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Location

Hove, East Sussex | United Kingdom

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Job description

Job overview

An opportunity has arisen for 0.6WTE Advanced Speech and Language Therapist to join our expanding service to provide input into Dementia and Adult Mental Health wards at Uckfield Hospital (Dementia) and Langley Green Hospital (AMH wards, including Older People's Mental Health. You will also support the wider SLT team across the whole of Sussex (a lot of this work is virtual).

We are looking for dedicated, enthusiastic individuals, with specialist clinical experience in mental health and/or dementia. If you are without experience of working in these settings, but you can demonstrate transferrable skills, personal experience and/or a passion and curiosity for learning you will also be considered. You will be working across wards, into multi-disciplinary teams and alongside your SLT peers across the county. If you'd like to be involved in the design and delivery of your service, then this is the post for you and you will be able to work with your SLT colleagues to consider current evidence, current and best practice, and together we will use this to further enhance the provision of SLT

We are also able to offer this post as a band 6 - band 7 development opportunity.

Main duties of the job

The SLT service is a small team of SLTs working across the county. We accept referrals for dysphagia and communication via a central SLT referral inbox. Referrals are managed via a duty system (rota) and you will be on referral triage at least one day per week. You will offer dysphagia assessments to patients and this can be face to face or, on occasion, virtual. You will provide language assessment to support differential diagnosis; to support with capacity assessments and decision-making; to support patients to engage in their treatment and care plans.

You will use electronic systems in a methodical and timely way to capture your clinical input for the safety and effectiveness of your patients.

You will contribute to the continuous development of the service, bringing creative solutions, a flexible attitude and an open and positive mindset, always with the patient's wellbeing at the centre of everything you do.

Your working week will consist of a blend of home working, ward visits, MDT working and SLT team meetings both virtually and face to face.

In addition to regular supervision we offer a variety of additional networking and CPD opportunities such as peer support/journal groups, membership of Clinical Excellence Networks to develop your specialty, leadership training and support to be a key player in our innovative and progressive services, with Speech & Language Therapy being considered as core to multi-disciplinary working.

Working for our organisation

We provide mental health and learning disability care for children, young people and adults across Sussex and for children and young people in Hampshire.

Working in Sussex:

• Travel easily between coast and countryside, with a blend of picturesque villages and seaside towns there's always new experiences to be enjoyed

• Embrace the city life with great access to visit Brighton and London

• With easy access to Gatwick and Heathrow and excellent railway links across the UK there is plenty of opportunity for adventure

We'd love you to join our organisation that is rated 'good' overall and 'outstanding' for caring by the Care Quality Commission. Our staff agree, with 82% of people in our recent staff survey telling us that they recognise that care for patients is our top priority.

Other key staff survey results include:

• 70% highlighting flexible working opportunities as a key point for satisfaction at work

• 79% reporting feeling able to make suggestions to improve the work within their team

• 77% identifying the opportunities to show initiative in their roles

See the attached 'Partnership Perks' document for details about our benefits package.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

B7 specialist speech and language therapy post for inpatient mental health services based in Hove; second post covering North of W Sussex or E Sussex. The post holder will need to demonstrate relevant post qualification experience and a recognised knowledge of dementia/ mental health. The post holder will be expected to provide the specialist speech and language therapy service for individuals referred for dysphagia and/or complex communication and they will also be expected to develop and provide a comprehensive learning and development programme for ward staff. This work will be multi-disciplinary in nature and the post holder would be part of the local Dementia wards and adult mental health ward teams.

The post holder will need to demonstrate post qualification experience and knowledge of SLT in a Mental Health setting; a special interest in Mental Health may be considered.

We are also able to offer this post as a band 6 - band 7 development opportunity.

See attached JD for further details

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Licence to practice as a Speech & Language Therapist
• HPC registration

Knowledge/Experience

Essential criteria

• Extensive experience as a qualified SLT
• Broad experience of working with clients with a range of abilities and disabilities
• Experience of both group and individual work
• Experience of multidisciplinary working
• Experience of supervising staff and students
• Experience in a clinical area related to the post
• Experience of multi-agency work
• Experience in applying a range of assessment tools and a comprehensive knowledge of relevant SLT clinical approaches
• Audit experience
• Experience of service development
• Expert knowledge of SLT assessments and interventions including dysphagia

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children's social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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Job tags

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Salary

£35.39k - £50.06k per annum