Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals

Job overview

This exciting secondment/maternity cover until end of December 2024 is an ideal opportunity for an SLT with both neonatal and acute paediatric experience, with a special interest in neonatal care looking to further develop neonatal skills.

You will be working as part of an MDT providing a specialist neonatal SLT service to a local neonatal unit (level 2) with ad-hoc provision to a special care baby unit (level 1).

There will be potential opportunities to lead on a Quality Improvement project within neonates to help further develop the Neonatal SLT service.

Informal clinical support will be available via a local Clinical Lead Neonatal SLT and external clinical supervision can be arranged.

Your role will also require you to provide holistic and developmentally supportive care to babies, children and families. You will independently manage an acute in-patient neonatal and paediatric dysphagia caseload across the paediatric ward and outpatient clinic settings.

You will undertake comprehensive assessment and management of a specialist neonatal and paediatric Dysphagia caseload demonstrating sound clinical knowledge and reasoning skills.

Main duties of the job

Clinical

• Manage and provide highly specialist assessment, differential diagnosis and therapeutic management of infants with dysphagia or developmental feeding and communication difficulties on the neonatal unit and acute paediatric in-patient and out-patient settings.
• To independently manage a designated caseload of neonatal and acute paediatric inpatients and outpatients producing a high standard of case notes and reports reflecting specialist neonatal knowledge.

To have acquired specialist skills in the areas of:

• Complex neonatal dysphagia management
• High risk infants
• Development of feeding and swallowing
• Early communication and interaction
• To show an understanding of neonatal best practice models of care such as Family Integrated Care, Developmental care and the Baby Friendly Initiative.
• Identify potential physiological compromise and risk for aspiration and advise on appropriate precautions to minimise the risks.
• Lead the Videofluoroscopy clinic, identifying appropriate patients and co-ordinating the VFSS process for inpatient and community patients.
• To provide expertise and specialist speech and language therapy advice and consultation to other professionals in relation to patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment and care within your specialist area, including participation in the MDT feeding clinic.
• To be involved in the provision of support, guidance and information to parents and other professionals regarding your specialist area
• To work as part of the MDT in undertaking comprehensive assessment of this specialist caseload, explaining and discussing treatment options and developing an agreed individualised, outcome-focussed treatment plan with the child’s parent / carers using clinical knowledge and sound clinical reasoning skills

Communication

• To communicate information in accessible formats to parents / carers, and other professionals and agencies.
• To have an awareness of the systems and processes of other agencies in order to work collaboratively with these agencies.
• To refer infants, children and / or families to other appropriate agencies as required.
• To demonstrate excellent verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills.
• To communicate complex and / or sensitive information in understandable form to parents / carers, which may be unwelcome or difficult to accept.
• To communicate information effectively and work collaboratively with partner agencies and professionals in health, social services, education and the voluntary sector to ensure the protection of vulnerable children. This may include some sensitive information.
• To use IT to communicate via e-mail, to obtain info from the internet / intranet and to obtain / input data on information systems.

Working for our organisation

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust provides a range of medical services to approximately 490,000 people living across southwest London and northeast Surrey. In addition, we provide more specialist services, in particular renal and neonatal intensive care, to a wider area, covering parts of Sussex and Hampshire.

We serve an area that is rich in diversity, with a mix of urban and rural areas, and differing levels of quality of life. We cover some of the most prosperous postcodes in the country, as well as some poorer areas. Together with our colleagues at NHS Surrey and NHS Sutton and Merton, we work to make sure that we deliver the best possible care to the communities we serve.

The Trust employs approximately 5,000 staff across its hospitals and is supported by over 500 volunteers.

Person specification

Skills

Essential criteria

• Relevant experience at undergraduate/post graduate level
• Knowledge/experience in the use of evidence-based assessment and treatment approaches and practices
• Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council

Desirable criteria

• Registered with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
• Knowledge of risk assessment for this client group

Experience

Essential criteria

• EXPERIENCE WORKING IN A HOSPITAL SETTING