Senior Medical Secretary Fixed-term Contract

**Job **- Senior Specialist Speech & Language Therapist**

**Location**
- London Bridge Hospital**

**Contract Type**
- Full time, 37.5hrs per week.**

**Salary - **Highly competitive**

The Specialist Speech & Language Therapist will provide specialist services to patients with swallowing, communication and cognitive disorders across the London Bridge Hospital campus The clinician will take a lead role in providing the Speech & Language service at London Bridge Hospital & will be a key member within the critical care & Head and Neck oncology service lines, predominantly. They will deliver a high-quality service, providing advanced advice that is clinically evidence based & in line with best practice standards. The Specialist Speech & Language Therapist will contribute to service development & quality improvement projects, as well as relevant audit-based work & leading training sessions on evidence-based therapy.

**Responsibilities**:

- To provide a highly specialised speech and language therapy service to patient’s communication and swallowing disorders on the acute wards, including the intensive treatment units.
- To assess and treat inpatients with communication, cognitive and / or swallowing problems, and independently manage an inpatient caseload
- To provide comprehensive initial and ongoing assessments for each patient, to plan and implement treatment using a goal planning system within the interdisciplinary team. To maintain accurate, up-to-date and concise treatment records detailing the individual patient’s treatment plan and progress. To ensure patients and carers are involved in the planning and delivery of their own care.
- To assess patients with swallowing disorders using instrumental swallowing assessments where appropriate.
- To work closely with the interdisciplinary teams to ensure that an agreed care plan and patient centred goals are set and that the outcome of intervention is monitored.
- To provide training to other staff members on topics such as dysphagia, tracheostomy and communication disorders.
- To ensure policies and procedures are adhered to within each clinical area.
- To identify individual training needs with the Head of Department & supervising Speech and Language Therapist, in order to ensure maintenance of high levels of professional and clinical skills.
- To ensure that the correct billing procedures are performed daily and that patients are informed of the current procedure regarding equipment purchase from the SLT Department.
- To keep up to date with current theory and practice in relevant clinical areas and ensure that the treatment offered is based on best clinical practice and research.
- To attend relevant ward rounds, case conferences, team meetings and teaching sessions.
- To be responsible for maintaining equipment and reviewing and updating stock.
- To be involved in the development of acute SLT services across HCA.
- To work alongside the Catering and Dietetics department for the delivery of modified diet and fluids to patients.
- Maintain open channels of communication with all members of the interdisciplinary team.
- To comply with all health and safety, infection control and clinical risk management policies as indicated.
- To work within the Rules of Professional Conduct of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and to be aware of the standards of practice

**About the Hospital**

At HCA UK we recognise and value everyone as unique and individual; treat people with kindness and compassion; act with absolute honesty, integrity, and fairness and trust and treat one another as valued members of the HCA UK family. As someone looking to join our family, you will demonstrate these key values.

You will also actively participate as a member of a team to move the team towards completion of tasks, goals, and objectives; demonstrate leadership and influence others to be the best they can be and inspire our colleagues and patients; and deliver information in a clear, concise, and compelling manner to effectively engage others and achieve desired results.

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