Speech & Language Therapist

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service are looking for a band 5 therapist to join our large, diverse, and supportive team on the school-aged pathway. We serve the South-East London Borough of Lewisham, as part of the Community Health Service for Children, Young People and Families (CCYP) rated at ‘Outstanding’ in our last CQC inspection.

Main duties of the job

We have a whole service approach which means that as a therapist on the school’s pathway, you will have strong links and access to the support of therapists working in special schools, Early Years and Complex Needs & Feeding.

We offer a comprehensive and structured induction to all our new starters followed by regular, high quality clinical supervision. You will also be allocated a ‘schools team buddy’ to support your transition into the team.

Working for our organisation

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
5. Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will work as part of the School Aged Speech and Language Therapy Team to provide a comprehensive and inclusive speech and language therapy service for children and young people referred to the Team. The children may present with a range of speech, language and communication needs of varying severity.

The post holder will contribute to the development and provision of a range of training packages for parents, carers and education and heath staff.

The post holder will contribute to the development and provision of services for children, young people, parents/carers, education staff and members of the multi-disciplinary team to achieve effective outcomes

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
• Health Professions Council membership- Licence to practice
• Registration as a member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

• Competence/willingness to undertake relevant advanced training/post qualification training

Experience

• Some experience of working with pre and school aged children with a range of speech, language and communication needs
• Some experience working with parents, teaching and/or education support staff

• Delivering training
• Working as part of multi-disciplinary team

Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to make a differential diagnosis between commonly presenting speech and language disorders in pre and school aged students
• Ability to use a range of assessment tools relevant to pre-school and school aged children.
• Ability to use a range of therapeutic intervention techniques for pre-school and school aged children with commonly presenting speech and language disorders
• Knowledge and understanding of Equal Opportunities
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the principles of confidentiality.
• Knowledge of IT and computer systems e.g Micro soft Office or equivalent
• Knowledge and understanding of Safeguarding
• A working knowledge of Every Child Matters 2003 Children and Families Bill 2013 in relation to Children with Special Educational Needs
• Ability to present information clearly to a wide range of audiences

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note, not all roles will meet the criteria for a skilled worker visa.