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Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Speech & Language Therapy service at Northamptonshire NHT trust, and lead the Stroke pathway within the county. We provide a Countywide acute and community service within Northants. The Principal role is within the Acute Stroke pathway within the assessment and rehabilitation wards at Northampton General Hospital.

The post is a clinical lead Specialism in Stroke and the Stroke pathway.

 Northampton General Hospital has a dynamic and highly rated stroke service as the designated centre for countywide acute stroke services. There are close working relationships with the stroke MDT and Northamptonshire stroke community services including strong networking and in-service training opportunities. 

You will have the ability to work on your own initiative yet thrive as a valued member of a multi-disciplinary team. You will possess excellent interpersonal and team-working skills and approach your work with energy and enthusiasm.

You will be supported to continue to develop and demonstrate leadership behaviors as you are encouraged to actively contribute to the ongoing development of the service. You will be expected to provide mentorship support to colleagues, SLT Assistant Practitioners and students.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be an experienced Speech and Language Therapist with highly specialist knowledge of differential diagnosis associated with complex acute stroke.

Will independently manage and priorities a complex, highly specialist caseload of acute stroke patients.

Responsible for policy implementation and development in specialist area, interprets National policy for specialist area.

Will lead within the specialist area of Stroke on the development of the service, across the county and identify shortfalls and changes to service delivery.

Will liaise and work in partnership with the acute Trusts to ensure a clear and effective care pathway is delivered within the county.

Will support/mentor junior colleagues and provide expert opinions to others, including advice and support for colleagues referring to specialist services from outside Northamptonshire.

Will provide clinical teaching of Speech and Language Therapy students and will develop and deliver specialist training to others in the area of clinical expertise.

Will initiate and undertake research/Clinical Governance/audit projects within area of expertise.

Provide expert second opinions.

Design and develop competency frameworks in line with National guidelines e.g. KSF, Skills for Health.

To take the Speech and Language Therapy lead in multi-disciplinary clinics

Working for our organisation

NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and out in the community. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. This means many of our services can be provided at home, work or in schools. We also provide health services to various prisons and detention centres in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

NHFT promotes a culture of learning to improve the care and safety of our patients and staff, which focuses on people who enable our Trust to be ‘outstanding’ by supporting opportunity, innovation, development and growth.

All SLT staff are encouraged to attend regular team meetings, countywide staff meetings and in-house clinical forums. The service promotes a strong culture of clinical supervision. Professional development is encouraged through membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Networks, in-house and external training courses and is monitored through annual appraisal.