Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, Paeds and NICU

Responsibilities

• Main Responsibilities To be an autonomous practitioner in managing a complex caseload across both NICU, transitional care and the paediatric ward. To use advanced clinical assessment and reasoning skills and evidence based knowledge to assess patients with highly complex conditions, and to formulate prognoses and recommendations in line with national and trust clinical guidelines, protocols and pathways. To formulate and deliver individual plans based on advanced clinical knowledge of current practice, evidence-based practice and treatment options.
  
  To be able to read babies behavioural cues and handle neonates with complex presentations appropriately.
• To be able to utilise or refer onto specialist investigations (e.g. VFSS/FEEs) to assist assessment and to plan the most appropriate interventions. To make appropriate referrals to other services and clinicians based on assessment and investigation findings, and by having an in-depth understanding of the role of others in the multidisciplinary team. To ensure effective discharge planning as part of a patients management, liaising with the MDT as appropriate, both locally and network wide and making onward referrals to community services.
• To deliver high quality training to parents and the wider MDT to increase awareness and skill development to promote developmental outcomes. To provide clinical leadership, supervision and support for other therapies in the team, offering second opinions when required. To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible, in line with trust policy. To contribute to the setting and monitoring of standards, policies and evidence based guidelines for clinical practice for the neonatal and paediatric service and evaluate outcomes.
• To achieve and maintain a high standard of clinical care using evidence based practice; working with the Clinical Lead to ensure that the service responds to local and national initiatives and policy such as NICE guidelines and other appropriate service standards. To keep up to date with clinical developments; analysing current research; accessing network groups, discussing and implementing changes in clinical practice and encouraging this throughout the team.
  
  To participate in the writing of evidence based clinical guidelines and protocols as appropriate to the speciality and for regularly reviewing and updating those guidelines. To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of professional activities working within codes of practice and professional guidelines.
• To be recognise boundaries of own practise and be aware of risks involved as part of delivering clinical care and manage this within own patient case load. To be able to reflect on self, patient care and evaluate the service, informing service development. To play an active role in safeguarding, to attend safeguarding conferences/meetings and initiate referrals, as necessary to ensure the physical and emotional safety of children and adults.
  
  To evaluate current practices in own work, based on research findings, evidence based projects, audits and the use of recognised outcome measures, to ensure that quality standards and effectiveness of patient care are continually monitored and improved.
• Leadership/ Managerial To contribute to the overall strategic view of neonatal therapy services at ASPH and monitor and evaluate key metrics. To monitor more junior staffs mandatory/statutory training to ensure compliance with Trust targets. To maintain the high standards of the service by contributing to the individual team and service objectives. To be able to prioritise clinical and managerial work and balance other patient related and professional activities as the department requires.
• To ensure team working within the department, assisting other members to effectively prioritise, plan and manage their caseloads. To be able to manage potentially stressful and upsetting or emotional situations in an empathetic manner. To supervise junior staff, therapy assistants, students and apprentices where appropriate. To participate in the appraisal scheme as an appraiser as required and appraise.
• To liaise with the Clinical Lead regarding business planning and staffing requirements for the service. To demonstrate a high level of understanding of clinical governance and clinical risk. To initiate audit and lead projects to develop services and relationships in line with recent NHS initiatives, unit projects and the Neonatal Working Groups. To identify and liaise with the Clinical Lead regarding recommendations for the purchase and use of new equipment, based on evaluation of need, evidence for use and cost/benefit analysis.
• To deputise for Clinical Lead as required. To be actively involved in unit initiatives, clinical excellence networks, special interest groups and network working groups in order to share and disseminate knowledge to colleagues. To promote and role model Developmental Care and…