Speech and Language Therapist - Jersey

New Speech and Language Therapist post working within the Adult Speech and Language Therapy team to support with community rehab services and the disability strategy.

This is a new role to develop the rehab services for patients discharged either from hospital or the rehab unit. This will be predominantly working with those who have communication and swallowing impairments post stroke, but may also include other conditions e.g. brain injury, brain tumours or other neurology. This will involve both outpatient and home visits as required. Ability to drive is essential.

The post holder will have experience in working with patients with acquired communication and swallowing impairments, including working with AAC, with patient families/carers and MDT working. Will require excellent interpersonal skills.

The role will include supporting the disability strategy in Jersey. This was launched in 2017 and aims to improve communication and access to information and services across the island for disabled people.

Given the nature of working in a small team, there will be cross cover and work may be required in other areas to support the running of the team. Would suit someone with broad knowledge and ability to work flexibly. Will also consider newly qualified Speech and Language Therapists on a development programme.

Main duties of the job

To plan, deliver and evaluate specialist Speech and Language Therapy services for a range of patients with complex needs under the direction of the Senior and Lead Adult Speech and Language Therapists. Working within the division of Primary, Prevention, Adult Therapies and Community Dental and working across the relevant therapy teams as required.

To provide a range of speech & language assessment and management services for allocated clients whilst also providing a professional resource for other disciplines so that the contribution of Speech and Language Therapy is integrated within clients total service provision across all involved agencies.

To evaluate, advise and train clients, their families and other professional staff on the management of disorders to minimise the impact of disability on quality of life. This will involve development of AAC for patients with complex communication needs and developing skills in videofluoroscopy to manage patients with dysphagia.

High quality evidence based care to adult population across community and the Jersey General Hospital including stroke care, progressive neurological conditions, adults who stammer, and the frail elderly population with multiple comorbidities.

Job responsibilities

1. To have knowledge and experience in a specialist area of Speech and Language Therapy (e.g. communication and dysphagia management in stroke rehabilitation or management of progressive neurological conditions, adults with dysfluency).
2. To take on allocated referrals, assessing clients to identify how they may benefit from Speech and Language Therapy and provide individual or group therapy as appropriate. The post holder is supervised by the Senior Speech and Language Therapists according to area of work but has significant autonomy to manage his/her work, ensuring that allocated cases are managed in line with departmental policy and best practice guidance.
3. Responsibility for clinical management of specific caseloads of clients, developing therapeutic management plans, and communicating complex condition related information. Working in partnership with the multi-disciplinary team, and requiring cross-agency working (e.g. hospital, nursing homes, and social work) to ensure that individuals reach their maximum function in communication and swallowing, and minimise the impact of disability on quality of life.
4. A high level of professional judgement is required to inform management decisions including robust case history information, standardised assessment protocols, observations, and reports from other agencies to inform diagnosis and working with the client/carers to create therapeutic management plan, and management of risk (e.g. complex dysphagia and end of life decisions).
5. Prescribe appropriate intervention to assist the client to gain additional function where possible and to enable the client to maximise the use of existing function and/or to reduce anxiety and frustration by modifying the communication/physical environment to minimise the impact of disability on quality of life. Referring to senior colleagues as necessary.
6. To provide information, support and advice to other professionals, carers and family members to enable clients with communication impairment to access services and to foster social interaction. In order to improve the understanding of clients needs and promote effective management of communication and/or other disorders to minimise frustration and the impact of disability on quality of life.
7. Developing and delivering training and supervision to speech and language therapy students, assistants and staff from other agencies (e.g. nursing and care staff, staff from third sector organisations) in their work with individual clients to ensure that clients are given the appropriate support in the management of communication and swallowing difficulties.
8. Maintain appropriate client records and relevant statistics, in order to monitor and facilitate the effectiveness of intervention. This will support the ongoing evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Adult S& LT service and inform wider service planning.
9. Ensure a commitment to personal continuous professional development, maintaining an up to date knowledge of technical and best practice advances in relation to assigned client groups and Speech and Language Therapy in general.
10. Developing skills in videofluoroscopy, and undertaking videofluoroscopy with the support of the Lead and Senior Adult Speech and Language Therapists.
11. To provide clinical care and advocacy for patients with significant communication disorders such as dysarthria, language disorders such as aphasia, dysfluency, cognitive communication disorders and neurogenic voice disorders. This will including support for assessing for capacity.
12. Participation in audit as required.

• A degree or post graduate diploma in Speech and Language Therapy with a Certificate to Practise and membership of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
• Registration with the Health Care Professions Council and the States of Jersey Public Health Department as a Speech and Language Therapist.
• A minimum of three years post-registration experience in a generalist role.
• Post basic dysphagia competencies and relevant experience.
• A commitment to CPD and willingness to attend relevant courses to maintain and extend the post holders knowledge of specialties.