Adult Speech and Language Therapy Assistant Practitioner

NHS; Ashford, Margate; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job description

Adult Speech and Language Therapy Assistant Practitioner

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

Join our friendly team as an Adult Speech and Language Therapy Assistant Practitioner

We have 2 part-time Band 4 positions available at 30 hours per week each. (We may consider appointing at band 3 as a development post). One post will be working in our Thanet/Dover/Deal team based at Millmead Children's Centre, Margate. The other post will be working in our Ashford South Kent team based at St. Stephen's Health Centre, Ashford. We're looking for two people who are passionate about helping adults with communication and swallowing difficulties. You'll be working closely with our friendly, supportive team of Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) in a community setting, providing high-quality care to our adult patients in east Kent.

If you tick these boxes then this could be the perfect opportunity for you:

• Have experience (or a keen interest) in working with people who have swallowing and/or communication challenges
• Are a great communicator (both speaking and listening, non-verbal too!)
• Are organised and able to manage your own workload, but also love working as part of a team
• Have at least 18 months of experience in healthcare or education, including a year working in the community

Main duties of the job

The job will include:

• Carrying out reviews of patients' swallowing and implementing strategies to help them eat and drink safely.
• Carrying out communication therapy with individuals and groups.
• Helping patients to effectively use low- and high-tech communication aids through preparing and programming the aids and supporting the patient and their family/carers in their use.

In this role, you'll get to take initiative, manage your day-to-day tasks independently, and receive regular support and guidance from our registered SLTs. You'll also be part of a wider team of therapy assistants across East and West Kent. We really value motivated, creative problem-solvers and are excited to offer the right person the chance to grow with us in this fulfilling role.

A few things to know:

• You'll need to be able to travel across different areas, so having a car is a must.
• You will need evidence of Foundation Degree Level study (Level 5) or equivalent experience as well as functional skills at Level 2 for literacy and numeracy (GCSE grade A-C or equivalent in English and Maths)

About us

Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we've got a passion for delivering high standards of patient care and excellent services to improve the health of our communities. To do this we need outstanding people who share our values: compassionate, aspirational, responsive, excellent.

We know a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion leads to better patient care and a happier workforce. We pride ourselves on being diverse and welcome applications from people with varied backgrounds, perspectives and experiences.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want you to be able to work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Talk to us about a flexible working arrangement that won't involve sacrificing time for personal interests or family commitments. We'll support you to work flexibly in a way that will suit us both.

Job responsibilities

Job responsibilities

The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.

Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.

At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Evidence of Foundation Degree Level study (Level 5) or equivalent experience
• Functional Skills at Level 2 (Literacy and numeracy/ GCSE grade A-C or equivalent in English and Maths)

Experience

• Minimum of 18 months experience working within a healthcare or education setting of which 1 years' experience is within a community setting
• Experience of working as part of a team
• Experience of communicating with and supporting people with communication difficulties.
• Experience of supporting people with dysphagia

Skills

• Moderate IT skills and experience with the use of Microsoft Office and a variety of IT packages (E-Pay / E-roster/ TAPS / Rio)
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills (verbal and written)
• Ability to organise and prioritise own work, manage own time and use own initiative

Knowledge

• Understands the role and remit of a band 4 Assistant Practitioner

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.

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Millmead Children's Centre in Margate and St Stephen's HC in Ashford

£26,530 to £29,114 a year pro rata per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

846-7113322-UJ

Job locations

Millmead Children's Centre in Margate and St Stephen's HC in Ashford