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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Maintain a clean safe environment ensuring adherence to Trust standards of cleanliness hygiene & infection control at all times.

Be professionally & legally responsible & accountable for all aspects of own work including the management of patients in own care. Ensure a high standard of clinical care for patients under own management & support more junior staff to do likewise.

Carry out a range of formal and informal assessments to form an accurate diagnosis & prognosis with patients admitted to Critical Care.

Develop and carry out robust treatment and management plans individually or in a group setting, evaluating the outcomes as appropriate.

Follow appropriate discharge criteria, discussing and agreeing this with the patient and carers as appropriate. Liaise with the acute/stroke/Head and neck cancer SLT team when patients leave Critical Care and refer onwards as appropriate.

Offer advice and support to patients, carers and significant others about individual clients and demonstrate practical procedures where appropriate.

Supervise, mentor & performance manage SLT students including the use of formal appraisal documentation.

Act as a resource for staff to provide specialist advice to SLT colleagues working within other clinical areas & other health professionals within the Trust & externally as required.

Provide specialist advice, teaching & training to other members of the MDT regarding the SLT management of patients admitted to Critical care.

To work as an integral part of the Critical Care multi-disciplinary team.

Specialist Clinical Duties

To work with Critical Care patients with dysphagia and communication difficulties as an independent practitioner including the use and assessment of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

To work with patients who may have an altered airway i.e. be intubated or have a tracheostomy or laryngectomy, some of which on Critical care may be on a ventilator (training can be provided for this). This will include cuff deflation, assessment of Passy Muir valve use and work as part of the MDT to create weaning plans.

To develop a high level of clinical knowledge in the specialist field of critical care providing advice, second opinions and joint management with colleagues in the Trust. The postholder will be willing to develop a specialist knowledge of dysphagia rehabilitation with this client group.

To develop a high level of knowledge in the field of voice disorders and structural dysphagia providing advice and second opinions to colleagues within the trust; this may be as a result of intubation or critical care stay.

To implement training related to specialist area to colleagues in the department/hospital/other Trusts.

To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of national policies, documents and trends related to this client group.

To review literature and disseminate relevant information.

To collaborate in research projects relevant to this client group as and when required.

For further details of the job role please see attached job description.