Speech and Language Therapy Assistant

We have an exciting opportunity for an ambitious and dynamic individual to join our Paediatric Community SLT service as a Speech & Language Therapy Assistant (SaLTAs) Band 3/Band 4 depending on experience. In this role you will deliver therapy packages to children in Special School Settings and support therapy staff. You will have excellent communication skills and interest/experience of working with children with additional needs. You will be confident to work with educational staff & parents/carers and have knowledge of AAC.

Excellent organisational skills, being child friendly and working independently under instruction are key. Confident IT skills are needed for daily electronic record keeping, online learning, delivering our online training offer and to communicate with service users and colleagues.

Training and supervision are provided. Undertaking the NHS Care Certificate is a requirement of all assistant roles.

Based in 'Special Schools' in across West Suffolk, an ability to travel during the working day is desirable. (Band 4 available for candidates with previous relevant SaLTA experience).

Please enquire for locations available and indicate if you are applying for a Band 3 or 4 role.

You will

• Deliver therapy packages to children and young people with speech, language and communication needs with the guidance and support of a speech and language therapist
• Be able to work independently as well as in a team
• Communicate therapy outcomes / next steps to relevant therapy partners and the therapy supervisor
• Communicate sensitive information to parents and carers, demonstrating an empathic approach.
• Recognise the boundaries of the role and your own experience and seek support and guidance from others where required.
• Organise therapy appointments.
• Assist with delivering training both face to face and virtually
• Offer support to the wider team as required by making resources for therapy sessions, organising toys and resources in bases, booking therapy groups and training sessions, gathering information and assisting in home visits
• Use SystmOne for daily record keeping (all clinical sessions and correspondence recorded)
• Use Outlook, Word, Teams to keep in touch with service users and colleagues, participate in training and to communicate within the team.

We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.

The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.

Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.

We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.

With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.

We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.

Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?

Please see the full job description for more information

The primary purpose of this role is to deliver speech, language and communication therapy programmes, devised

by speech and language therapists, to individual or groups of children and young people (CYP).

Supporting and training others (educational staff, parents/carers and less experienced colleagues) is a key component of this SLTA role.

This community-based role involves working mainly in special school settings but may include visits to specialist units (SSUs), nurseries or homes, according to service need.

The client group comprises of children with varied communication difficulties, children with Special Educational Needs and complex presentations.

Therapy is typically delivered face to face but may also be via digital methods (e.g. via Microsoft Teams).