Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist - Bristol

Job summary

Do you bring passion and commitment to delivering high quality care? Do you understand the clinical and sensory needs of people with a Learning Disability and or Autism? If so this role will provide you with a rare and exciting career opportunity to be part of our new service implementation.

Avon and Wiltshire Partnership (AWP) are looking for an exceptional person to provide leadership to deliver our vision for excellent care for people with a learning disability and autistic people in our specialist acute inpatient mental health service and outreach team.

We are working with SW NHSE to provide a new inpatient unit as part of the transformation of end to end pathways in the region. We aim to be a centre of excellence. The services are being designed and developed with clinicians and people with lived experience. We expect to open in 2025. Until then, you will be employed to work as a core member of the project team until opening. You will be instrumental in the development, implementation and delivery of the clinical and operational model for the inpatient service.

We will support you to develop your knowledge and skills and to further develop your operational and management leadership skills as part of the expanding expertise in learning disabilities and neurodiversity within AWP making this an exciting career opportunity.

Main duties of the job

• Ability to recognise and manage challenging situations in a calm, empathetic and professional manner.
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework of assessment, formulation and treatment/intervention.
• We are looking to recruit an experienced and highly specialist Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) to work with our outreach team, as part of an innovative and purpose-built new unit for people with a learning disability and autistic people who require specialist inpatient mental health services.
• The kingfisher will form part of a regional service and you will work closely with speech and language therapists within AWPs existing network as well as colleagues across the South West region. As part of a new service, you will be involved in developing and evaluating the speech and language therapy service to deliver high quality including participation in audit, research, and clinical governance.
• You will offer assessment and intervention for people who have complex communication needs as well as working with the wider team to share skills, identify training needs, and provide input into formulation.

About us

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Date posted: 24 February 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 7

Salary: £46,148 to £52,809 a year

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: 342-SS021-0225

Job locations: Blackberry Hill Hospital, Manor Road, Bristol, BS16 2EW

Job responsibilities

• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
• To monitor and review the effectiveness of the clinical work undertaken either personally or jointly with other members of the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to ensure that it reflects the best available evidence for practice.
• To participate in data collection, audit, service evaluation and clinical research designed to improve the understanding and effectiveness of services delivered to patients. This will be agreed with the Trust according to clinical governance guidelines and in agreement with the post-holder's service and professional managers.
• To undertake project management, including clinical audit and service evaluation to help develop service provision.
• To disseminate research from work that the post-holder has been involved in a way that will benefit the services provided by the Trust. This will include feedback from any training opportunities that the post-holder has been able to attend as part of their employment with the Trust.
• To work with the MDT to develop and maintain a philosophy of care for SLT services in line with service and pathway objectives.
• To develop a range of therapeutic interventions and care protocols which relate directly to the service philosophy or specific clinical issues. To regularly review the delivery of the service, working with service managers to look at changes and new initiatives, both national and local, to ensure that the service remains needs led. Including looking at strategies for caseload management.
• To undertake relevant research and audit, utilising this to assist development of service delivery according to patient need. In addition, to be involved in clinical governance/audit projects.
• To propose and contribute to the development of local clinical guidelines and procedures related to this specialist clinical area for SLT.
• Promote multi-disciplinary and inter-agency liaison, collaborative practice and policy development within BNSSG, the Trust and wider agencies.
• Advise line managers and other members of the MDT on issues of service delivery including shortfalls, service pressures, clinical evidence base, guidelines etc.
• To ensure that all interventions reflect current SLT best practice and adhere to professional standards.
• To assess, develop and implement highly specialist programmes of care and treatment to meet the needs of all patients, including highly complex cases, offering direct interventions for highly complex patients, indirect programmes carried out by other members of the team supported by the SLT for those with less complex needs, and developing, then supporting universal strategies for use by members of the MDT.
• To use assessment material and information to offer differential diagnosis in patients with highly complex presentations and needs.
• To be involved in the development and implementation of outcome measures for all therapeutic interventions.
• To work collaboratively with the patients clinical team towards shared treatment goals with clear structured care plans. This will involve negotiation with others around complex case management.
• To maintain notes and provide reports on clients communication to clinical teams both within the Trust and upon discharge in line with Service, Trust and professional guidelines and policies.
• To lead in the delivery of a comprehensive and effective speech and language therapy service.
• To access appropriate training and supervision to maintain and improve skills in dysphagia assessment and treatment.
• To educate, train and share skills with other members of staff involved in the patients care.
• Demonstrate highly developed auditory and perceptual skills in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of highly complex patients.
• Exposure to aggressive behaviour of patients and carers.
• Frequent and prolonged exposure to highly distressing or highly emotional circumstances. The backgrounds and presentation of many clients can present exceptional challenges both in working with the patients, in managing personal emotional responses and those of others e.g. carers.

Please refer to the full Job Description

Person Specification

Education and Qualification

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy degree qualification
• Registered with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Registered member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)
• Recognised post-graduate dysphagia qualification or accredited training and competency Level C of the RCSLT Dysphagia Competency Framework (Specialist level dysphagia practitioner) or a willingness to undertake training.

• Post-qualifying education/CPD in areas relevant to the post including learning disabilities, and mental health
• In-depth knowledge of a range of highly specialist therapeutic interventions relevant to the complex needs of the client group
• Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Network(s) and Special Interest Groups

Experience

• Clear evidence of work-based learning to demonstrate specialist clinical skills.
• Significant post graduate experience of working in dysphagia with a range of client groups.
• Experience of speech and language assessment and treatment of service users across a range of specialist care settings, including Mental Health, Learning Disabilities, Neurodiversity, Forensic, and Dementia.
• Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience of compiling and using accessible information and appropriate range of IT skills to support this.

• Experience in conducting instrumental dysphagia assessment (e.g. video fluoroscopy, FEES)

Knowledge

• Knowledge of a range of assessment tools, therapeutic interventions/management strategies relevant to the service user group and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits of each.
• Specialist knowledge of dealing with complex cases in terms of multiple mental and physical health diagnoses, presentation and the effects of the environment.
• Knowledge of clinical evidence base and relevant literature.

• Experience in delivery of structured groups
• Experience of working with people with a range of mental health conditions including personality disorder and/or challenging behaviour
• Knowledge of relevant legislation in relation to the service user group and mental health.

Skills and Abilities

• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Understanding of clinical risk management and the ability to manage this.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the RCSLT.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to work with a high level of autonomy, within professional boundaries, seeking support from more senior clinicians where necessary.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Good time management and prioritization skills.

• Good presentation and teaching/training skills.

Other Requirements

• Ability to recognise and manage challenging situations in a calm, empathetic and professional manner.

• Experience of working within a multicultural framework of assessment, formulation and treatment/intervention.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

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

Employer details

Employer name: Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Address: Blackberry Hill Hospital, Manor Road, Bristol, BS16 2EW

Employer's website: http://www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)