Speech and Language Therapy Assistant Practitioner

The post holder will undertake highly skilled support work with children and young people who have speech, language and communication needs. This may include working with children on an individual basis or as part of a group. It will also include working in partnership with others who are involved in the child’s care, for example parents and carers, teachers, and other healthcare professionals.
Administrative duties and general patient care across departments are required.
The post holder will undertake highly skilled support work with children and young people who have speech, language and communication needs. This may include working with children on an individual basis or as part of a group. It will also include working in partnership with others who are involved in the child’s care, for example parents and carers, teachers, and other healthcare professionals.
Working to agreed protocols and guided by standard operating procedures, the post holder will be key in the treatment and care of children and young people and also their parent / carer where relevant. The post holder will be working under indirect supervision of registered practitioners in the team. rk will be carried out in a variety of settings including health centres, schools, nurseries, patient’s homes or other community settings.
Activities will include
Assessing to protocols
Implementing treatment to protocols.
Monitoring, evaluating and adjusting treatment within the scope of protocols.
Assisting registered practitioners with complex treatment.
May involve assessing for, ordering and issuing basic equipment.
May include leading and assisting with group sessions
May take the responsibility for the training of others, including delivering training.
May involve delegating tasks to others.
May involve supervising the routine tasks of others.
We employ more than 6,500 staff who deliver compassionate care from our two main hospitals, Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary as well as in community sites, health centres and in patients’ homes. We also are incredibly proud to have almost 150 volunteers here at CHFT.
We provide a range of services including urgent and emergency care; medical; surgical; maternity; gynaecology; critical care; children’s and young people’s services; end of life care and outpatient and diagnostic imaging services.
We provide community health services, including sexual health services in Calderdale from Calderdale Royal and local health centres. These include Todmorden Health Centre and Broad Street Plaza.
We continue to modernise and invest in our health services to build on our strong reputation. Foundation trusts are public leaders in improving quality in health services. They are part of the NHS - yet decisions about what they do and how they do it are driven by independent boards. Boards listen to their Council of Governors and respond to the needs of their members - patients, staff and the local community.
Foundation trusts provide what the health service wants, yet are also free to invest quickly in the changes to the local community needs, in striving to be the best, and in putting their patients first.
Clinical Duties
Following appropriate clinical skills training and assessment of competence in the workplace (if not already possessed), supported by theoretical knowledge, the post holder will be able to undertake the following duties:

- Analysis, Problem Solving & Service Planning Act within the limits of your competence and authority (GEN63) i.e. work to competencies & local protocols and understand local communication networks. This includes making judgments around what may or may not be significant changes in a child’s presentation, involving observation and engagement skills and whether or not to report to a registered practitioner. This may involve recognition and appropriate response to emergency situations and outcomes from tests Form a professional judgement of an individuals health condition (CHS118) i.e. undertake assessment or reassessment of an individual to protocols and guidelines and formulate an appropriate treatment plan.
- Able to make a judgement of an individuals progress and act within protocols to problem solve. Patient Care (Plans & Implements Therapeutic Activities)
- Perform hand hygiene to prevent the spread of infection (IPC2) i.e. ensure full compliance with local hand hygiene policy.
- Prepare individuals for healthcare activities (GEN4) and Support individuals undergoing healthcare activities (GEN5)
- Determine a treatment plan for an individual (CHS41) following assessment to protocols.
- Plan activities, interventions and treatments to achieve specified health goal (CHS44) following protocols and within the scope of the assistant practitioner role, seeking advice appropriately.
- Assist the practitioner to implement healthcare activities (GEN8): e.g. Assisting registered practitioners in the delivery of therapy programme
- Contributes to care planning and revie