Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist - NICU

Job overview

8a Clinical Lead Speech & Language Therapist - Neonatal Services

Fixed term: 4 1/2 years until February 2031

We are seeking an enthusiastic, compassionate, and skilled Speech & Language Therapist to join our paediatric services as the Clinical Lead SLT for Neonates.

This is a 4.5 year fixed term position  ending in January 2031.

This role offers a unique opportunity to deliver highly specialist neonatal SLT care, lead an established and skilled clinical team, and influence the development of family‑centred pathways for infants requiring intensive and specialist support.

The Neonatal units at our Denmark Hill and Princes Royal sites are staffed with an inclusive, dedicated and highly skilled MDT. There are ample opportunities to develop your skills and share the expertise you bring to the role.

Main duties of the job

As a Clinical Lead SLT for Neonatal Services, you will:

• Provide expert neonatal SLT assessment, intervention and leadership across both Denmark Hill and PRUH sites
• Lead and support the acute neonatal SLT team to ensure consistently high‑quality care
• Contribute to and help shape outpatient neurodevelopmental clinics, working closely with MDT clinical leads
• Offer clinical leadership across wider paediatric therapy services at Denmark Hill, supporting development, consistency, and innovation
• Champion inclusive, evidence‑based practice that supports infants, families and colleagues

We welcome applications from therapists who:

• Are passionate about neonatal and infant feeding practice
• Value teamwork, psychological safety and collaborative problem‑solving
• Are committed to compassionate leadership and inclusive practice
• Want to contribute to service development and evidence‑based innovation
• Enjoy working across diverse communities and supporting equitable access to care.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities:

• To work at an advanced level in the field of neonatal speech and language therapy by receiving referrals and independently assessing and treating own caseload of patients, ensuring evaluation and progression of treatment programmes to a high standard, and in line with National and Trust clinical guidelines, protocols and pathways where they exist.
• In conjunction with the Neonatologists, Clinical Lead Therapists, and Outpatient Team, organise and manage specialist outpatient clinics for infants referred to the neurodevelopmental follow-up clinic service.
• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care. To ensure a high standard of clinical practice for patients under your management and to support more junior staff to do likewise.
• To have clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients as an autonomous practitioner, including those with highly complex and diverse conditions, and prioritise that work efficiently taking into account clinical and service priorities.
• To use advanced clinical assessment and reasoning skills and evidence based knowledge to assess patients with highly complex conditions, and to formulate prognoses and recommendations for the best form of intervention including e.g. Videofluoroscopy, ENT assessment.
• To formulate and deliver individual speech and language therapy treatment programmes based on advanced clinical knowledge of current practice, evidence based practice and treatment options.
• To analyse and interpret clinical and non-clinical facts which may be conflicting, and to provide expert advice and second opinion to the MDT, including peers and Consultants, and external organisations
• With appropriate training, to request and use the results of specialist investigations (e.g. endoscopy, VF) to assist with patient assessment and to plan the most appropriate patient management approach
• To recognise boundaries of own extended practice as it develops and to manage associated clinical risk at all times.
• To make appropriate referrals to other services and clinicians based on assessment and investigation findings, and by having an in-depth understanding of the role of others in the multidisciplinary team.
• To ensure effective discharge planning as part of a patient’s management, liaising with referrers and other members of the MDT as appropriate.
• To use advanced theoretical and practical knowledge to advise, guide and teach less experienced speech and language therapists, assistants and students in the assessment and management of patients and other aspects of clinical care, including record keeping.
• To liaise with Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, Paediatricians, ENT consultants, Radiologists, GPs, Clinical Lead Therapists to formulate protocols/care pathways for the assessment and management of patients attending the specialist clinics.
• To manage clinical risk within own clinical caseload, and provide expert advice to contribute to the effective management of clinical risk within the speech a
• The post requires a flexible approach to working including providing services at both our Denmark Hill and Bromley sites.