Principal Specialist Speech and Language Therapist Cleft Palate & VPD
Job overview
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) dependant 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.
Working for our organisation
#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.
We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network.These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.
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.
The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To take a lead role in the assessment and treatment of a highly specialised .caseload of patient’s/clients with cleft palate and related disorders
To be autonomous and responsible for the assessment, formulation and management of a highly specialist clinical caseload ensuring evidence-based practice
To coordinate SLT care plans for children and adults with cleft lip & palate / velopharyngeal disorder in a designated area of Trent Regional Cleft Network. This includes providing support to local SLTs and other professional involved with these clients in the form of expert advice, second opinions and joint visits.
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.
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.
To contribute to Trent Regional Cleft Service training and research presentations at a national / international level.
To provide support to less experienced SLTs around Trent Region and supervise students on placement allocated to the pathway
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 (through attendance at Clinical Excellence Networks, relevant courses, peer review, clinical shadowing and reading) and maintain HCPC and RCSLT registration
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. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.
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
Essential criteria- 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
Essential criteria- Recognised SLT degree qualification or equivalent
- Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) License to practice
- Member of Cleft National Clinical Excellence Network (CEN)
- Registered member of Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists
Training
Essential criteria- 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)
- Evidence of Completion of Paediatric Eating and Drinking difficulties Training at post graduate level
Experience
Essential criteria- 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 ans 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
- Fully competent and experienced to advise and support in cases of children with complex feeding difficulties
- Nationally recognised specialist in area of cleft and related disorders who has made a significant contribution to clinical practice
Knowledge
Essential criteria- 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
- A thorough understanding of the literature in relation to differential diagnosis and treatment of velopharyngeal dysfunction
- Contributes to national knowledge base through presentations at regional, national and international meetings
Physical Requirements
Essential criteria- Excellent hearing
- Moderate physical effort required to complete daily tasks e.g. transporting equipment
Values & Behaviours
Essential criteria- 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
Essential criteria- 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 arrange 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
- Externally validated listening skills based upon peer review and consensus listening
- We reserve the right to close the post early once we have received a sufficient number of applicants.
- The Trust believes in treating everyone with dignity and respect and encourages applications from all sectors of the community. We guarantee an interview to candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum essential criteria.
- In submitting an application form, you authorise Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to confirm from your previous or current NHS employer and other prior employers; previous NHS service details and personal data held about you. This data will be transferred using NHS Electronic Staff Record and third party systems via an automated process and only used for the purposes of obtaining and maintaining accurate employment records, should you be appointed to the post. Should you require any further information please refer our Privacy Policy shown on the Trust website, please click here for more information.
- For eligible posts, DBS disclosures are mandatory before commencement of employment. If you are in a position that is deemed a regulated adult and/or child care role, you will not be able to start your employment until we have received a satisfactory DBS Disclosure. The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Convictions which would otherwise be considered as 'spent' will also be checked as part of an Enhanced DBS Disclosure.