Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

The post holder will receive professional supervision from the Band 8a Critical Care Lead SLT.

To take autonomous responsibility for delivering a highly specialist service to adult inpatients referred from Critical Care areas with communication and/or swallowing disorders. This includes patients with tracheostomies and/or ventilator dependency.

To assist with cross site working to cover the Guys Critical Care Unit when required.

As a core member of the Multi-Disciplinary Team, to participate in team meetings, ward rounds and family meetings. Where appropriate to propose and assist in the implementation of policy/service development.

To have specialist knowledge of complex conditions presenting in critical care, including neuromuscular diseases, and their impact on communication and swallowing. To offer support and second opinions to other members of the SLT team.

To manage communication and swallowing disorders and assist in the respiratory weaning process.

To recommend appropriate instrumental swallowing assessments, i.e. Videofluoroscopy and FEES when clinically indicated.

To participate in the organisation and provision of training to nursing staff and MDT in the continued use of the Swallow screen and the management of communication and /or swallowing disorders with tracheostomised and/or ventilator dependant patients.

To contribute to and develop innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical effectiveness as part of the departments clinical governance initiative. To contribute to Critical Care services systems of Clinical Governance as a Specialist resource in liaison with the Trust Head of Speech and Language Therapy

To keep up-to-date with current theory and evidence-based practice in the field of acquired disorders of communication and swallowing with particular reference to neuromuscular, respiratory, ventilator and tracheostomy patients, videofluoroscopy and FEES.

To develop and take the lead in departmental/multi-disciplinary audits including design, data collection, analysis and development of action plans as part of the Speech and Language Therapy Departments annual audit programme / Critical Care Multidisciplinary Team initiatives.

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK's best known hospitals - Guy's, St Thomas', Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield - as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.

We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and - as part of King's Health Partners - we are one of England's eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world-class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research's biomedical research centres, established with King's College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities.Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals joined Guy's and St Thomas' in February 2021 and is the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK and among the largest in Europe. We provide treatment for people with heart and lung disease, including rare and complex conditions, offering some of the most sophisticated treatment that is available anywhere in the world.

Our values help us to define and develop our culture, what we do and how we do it. It is important that we all understand and reflect these values in our work. We are:

Caring - we put patients first.

Ambitious - we innovate and strive for excellence.

Inclusive - we respect each other and work collaboratively.

Qualifications

Experience

Skills