Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Speech and Language Therapy stroke team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. We welcome applications from experienced stroke specialist Speech and Language Therapists, who would like to work within a well-established multi-disciplinary Stroke Team. 

**Previous applicants need not apply**

Main duties of the job

You will provide high quality, specialist assessment and rehabilitation to adults with communication and swallowing disorders following stroke.  There will be access to a videofluoroscopy service. The post holder will work within a strong multidisciplinary team on the acute stroke unit and may also deliver care within the community. They will also be responsible for the coordination and provision of student SLT placements.

Working for our organisation

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Speech and Language Therapy Department provides a service to both Stroke and non-stroke patients.  The stroke SLT team is part of a wider MDT consisting of Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Dietitians and Clinical Psychologists.  We work closely alongside Stroke Consultants and Stroke Specialist Nurses to ensure a high quality of patient care. The stroke service at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital provides stroke care throughout the whole pathway from hyper-acute to long term community.  The Stroke Unit provides stroke care to patients and their families living in West Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and South Lincolnshire.

The team meet regularly for departmental meetings and peer supervision.   The QEH is affiliated to the University of East Anglia and provides training placements for student SLTs and other healthcare professionals.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has approximately 500 beds on a single site.   This post offers a chance to live and work in a beautiful region with its own distinctive mix of urban, rural and coastal landscapes, all within easy reach of Norwich, Cambridge, London and the Midlands. We serve an expanding population of around 300,000, which, can increase substantially during the summer through the popularity of the surrounding countryside and beaches for leisure and holidays. We are a welcoming and friendly hospital that is devoted to our vibrant diverse community.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information about this role, please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

Person specification

Qualifications/Training & Professional Development

Essential criteria

• Attainment of recognised degree in Speech and Language Therapy by RCSLT and HCPC
• Current Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration
• Membership of RCSLT
• Evidence of successful completion of post graduate study in dysphagia, and relevant highly specialist short courses
• Evidence of ongoing CPD to meet regulatory body professional standards

Desirable criteria

• Membership of any relevant clinical excellence networks (CENs)

Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant relevant specialist clinical experience of working with patients with communication difficulties and dysphagia
• Experience in delivering education and training packages
• Experience in supervising undergraduate Speech and Language Therapists and more junior therapists
• Experience of multi-disciplinary team working and inter-agency working
• Competence in Videofluoroscopy to a level of independent practice in line with RCSLT competencies
• Competent in the assessment and management of tracheostomy in line with the RCSLT Tracheostomy Competency Framework
• Relevant experience working in a community setting

Skills, Abilities & Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Competent to a high level in the management of complex patients with communication and/or swallowing disorders within speciality
• Ability to be an excellent team member and assume leadership responsibilities when required by line manager
• Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills

Applications are welcome from anyone who meets the criteria specified in the person specification regardless of age, gender, disability, race ,ethnicity, religion, belief, sexual orientation or other personal circumstances. Only those applicants who demonstrate in the application form how they meet the criteria in the person specification will be shortlisted for interview. We not only recruit employees based on their qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who possess and can demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our core values.