Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

An exciting new challenge has arisen for a highly specialist speech and language therapist (SALT) to join Oxleas NHS trust in our South West prisons. This is a brand-new service and we are looking for experienced Speech and Language Therapists to join our highly specialist multidisciplinary teams in the South West.

Our Speech Therapy team is split by region and consists of 5 Specialist Speech Therapists each responsible for 2 prisons. You will report directly to our Operational Lead SALT for the South West. You will play a key role in implementing our vision and integration into our established healthcare services.

As SALT's, you will complement our multidisciplinary team and bridge the gap between existing learning disability (LD) provision and offender healthcare services providing assessments, consultation, and co-working with complex clients with LD and autism who present a risk of harm to others. The service will also support service users with a complex mix of neurodevelopmental, speech, language, and communication, mental health, and intellectual disability needs who are high-risk, high-harm, high-vulnerability individuals.

This role is based across HMP's Bristol and Ashfield. You will work 1 day from HMP Bristol, 1 day from HMP Ashfield and 1 day from home/flexible. All travel expenses can be claimed through our mileage/expense system (Ts&Cs apply)

Main duties of the job

As a highly specialist Speech and Language therapist, you will provide specialist assessments and interventions for the neurodiverse population who have a variety of complex communication needs. Neurodiversity includes Autism, ADHD, Learning Disability, Acquired Brain Injury, and Dementia.

You will independently manage your own caseload, accessing clinical and managerial supervision on a regular basis. While doing so, you will act as part of a multi-disciplinary team and represent the Speech and Language Therapy Service within your region.

As a specialist in your field, you will provide specialist advice to prison officers, other speech and language therapists, professionals, and stakeholders within and outside of the Prison/Trust with regards to their specialist area, ensuring carers and family are involved in care where appropriate/possible.

This role will require you to provide compassionate, non-judgemental care that is based on empathy, kindness, respect, and dignity.

A prison tour is highly recommended prior to interview - shortlisted applicants will be contacted to arrange this.

About us

Oxleas - About Us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people living in South East London and Kent and to people in prison. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing, and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils, and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,000 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, children's centres, schools, and people's homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London, we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent, and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We're Kind
• We Listen
• We Care

Job responsibilities

• To provide specialist assessments and interventions for the neurodiverse population who have a variety of complex communication needs. Neurodiversity includes Autism, ADHD, Learning Disability, Acquired Brain Injury, and Dementia.
• To independently manage own caseload, accessing clinical and managerial supervision on a regular basis.
• To champion the SLT profession.
• To act as part of a multi-disciplinary team and represent the Speech and Language Therapy Service at Team/Directorate meetings/working parties.
• To provide specialist advice to prison officers, other speech and language therapists, professionals, and stakeholders within and outside of the Prison/Trust with regards to their specialist area, ensuring carers and family are involved in care where appropriate/possible.
• To provide compassionate, non-judgemental care that is based on empathy, kindness, respect, and dignity.

Management responsibilities

• To induct, train, review work performance and clinically supervise/appraise colleagues, as identified.
• To contribute to the development of Speech and Language Therapy Service policies and procedures, including participation in projects and quality improvement initiatives.
• To contribute to the service development through relevant meetings and working groups.
• To plan and deliver training courses for the prison, education, and healthcare staff.
• Communicate regularly through team meetings, Business meetings, clinical forums and individually with team members providing an opportunity for two-way feedback.
• Ensure that service users and carers opinions and experiences are being responded to at a team level.
• Clinical record keeping is of a consistent high standard and meets trust policy and practice guidance.

Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
• Health Care Professions Council - Licence to Practice
• Registered Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapist
• Completion of specialist short courses up to Masters Degree or equivalent.
• Positive Behaviour Support, social stories, completion of further education and/or CPD relating to Autism.

Experience

• Significant post graduate experience which demonstrates the competencies to meet the role requirements outlined in the JD
• Experience working with people with learning difficulties/disabilities, Autistic people
• Experience working with people who present with behaviour that may challenge services and/or a range of offending behaviours.
• Experience of working in secure settings
• Experience in mentoring/supporting less experienced staff/assistants.
• Specialist knowledge of working with complex cases in terms of dual diagnosis, behaviour that may challenge and social/environmental factors
• Skilled in use of alternative and augmentative communication systems

Skills

• Knowledge and skill in providing a range of SLT assessment approaches and therapeutic interventions for adults with learning disability and/or autistic people who may have additional barriers impacting their communication, such as mental health, trauma, discrimination and social factors.
• To have extensive experience/ training in active listening or motivational interviewing skills.

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.

Operational Lead Speech and Language Therapy