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Overview of the role from the job description

• To provide Specialist Speech and Language Therapy assessment, diagnosis and treatment to adults in Gloucestershire. This may include patients with acquired communication, voice and swallowing disorders and may be across a wide range of settings including, community hospitals, outpatient clinic or patient’s own home or care home.
• To manage and prioritise own clinical workload as appropriate seeking guidance from team leads as required
• To supervise Speech and Language Therapy assistants or newly qualified SLTs
• To work autonomously within Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC) policies and professional practice maintaining accurate and comprehensive electronic records
• To participate in service improvement projects as indicated

Duties, responsibilities and key Relationships

Clinical

• To provide specialist differential diagnosis, clinical advice, and care plans/therapy to clients with communication / swallowing difficulties; this includes analysis of facts and a comparison of a range of options for appropriate intervention, implementing specialist programmes where appropriate.
• To provide advice and second opinions to SLT colleagues when necessary to support the clinical management of patients.
• To assess and analyse type, severity and impact of complex conditions of speech, language, communication and swallowing impairments in a wide range of adult patients, through specific formal and informal assessments.
• To provide advice and second opinions when necessary to support the clinical management of clients within multi-disciplinary team decision making with patients and their significant others
• To demonstrate clear communication skills when presenting specialist clinical information in both verbal and written formats when dealing with sensitive situations such as end of life.

Professional

• To monitor and/or undertake  quality improvement projects as service demands in order to inform the SLT service and Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS trust (GHC) and Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Trust (GHNHST) of development needs
• Contribute to local clinical guidelines
• To monitor and evaluate clinical effectiveness using provided support, evidence-based practice and outcome measures.
• To maintain up to date and accurate case notes, both paper and electronic records in line with RCSLT Professional Standards, GHC Trust Policy and departmental guidelines.
• To adhere to and maintain the standards and guidelines as recommended by the RCSLT and the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) codes of conduct and practice.
• To attend relevant training and development in order to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a specialist therapist working with a variety of patients and maintain up to date HCPC and RCSLT registration. This includes participating in regular supervision and annual personal development planning.
• To prescribe augmentative and alternative methods of communication (e.g. communication aids) and provide support, advice and training to clients, carers and professionals with the support of highly specialist AAC therapist both in house and in specialist centres of excellence.
• To refer patients on to other services and agencies and to liaise with members of voluntary organisations concerned with the client group eg Early Stroke discharge team, Parkinsons Disease support group
• To negotiate with patients/carers/ significant others around individual case management, ensuring patient involvement in their clinical outcomes.

Leadership / Management

• To manage communication breakdown/conflict in complex cases generating potential solutions
• To attend departmental development meetings, presenting and leading as appropriate to sharing skills or recent training
• To provide clinical and line management supervision to colleagues including band 5 colleagues, assistants and students