Specialist Children's Speech and Language Therapist

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust

About

Why Choose Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT)?

We understand that whether you’re just starting out or have plenty of experience, moving jobs can be both exciting and daunting, but you’ve made a great choice in considering joining Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT). We are an exceptional place to work with remarkable teams of hard working and dedicated clinical and non-clinical staff all delivering high standards of patient care.

Operating on an ethos of ‘One Culture of Care’, where we look after each other with the same care and compassion that we show to our patients, colleague engagement, and creating an open, honest and inclusive organisation is high on our agenda. Colleague engagement is about listening to each other and sharing our ideas so that we take action which improves patient care and the organisation that we work in. We want to create a place of work that feels open, and honest; where colleagues aren’t shy about saying how they feel, where they can make suggestions and where they know they will be supported if they pick up on other people’s behaviour that isn’t OK.

Our values and behaviours; ‘put the people first’, ‘do the must do’s’, ‘work together to get results’, and ‘go-see’ underpin our strategy and our culture: every step of the way we support one another to grow, develop, learn, and contribute, to ensure all colleagues are able to look after each other, and ultimately, our patients.

We’re Ambitious

We are an ambitious trust and are continuing to make significant changes to the way we work and provide our services in order to meet the expectations of 21st century care. In fact, we’ve recently received capital funding of £196.5 million to support the creation of two state-of-the-art hospitals by 2025 to meet the needs of the local community. So it’s never been a more exciting time to join us as we move into the next phase of our transformation journey.

We have Great Benefits

In addition to helping make a real difference to your local community, we offer a wide range of benefits to all staff.

We’re Charitable

Our CHFT NHS Charity allows donations from colleagues, patients and the community to allow us to purchase specialised equipment, improve our environments, support our staff and provide those all-important personal touches to our services that are over and above what NHS funding supports.

Key details

Location

Site: Broad St/Princess Royal Community
Address: Northgate / Greenhead Road
Town: Halifax/Huddersfield
Postcode: HX1 1UB
Major / Minor Region: West Yorkshire

Contract type & working pattern

Contract: Permanent
Hours: 37.5 hours per week (up to 37.5 hours)

• Full time
• Flexible working

Salary

Salary: £35,392 - £42,618 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 6

Specialty

Main area: Paediatrics
Interview date: 30/01/2025

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics.

We are committed to recruiting to our values. Leading One Culture of Care underpins our values by creating an environment, tone and behaviours across all parts of the Trust that are fundamentally rooted in compassionate care.

We are open to considering a wide range of flexible working arrangements. There are opportunities to flex the days of the week, hours and times of work and place of work including: part-time, job-share, flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home when appropriate. Please talk to us during the interview process to discuss any flexibility that you may require.

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity for a Speech and Language Therapist to join our innovative and motivated Children’s Therapy team in Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. The service consists of Speech and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and therapy assistants. We have team bases in both Halifax and Huddersfield; the post holder may work from either base.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To manage own specialist caseload in this area.
Work autonomously within Trust policies and professional practice, maintaining accurate and comprehensive up to date records.
To carry out specialist assessment and treatment of children with complex needs, with the aim of using education and advice to facilitate children/young people and carers to understand and actively participate in the management of the condition, leading to safe and timely discharges and transfer of care.
Determine a clinical diagnosis, develop, deliver, implement, evaluate and modify individualised treatment programmes and/or provide specialist advice, ensuring appropriate pathways of care and communication via liaison and referral to other agencies as required.
Take part in the education and training of Speech and Language Therapists and qualified and non-qualified healthcare/social services/education staff including medical staff.
To support and advise within the wider MDT on the delivery of the service.

Our vision is to provide One Culture of Care for one another in order that we can provide compassionate care for the people who use our services. We are passionate about creating a workplace where we work together to get results, encouraging colleagues to have their say, in order to co-create the change we want to see. We take pride in the diversity of our workforce; that’s why we encourage applications from all. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants.

Please ensure your application is submitted with referees who can verify your employment/education history over the last three years and include valid email addresses for them. We will request electronic Factual Employment References from your previous employers. These references will be requested before you are issued with an unconditional offer of employment letter.

If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system. The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable, will be transferred from your current/most recent employer.

This is a condition of your employment.

CHFT is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaborative of the NHS hospital trusts from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate working together to provide the best possible care for our patients.

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.

Person specification

QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING

Essential criteria

• Relevant Degree/Diploma
• Registered with HPC / NMC
• Evidence of Postgraduate Training

Desirable criteria

• Clinical Educator Training
• Member of Professional Body
• Studied at Masters level or equivalent

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE

Essential criteria

• Recent experience demonstrating ability to assess, treat and evaluate care in paediatrics
• Good Clinical Reasoning skills
• Evidence of CPD, self-directed learning and Reflective Practice
• Awareness of relevant Legislation, NSF’S/ Local and National initiatives
• Understanding of Clinical Governance
• Critical Appraisal Skills
• Ability to maintain legible and accurate records
• Knowledge of relevant legislation, NSF’s and local/National initiatives
• Evidence of recent experience of working with children with complex needs including neurological, behavioural and sensory disorders
• Knowledge of child development and a range of common paediatric conditions
• Ability to carry out specialist assessments and treatments and evaluate intervention in terms of quality and outcomes for children and their families
• Evidence of up to date best practice in paediatrics
• Knowledge and experience of the principles and practice of partnership working within an integrated team
• Ability to organise, prioritise and delegate appropriately using knowledge of blurred boundary/competency frameworks
• Knowledge and understanding of national and local priorities pertaining to children

Desirable criteria

• Experience of developing others
• Experience in contributing to service improvements e.g. Audit, patient information etc.
• Experience in dealing with complaints (e.g. diffusing complaint or investigating complaint)
• Experience in supervising and training others
• Carrying out PDR’s
• Teaching/Presentation skills
• Attendance at relevant Special Interest Groups
• Previous experience working at Band 6 level with children with complex needs including neurological, behavioural and sensory disorders
• Relevant Accredited Postgraduate Training
• Experience of delivering training packages

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)

Essential criteria

• Demonstrates positive attitude and behaviours
• Excellent Time Management skills
• Ability to communicate effectively with people with complex difficulties and in difficult situations
• Ability to identify and articulate own training needs
• Self motivated with ability to work independently and influence others
• Excellent Team Player
• Ability to work in a stressful environment and concentrate in conditions requiring emotional demands
• Ability to recognise own limitations and have a willingness to share and learn skills from others
• Ability to prioritise own and others caseloads
• Ability to make decisions and problem solve when dealing with routine situations

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: Joanne Suggitt
Job title: Team leader Children's Therapy Services
Email address: [email protected]
Telephone number: 01422 261340