Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist, Special Schools

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to lead the delivery of communication and dysphagia support across complex needs special schools and mainstream schools in Greenwich.

The post holder will combine a highly specialist clinical role with responsibility for the day-to-day leadership of a team of Speech and Language Therapists and Assistants. They will independently assess and manage children with highly complex communication and dysphagia needs, provide specialist advice and second opinions, and work closely with children, families, education staff and health and social care partners.

The successful candidate will also contribute to staff development, clinical governance, service evaluation and the development of evidence-based pathways, protocols and service improvements.

The Post Holder Will

• Lead and oversee Speech and Language Therapy provision across complex needs special schools and identified mainstream schools in Greenwich.
• Independently manage a highly complex caseload involving communication and dysphagia needs.
• Undertake highly specialist assessment, differential diagnosis, intervention and evaluation of outcomes.
• Provide highly specialist clinical advice and second opinions to Speech and Language Therapists and other professionals.
• Provide day-to-day leadership, clinical supervision and support to therapists and assistants.
• Support staff with caseload management, workload planning and professional development.
• Undertake appraisals, induction and development activities for identified team members.
• Work collaboratively with children, families, education staff and health and social care professionals to ensure coordinated care.
• Develop and deliver specialist training for staff, families and other professionals.
• Contribute to service planning, clinical governance, audit, policy development and the evaluation of care pathways and protocols.
• Advise service leads on service pressures, risks, resource requirements and delivery issues.
• Deputise for senior colleagues and represent the service at relevant multidisciplinary and interagency meetings when required.

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our Purpose Is To Improve Lives By Providing The Best Possible Care To Our Patients And Their Families. This Is Strengthened By Our New Values

• We’re Kind
• We’re Fair
• We Listen
• We Care

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Sarah Gelli Job title: Principal Speech and Language therapist Email address: sarah.gelli@nhs.net Telephone number: 02088368621

Claire Higgins claire.higgins1@nhs.net