Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust's Children and Young People's Therapies (CYPT) Service is excited to be offering a fixed term Band 7 maternity cover opportunity within it's Speech and Language Therapy Team. We are looking to recruit to an experienced SLT with specialist skills in Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC). If you also are looking to extend your leadership skills, as well as continuing to develop your specialist skills in supporting CYP with complex communication and eating and drinking needs associated with a range of medical conditions, this opportunity could be just right for you. This fixed term post is 0.6 WTE and will be based in Stevenage. In addition to carrying a clinical caseload at Lonsdale School, a school for pupils with physical and neurological impairment aged from 3 to 18 years, you will support Severe Learning Disability (SLD) settings and provide clinical support to less experienced SLT/SLT Assistants in the locality area. The postholder will be expected to work autonomously, and as part of a wider multi-disciplinary team (MDT), undertaking specialist assessment of children with complex communication needs who require AAC. Foundation dysphagia competencies to assess eating and drinking skills identifying aspiration risk are desirable.,

• Work within a MDT to carry out specialist speech, language and communication assessments of children with complex needs including where AAC is required and as part of the EHCP process.
• Have specialist knowledge and experience of both paper/power based AAC including high tech devices; be familiar with hardware, software and access methods; and have an overview of AAC across the service.
• Ensure that quality systems are in place to support AAC in school settings, including monitoring/providing feedback to less experienced colleagues and providing specific clinical support as required.
• Deliver training to families/carers in the use of highly specialised equipment and software provided.
• Provide second opinions for children with complex needs who require AAC.
• Provide professional supervision, peer support and second opinions.
We offer:
• Regular group professional supervision/peer support.
• Working as part of a supportive team of highly specialist SLTs, ensuring best practice and delivery of high quality care systems.
• Regular managerial supervision and well-established appraisal system.
• Internal/external CPD opportunities such as bitesize tutorials, peer review, CENs.
• A 2 week induction period to observe and shadow colleagues across a range of clinical areas/settings.
• Regular meetings with Clinical Quality Leads and Operational Leads to plan and implement service delivery/service development.
  
  If you are looking for somewhere to make a real difference and are passionate about helping CYP access the right support at the right time to help them stay safe, and thrive in their development, a career with us may be just what you're looking for. At HCT we strive to make a difference to the health and wellbeing of our communities.
• We are proud to be an organisation which focuses on our people, and we welcome people who share our values to come and work with us.
• Our shared values support the development of a strong working culture, guiding and inspiring all of our actions and decisions. They enable us to be better at what we do ensuring we provide the highest quality of care to our patients.
• Our patients, their families and carers are at the centre of our vision - Outstanding Services and Healthier Communities
• Our staff are proud to be Innovative, Caring and Agile in their work to help achieve the Trust vision
• We welcome diversity in our workforce and are interested in applicants from all backgrounds and ages
• You've made a great decision to apply to join to HCT - we're looking forward to taking the next steps of the journey with you