Principal Specialist Speech and Language Therapist Cleft Palate & VPD

Job summary

A vacancy has arisen in Trent Regional Cleft Network for a highly specialised Principal Speech and Language Therapist in the area of cleft palate and related disorders.

This post will either be at Band 8a or Band 7 (with potential for development to Band 8a) dependent on experience.

The post holder will be employed by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to contribute to a service level agreement to deliver SLT services to Trent Cleft Network hosted by Nottingham University Hospitals. The post will be based at the Trent Regional Cleft Centre, situated on the Nottingham City Hospital Campus.

Trent Regional Cleft Network supports children and adults with cleft lip and palate and related disorders across a large geographical area covering Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Scunthorpe and Grimsby. The service caters for approximately 80-100 new cleft births per year.

Nottingham SLT Service (hosted by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust) is a large paediatric department with a range of specialist therapists, training opportunities & professional support.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work closely with the regional lead SLT and a team of specialist SLTs across the region, to provide an effective regional cleft SLT service.

They will act as the specialist managing the cleft caseload for an agreed area of the region. They will work closely with local SLT services across the region to ensure clients with cleft receive the highest standards of care.

The post-holder will be required to deputise for the Lead SLT for Trent Regional Cleft Network as necessary.

The post holder will be an integral member of the multidisciplinary cleft team working closely with the surgeons, orthodontists, nurses and psychologists to ensure holistic care-planning.

The successful applicant will need to have excellent communication and organisational skills, broad paediatric experience, specialist knowledge & skills in the area of cleft palate and velopharyngeal dysfunction and an ability to motivate others. They will need to be highly motivated and compassionate with excellent team-working skills.

The post is likely to be required to work on an outreach basis across the region for up to 50% of the time. A current driving license and a willingness to travel and work away from the base is therefore essential.

Owing to existing clinic arrangements, a commitment to working on Friday will be essential.

The post would suit an existing specialist or someone who can show an outstanding commitment to developing their skills and knowledge in this area.

About us

#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.

We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.

The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.

Job responsibilities

1. To take a lead role in the assessment and treatment of a highly specialised caseload of patients/clients with cleft palate and related disorders.
2. To be autonomous and responsible for the assessment, formulation and management of a highly specialist clinical caseload ensuring evidence-based practice.
3. To coordinate SLT care plans for children and adults with cleft lip & palate / velopharyngeal disorder in a designated area of Trent Regional Cleft Network.
4. To act as a key member of the multidisciplinary cleft team, provide regular clinical input to combined cleft clinics and palate investigation clinics and contribute to clinical management decisions.
5. To participate in research and audit projects both locally and nationally in collaboration with other members of the Trent Regional Cleft multidisciplinary team and colleagues across the UK.
6. To contribute to Trent Regional Cleft Service training and research presentations at a national / international level.
7. To provide support to less experienced SLTs around Trent Region and supervise students on placement allocated to the pathway.
8. Required to attend specialist short course and advanced training and development in order to maintain and develop relevant skills and knowledge required of a highly skilled specialist therapist working in the field of cleft lip and palate / velopharyngeal disorders.
9. To maintain up-to-date and accurate case records in line with Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC UK) standards and Trust policies and procedures.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.

A full UK driving licence and vehicle for business use is required for this post; however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Person Specification

Contractual Requirements

• A full UK driving licence and vehicle for business use is required for this post; however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.
• Willingness to work on Fridays as required.

Qualifications

• Recognised SLT degree qualification or equivalent.
• Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) License to practice.

Desirable

• Member of Cleft National Clinical Excellence Network (CEN).
• Registered member of Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.

Training

• Evidence of successful completion of relevant specialist in depth courses and advanced post-graduate training up to masters level (e.g post-graduate certificate-cleft, CAPS-A phonetic training).

Experience

• Fully competent, experienced specialist in cleft with extensive post qualification experience of assessing and providing therapy for children cleft lip and palate and velopharyngeal dysfunction underpinned by evidence based practice.
• Five Years minimum experience of working with children with cleft lip and palate and related disorders.
• Experience of attending cleft clinics & interpreting lateral videofluoroscopies and nasendoscopies.
• Experience of managing complex & specialist caseload independently.
• Experience of providing advice and professional guidance on complex clinical issues including cleft & related disorders.
• Experience of working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary cleft team.
• Proven evidence of leadership skills.
• Experience of collaborative research.
• Experience of delivering cleft-related training packages.

Knowledge

• Highly specialist knowledge in the area of cleft-related speech difficulties underpinned by current evidence based practice.
• High level of knowledge of assessment tools and therapy approaches relevant to cleft palate and VPD.
• Evidence of maintaining own knowledge base through CPD and membership of appropriate local, regional and national Clinical Excellence Networks.
• Able to use specialist knowledge to inform sound clinical judgements/ decision making for complex cases.
• Understanding of national and local clinical guidelines on cleft.
• Knowledge of application of risk assessments, clinical governance and national policies and procedures relevant to Specialist Client Group.
• Extensive knowledge of current diagnostic and management issues across the multidisciplinary team related to cleft & related disorders.
• High Level of knowledge about objective tools to assess VPD such as lateral videofluoroscopy and nasendoscopy.

Physical Requirements

• Excellent hearing.
• Moderate physical effort required to complete daily tasks e.g. transporting equipment.

Values & Behaviours

• All staff should be able to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as identified within the Trust's Equality and Diversity Policy and associated Equality, Diversity and Human Rights legislation.
• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust, Honesty, Respect, Compassion, Teamwork.

Skills

• Highly developed and trained auditory discrimination and perceptual skills.
• Ability to transcribe speech phonetically as an integral part of assessment and plan packages of care.
• Skilled in interpreting lateral videofluoroscopy, nasendoscopy and other objective assessments of VP function.
• Ability to provide support and advice to professionals from a range of disciplines.
• Highly Skilled in developing and delivering therapy programmes to children with a range of cleft related speech disorders.
• Excellent presentation skills, written and verbal and IT based.
• Demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills and negotiation skills, management of conflict, listening, empathy and influencing.
• Excellent organisational, prioritisation & delegation skills.
• Highly motivated, reliable team-worker.

Employer details

Employer name: Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Trent Cleft Centre, Nottingham City Hospital, NUH, Hucknall RD, Nottingham, NG51PB

Employer's website: Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust