost/benefit analysis.

To deputise for Clinical Lead as required.

To be actively involved in unit initiatives, clinical excellence networks, special interest groups and network working groups in order to share and disseminate knowledge to colleagues.

To promote and role model Developmental Care and FiCare on the unit and within the neonatal network.

To provide student placement opportunities and learning opportunities for other SLTs to develop awareness and aid succession planning.

To take part in the Trust, Division and Departments clinical governance, risk management and quality programmes as required.

Information and reporting

To be able to collect data effectively and in a timely manner in line with local, network and national initiatives.

To maintain accurate records in line with the RCSLT, HCPC, Trust and service standards and policies.

Technology or system support

To be responsible for the accurate input of clinical information onto the trust IT system and manage diaries where appropriate.To keep up to date with advances in technology.

Service improvement

To evaluate your own clinical effectiveness.To undertake and present relevant evidence based projects.To regularly participate in and lead on appropriate work related research/evaluation projects and to be aware of current research relevant to the speciality.To participate in and initiate clinical audit and the evaluation of clinical effectiveness in line with Trust Policies.

Feedback to appropriate stakeholders on the results, trends of audits and research undertaken

Communications and Engagement

To communicate effectively with all disciplines involved in a patients care, both those from within the organisation and those outside to ensure efficient multidisciplinary working.To be able to communicate effectively complex and sensitive information to patients, carers and other staff including imparting unwelcome news.

To communicate complex information in an understandable form to parents/carers and the MDT.

To be able to share knowledge with parents/carers in a way that facilitates understanding of their condition and allows informed participation in planning the management of their condition.

To demonstrate empathy to patient, parents, carers and colleagues ensuring effective communication is achieved particularly where barriers to understanding exist e.g. where English is not the main language spoken at home.

Use advanced and innovative interpersonal skills of negotiation, persuasion and conflict resolution to encourage patients and/or caregivers that may be unwilling to participate in treatment.

To assess carers understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.To use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively and sensitively with carers in order to progress treatment programmes.To communicate any changes in care plan or treatment approach to other MDT members as necessary.To attend staff meetings and actively participate ensuring understanding of information imparted.To initiate and maintain good contact with local service users i.e. external GPs and internal hospital consultants for the benefit of patients.To provide advice to other disciplines both internally and externally to ensure a multidisciplinary approach to care.

General responsibilities

To have responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of self and others at work. This includes being conversant with relevant trust safety policies and procedures. To report incidents and near misses at work; take part in the risk management process; attend all mandatory training courses in the agreed duration as defined by trust policy and carry out tasks and use equipment only when competent to do so.

To ensure confidentiality at all times, only releasing confidential information obtained during the course of employment to those acting in an official capacity. To comply with the requirements of the Data Protection act.

To comply with the trusts corporate and local policies and procedures on such subjects and clinical management and human resources.

To ensure that patients, clients and members of the public are consulted and involved in decisions about local health service developments. As a trust employee to be mindful of this and do what is appropriate to the role and level meet this duty of responsibility.

To undertake such other duties as may be required from time to time and are consistent with the responsibilities of the role.

To comply with the trusts policies on equal opportunities, the consumption of alcohol and smoking.

To support the department and organisation by carrying out any other duties that reasonably fit within the broad scope of a job of this grade and type of work.