Senior Specialist Rehabilitationist Hearing Implants ( Paediatric)

The post holder will work within the rehabilitation team embedded in the specialist multidisciplinary Hearing Implant Centre at St Thomas' Hospital.

The postholder will work specifically with children aged 0-19 being assessed for Cochlear Implants (CI), Bone Conduction Hearing Implants (BCHI) and Middle Ear Implants (MEI).

The postholder will work within a blended service model working within the department for face to face patient contacts, virtual patient and stakeholder contacts via video technology, phone contacts and outreach visits as clinically required following departmental protocols.

Main duties of the job

• Assess patients and contribute to the MDT decision Making Process
• Maximise the patients listening, speech perception and communication skills with their cochlear implant via advice and recommendations
• Assess, monitor and evaluate their progress with their cochlear implant
• Train and educate other professionals
• Provide educational support to maximise and maintain the patients level of listening and communication (if in education setting)
• Conduct research and audit
• Work in partnership with the audiological scientist in face to face clinic appointments to carry out a combination of audiological and outcome measure tests appropriate to the patients age and stage to support decision making and programming

Job responsibilities

• Be solely clinically responsible for relevant aspects of highly specialist communication, expectations, functional listening and speech perception testing aspects of the MDT assessment.
• Administer and interpret specialist formal and informal tests of speech perception, language and communication in children pre and post-operatively.
• Be an expert carrying out assessments, diagnosis and differential diagnosis or onward referral for additional diagnosis.
• Work in partnership and deliver joint sessions with Audiological Scientists to assess the patients level of hearing thresholds, functional listening, speech perception, communication and quality of life both pre and post- surgical intervention.
• Use one's specialist experience of developmental milestones, cognition, the patients communication style to choose the correct assessments to gather the most relevant information to support the patients management with their hearing implant.
• Develop communication, listening, language and social skills treatment plans for profoundly deaf babies, young children and young people both before and after cochlear and hearing implantation in order to develop and advise on specialised packages of care and objectives to meet the needs of the client and family.
• Be responsible for making a specialist clinical recommendation to the wider MDT in relation to relevant intervention options and likely outcomes.
• Follow local departmental policies to engage/refer to other team colleagues as appropriate in the management of cases.
• Direct and support rehabilitation assistants and or junior colleagues on the team.

Person Specification

• Qualifications:

+ Essential: A recognised profession specific undergraduate degree with a diploma to practice as a Speech and Language Therapist and additional specialist short courses in deafness qualification OR A undergraduate degree then a recognised profession specific masters level degree with diploma in Speech and Language Therapy and additional specialist short courses in deafness qualification OR A degree (undergraduate and/or masters level) with a Diploma in Education and Certificate in the Education of the Deaf + Desirable: Evidence of continuing professional development and specialist knowledge of hearing implants, Post graduate Advanced Clinical Skills diploma (ACS) in deafness, Post graduate qualifications in areas relevant to the field of deafness and hearing implants

• Knowledge:

+ Essential: Specialist and up to date /evidenced based knowledge and understanding with skills needed in the assessment, rehabilitation and development of: Everyday communication and social skills of the client group, Functional listening and speech perception skills and how to assess this in the client group, Functional understanding and use of spoken language and how to assess this in the client group + Desirable: Knowledge of local mental health service and national Deaf Child and Adolescent mental Health Services

• Experience:

+ Essential: Experience and skills working with babies, toddlers, young/older children and teenagers + Desirable: Experience of working with deaf blind children and deaf children with complex additional needs including emotional and behavioural difficulties.