Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

At North London Foundation Trust, we are committed to improving the physical health of our service users and are passionate about addressing the health inequalities faced by those with mental health needs. We are looking for an experienced Speech and Language Therapist with a special interest in working with service users whilst in acute mental health care. You will be equally passionate about addressing inequality and committed to working alongside other AHPs to improve the physical health therapy offer. The post holder will have an exciting opportunity to influence and shape future SLT provision across the care group. We have four acute sites in the Trust across Highgate, Edgeware, Haringey and Enfield. Your flexibility to work across these sites and to respond to need is essential. Development and quality improvement will be embedded as part of this role. We have close working relationships with our local physical health provision and will ensure these posts do not become isolated but are fully linked in with the North London wide offer. The post holder will be part of the SLT professional networks in NLFT, including the SLT leadership group and will have access to professional supervision from an SLT. Additionally the post holder will be encouraged to access the SLT Mental Health Network and other relevant CENs. If this sounds exciting to you, like it does to us, please apply! Main duties of the job

• The Physical Health Therapies Team will provide Physiotherapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Dietetics and Podiatry services. The team will work in collaboration with established AHP teams and other physical health colleagues within the care group to deliver physical health interventions for adult service users in acute mental health wards within the North London NHS Foundation Trust.
• The postholder will provide clinical, operational, and professional leadership and management of speech and therapy within the Physical Health Therapies Team, and help lead on the design, delivery, and development of high-quality care within this new service in line with advances in evidence-informed practice, digital transformation, etc., The postholder will act as the deputy team manager for the Physical Health Therapies Team and will assume the team manager's responsibilities in their absence.
• They will autonomously utilise highly specialist knowledge and skills to provide assessment, diagnosis, and management to services users with physical health presentations, thus optimising the clinical pathway, and guide and support others to do the same.
• The post holder will provide clinical assessments and interventions for patients with dysphagia and community difficulties, as indicated by patient need
  
  Degree-level professional qualification in Speech and Language Therapy
• High level post-graduate courses in related area of expertise
• Registered member of RCSLT and HCPC
Skills Essential
• Specialist level of clinical skills - able to conduct appropriate assessment, diagnosis and treatment for communication difficulties and dysphagia
• Demonstrate an ability to manage and prioritise own workload across a designated area as required, responding to unpredictable changes to patients and staffing levels
• Demonstrable clinical leadership skills, able to develop, lead, manage and support staff
• Able to apply latest research evidence and evaluative thinking in practice
Experience Essential
• Extensive post-grad experience of managing complex caseloads in acute settings
• Demonstrate a working knowledge and experience of clinical governance with examples of participation in projects for the improvement of patient care and service developments, including leading on projects as required.
• Recognised post graduate qualification in dysphagia management e.g. RCSLT dysphagia competencies and/or post graduate dysphagia training
Desirable
• Experience of working within mental health, CAMHS, secure care or learning disability environment
Person Specification Qualifications Essential
• Degree-level professional qualification in Speech and Language Therapy
• High level post-graduate courses in related area of expertise
• Registered member of RCSLT and HCPC
Skills Essential
• Specialist level of clinical skills - able to conduct appropriate assessment, diagnosis and treatment for communication difficulties and dysphagia
• Demonstrate an ability to manage and prioritise own workload across a designated area as required, responding to unpredictable changes to patients and staffing levels
• Demonstrable clinical leadership skills, able to develop, lead, manage and support staff
• Able to apply latest research evidence and evaluative thinking in practice
Experience Essential
• Extensive post-grad experience of managing complex caseloads in acute settings
• Demonstrate a working knowledge and experience of clinical governance with examples of participation in projects for the improvement of patient care and service developments, including leading on projects as required.
• Recognised post graduate qualification in dysphagia management e.g. RCSLT dysphagia competencies and/or post graduate dysphagia training
Desirable
• Experience of working within mental health, CAMHS, secure care or learning disability environment
  
  North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.
Our Five-Year Strategy:
• We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
• With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
• We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
Why NLFT?
• We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
• We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
• NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme
• Excellent internal staff network
In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.