Job Description

Job Title Speech & Language Therapist

Job Grade Staff Grade Speech & Language Therapist

Location of Post Speech and Language Therapist (SLT), with assignment to inpatient and outpatient services.

Competition Reference HR191

Notes to ApplicantsIt must be clearly demonstrated on your CV and supporting statement how you meet the required skills, competencies and/or knowledge for the post. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted for interview.

Purpose of the Post To provide a quality Speech & Language Therapy service to children presenting with communication and/or eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties in line with best practice, departmental and team policies.

Reporting Relationship The SLT will report on a day to day basis to the Speech & Language Therapist Acting Manager with overall responsibility to the Clinical Services Manager.

Essential Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor of Science in Clinical Speech and Language Studies from the University of Dublin or an equivalent qualification. Professional qualifications obtained outside the Republic of Ireland, including the U.K., must be validated by the Department of Health and Children prior to commencement of the contract.

Membership or eligibility for membership of the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists (IASLT).

Completion of a recognised Introduction to Dysphagia Management Training.

CORU Registered

Desirable Qualifications & Experience

Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team. Experience in delivery of services in the acute setting. Experience of working with children presenting with complex

presentations and speech and language disorders. Experience of managing a paediatric dysphagia caseload.

Knowledge, skills & Competencies

Key competencies for the role are centred around the following three areas of performance:

A. Professional practice: behaving in a professional manner, communicating effectively with others, and managing a caseload.

B. Providing a quality service: planning and maintaining a quality service; driving and participating in evidence based practice.

C. Education and development: maintaining continuing professional Page 1 of 8

development; educating and developing others and acting as a clinical resource.

A: Professional Practice

1. Behaving in a Professional Manner

1.1 Demonstrating professional conduct and behaviours by adhering to legal, ethical and professional practice standards in all aspects of practice

1.2 Exercising a professional duty of care to, promoting self-advocacy in and acting as an advocate for clients where appropriate.

1.3 Representing the profession of SLT confidently within their service area and the organisation.

1.4 Promoting initiatives that will ensure professional practice and uniformity of standards.

1.5 Maintaining knowledge of on-going work being done within the Professional Body and Irish healthcare and applying same to practice as appropriate.

1.6 Demonstrating effective planning/ preparation for meetings, case conferences, in-services training.

1.7 Understanding and respecting own scope of practice and the roles of all members of the MDT.

1.8 Recognizing when it is appropriate to ask for support, include others in decision making or refer decisions to others.

1.9 Managing own work life balance and seeking support from relevant others in the management of same.

2. Communicating effectively with others

2.1 Maintain close liaison with all relevant personnel with regard to patient management.

2.2 Communicating oral and written information in a clear, concise and well-structured manner appropriate to the content and the target audience.

2.3 Participate in the education and training programmes for medical, nursing and other professional staff as appropriate.

2.4 Establish and maintain support links to community based services as appropriate.

2.5 Managing communications in a professional manner.2.6 Facilitating and maintaining communication within own department

and across multi-disciplinary teams.2.7 Promoting and improving communication in their area of

responsibility.2.8 Negotiating effectively with relevant others.

3. Managing a Caseload

3.1 Seek advice and assistance from Senior Speech and Language Therapists and SLT Manager with any assigned cases or issues that prove to be beyond the scope of his / her professional competence in line with principles of best practice and clinical governance

3.2 Assessing, developing and implementing programmes of care and

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treatment for clients with routine and/ or complex needs using service delivery models in line with local service and professional guidelines.

3.3 Prioritizing caseload according to clinical need in the context of service policy.

3.4 Demonstrating effective team working in a client centred framework as a component of efficient case management to ensure an optimum service is provided for all service users.

3.5 Maintain patient records within departmental and professional standards and co-operate with data collection systems and administrative procedures as may be specified from time to time.

3.6 Balancing clinical demands with other responsibilities (e.g. departmental responsibilities, CPD, organisational, service development) through effective time management and organisational skills.

B: Providing a Quality Service

4. Maintaining a Quality Service

4.1 Understanding the role of their service area and the department within the larger organisation.

4.2 In conjunction with the Speech and Language Therapy Manager, contribute to the development and implementation of procedures, policies and guidelines while adhering to existing standards and protocols

4.3 Provide a good quality and efficient service to patients and their families.

4.4 Optimizing the use of available resources to achieve effective outcomes when planning and delivering a flexible service that meets the needs of all service users.

4.5 Advise the SLT Manager on resource issues relevant to the area of responsibility.

4.6 Contribute to and participate in service review/s as required.4.7 Participate in and develop activities which support Health

Promotion

5. Driving and Participating in Evidence Based Practice

5.1 Reviewing and critically evaluating available evidence based information and literature and integrating into clinical practice.

5.2 Monitoring and evaluating effectiveness of interventions through the use of evidence based practice and outcome measures and modifying practice accordingly in consultation with service users

5.3 Developing and updating clinical guidelines for own areas of practice in accordance with evidence and professional body guidelines.

5.4 Participate in Clinical Audit as appropriate.

C: Education and Development

6. Maintaining Continuing Professional Development

6.1 Identifying own personal and professional development needs and

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putting structures in place to meet these in collaboration with line manager.

6.2 Identifying and availing of appropriate formal and/or informal learning opportunities within SLT and multidisciplinary contexts to remain informed on contemporary clinical best practice.

6.3 Analysing and applying learning from formal and informal CPD activities and applying same to practice.

7. Educating and Developing Others7.2 Promoting the importance of CPD within their team.7.2 Planning, delivering and evaluating education and training as appropriate.7.3 Managing, participating and playing a key role in the practice education of student therapists.7.4 Contributing to peer support and learning within the SLT department and in the wider multidisciplinary team environment.

8. Acting As A Clinical Resource

8.1 Acting as a clinical resource to colleagues and students within their own organisation.

Specific Duties To support the child/family in maximising communication/FEDs functioning

Familiarity with a range of formal and informal assessments across all age ranges in order to fully assess both developmental and acquired communication impairments

Provide assessment and management for patients with complex medical conditions presenting with FEDs

Differential diagnosis between acquired and developmental communication/FEDS disorder

Work within a Multidisciplinary team providing team assessments to aid with differential diagnosis including pervasive developmental disorders

Provision of early language stimulation activities/advice to ‘at risk’ groups. Implement AAC programmes for children with acquired language loss and with non-verbal children where appropriate.

Monitor and review feeding and communication functioning. Make onward referrals where appropriate e.g. to community

services, other MDT members in line with local referral policy. Liaise with/ shared management with local services that children

attend/phone consults/handover discussions. Participate in supervision with Senior SLT Attend clinics and participate in meetings, case conferences, as

agreed with the Speech and Language Therapy Manager Actively engage in team based performance management, where

appropriate Carry out other duties as assigned by the Speech & Language

Therapy Manager

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Education/Continuous Professional Development

Take responsibility for ensuring that own development needs are met by attending regular supervision and line management.

Participate in continued professional development and ensure compliance with any necessary Speech and Language Therapy registration requirements.

Attend training courses as may be required due to service developments and/or agreed personal and professional development plans.

Contribute to the teaching and training functions of the department. Keep informed of the advances in professional knowledge and

practice in this area. Keep informed of developments in national policies, strategies and

legislation and offer advice on any perceived impact on practice. Ensure the development, maintenance and dissemination of

professional standards of practice through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes.

Research /Information Technology

Be ICT competent, having experience in the use of MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint, along with other desktop software.

Health & Safety These duties must be performed in accordance with the hospital health and safety policy. In carrying out these duties the employee must ensure that effective safety procedures are in place to comply with the Health, Safety and Welfare at Work Act. Staff must carry out their duties in a safe and responsible manner in line with the Hospital Policy as set out in the appropriate department’s safety statement, which must be read and understood.

Quality, Risk &Safety Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of all staff to:

Participate and cooperate with legislative and regulatory requirements with regard to Quality, Risk and Safety

Participate and cooperate with the Children’s University Hospital Quality and Risk and Safety initiatives as required.

Participate and cooperate with internal and external evaluations of hospital structures, services and processes as required, including but not limited to:

National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare National Standards for the Prevention and Control of

Healthcare Associated Infections HSE Standards and Recommended Practices for Healthcare

Records Management HSE Standards and Recommended practices for

Decontamination of Reusable Invasive Medical Devices (RIMD) Safety audits and other audits specified by the HSE or other

regulatory authorities.

To initiate, support and implement quality improvement initiatives in their area which are in keeping with the hospitals continuous quality improvement programme.

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It is the responsibility of all managers to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements for Quality, Safety and Risk within their area/department.

Specific Responsibility for Best Practice inHygiene

Hygiene in healthcare is defined as “the practice that serves to keep people and the environment clean and prevent infection. It involves preserving one’s health, preventing the spread of disease and recognizing, evaluating and controlling health hazards.”

It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure compliance with hospital hygiene standards, guidelines and practices.

Department heads/ managers have overall responsibility for best practice in hygiene in their area

It is mandatory to attend hand hygiene and sharps awareness workshops yearly

NOTE: The extent and speed of change in the delivery of health care is such that adaptability is essential at this level of management. The incumbent will be required to maintain, enhance and develop their professional knowledge, skills and aptitudes necessary to respond to a changing situation. The Job Description must be regarded as an outline of the major areas of accountability at the present time. It will be reviewed and assessed on an on-going basis.

Informal Enquiries Sharon Keogh,Speech & Language Therapist Managersharon.keogh@cuh.ie Tel: T: (01) 8784293

Application Details Applications may be made by submitting a copy of your Curriculum Vitae to recruitment@cuh.ie

Closing Date Friday 14th April 2017

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Terms and Conditions of EmploymentSpeech & Language Therapist

Contract Type The appointment is a specific purpose contract to cover maternity leave

Remuneration Remuneration is in accordance with the salary scale approved by the Department of Health:

Current salary scale with effect from 1st November 2013:Rising from €33,969 by annual increments to €50,033 LSI

Annual Leave The annual leave associated with the post is to be agreed at job offer stage

Working Week The hours allocated to this post are 37 hours per week with 7.4 hours as a standard working day. The allocation of these hours will be at the discretion of the Department Head and in accordance with the needs of the service. However you will be required to work the agreed roster/on call arrangements advised to you by your line manager. Your contracted hours of work are liable to change between the hours of 8 am to 8 pm over 7 days to meet the requirements for extended day services in accordance with the terms of the Framework Agreement

Pension Employees of Temple Street Children’s University Hospital are required to be members of the Hospitals Superannuation Scheme.  Deductions at the appropriate rate will be made from your salary payment.

Probation All employees will be subject to a probationary period as per the probation policy. This policy applies to all employees irrespective of the type of contract under which they have been employed. A period of 9 month probation will be served:

- On commencement of employment- Fixed term to permanent contract- Permanent employees commencing in promotional posts will

also undertake a probationary period relating to their new post.

Place of work/location Your place of work will be at Temple Street Children’s Hospital, Dublin 1. Due to the plan for one National Children’s Hospital Service and the Satellite Centres, you may be required to transfer with the current hospital/service to a different location in the future. You will be kept informed and advised of the proposed relocation.

Age Age restrictions shall only apply to a candidate where he/she is not classified as a new entrant (within the meaning of the Public Service Superannuation Act, 2004). A candidate who is not classified as a new entrant must be under 65 years of age.

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Maternity Leave Maternity leave is granted in accordance with the terms of the Maternity Protection Acts 1994 and 2001.

Payment of sick leave The hospital operates a Sickness Absence Management policy in line with the new Public Service Sick Leave Scheme as introduced in 31st March 2014. An employee cannot avail of paid sick leave during their first six months of employment with the hospital.

Pre-Employment Health Assessment

Prior to commencing in this role a person will be required to complete a form declaring their health status which is reviewed by the hospital’s Occupational Health Service and if required undergo a medical assessment with this department. Any person employed by the hospital must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Validation of Qualifications & Experience

Any credit given to a candidate at interview, in respect of claims to qualifications, training and experience is provisional and is subject to verification. The recommendation of the interview board is liable to revision if the claimed qualification, training or experience is not proven.

References The hospital may seek up to three written references from current and previous employers, educational institutions or any other organisations with which the candidate has been associated. The hospital also reserves the right to determine the merit, appropriateness and relevance of such references and referees.

Garda Vetting The hospital will carry out Garda vetting on all new employees. An employee will not take up employment with the hospital until the Garda Vetting process has been completed and the hospital is satisfied that such an appointment does not pose a risk to clients, service users and employees.

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