Job overview
Due to internal promotion, we are excited to offer this opportunity to join our Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) service in Ipswich and East Suffolk, working with people with acquired conditions on the inpatient wards and the inpatient stroke unit (including HASU) as a senior speech and language therapist.
This service champions research, innovation and development. Our team is award winning, having previously been named ‘Team of the Year’ at ESNEFT, as well as winning awards for our innovation including ‘Making Better Use of Resources’ award at the Suffolk and North East Essex ICS ‘Can Do’ awards last year. The team are actively engaged in service improvement projects including the use of EMST, and service redesign to align with the NHS long term plan. The Trust is committed to developing leadership skills for staff at all levels.
Provisional interview date 2nd July
Main duties of the job
You will support individuals with communication and swallowing difficulties, including those with complex needs. You will have the opportunity to develop specialist skills, such as working in critical care and high dependency areas, and/ or instrumental assessment skills with videofluoroscopy or FEES. (Training can be provided to support competency development, according to service need). You will work with the Stroke team to support individuals with their rehabilitation, setting goals and discharge plans with the MDT, working with patients and their families to help them with their stroke recovery. You will help support operational service delivery, through contributing to triage and prioritisation of the clinical caseload.
You will belong to a large, integrated SLT service in East Suffolk delivers inpatient, outpatient and community services. Our team supports people who have a range of conditions including stroke, progressive neurological conditions, head and neck cancer, voice disorders, dementia, respiratory conditions, and frailty. We also offer a countywide service to adults with learning disability. We are a friendly team, and share expertise across the teams with our populations at the centre of service delivery. Our department sits within the Integrated Therapies division and therefore have excellent links to our MDT colleagues, including shared CPD opportunities. All teams are supported by our SLT apprentices and assistants.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.
Person specification
Knowledge
Essential
- Experience of working with elderly/very unwell people
- Experience of working with people with stroke and with progressive/terminal illness
- Experience of working with people in acute distress
- Experience of independently managing own caseload, including patients with dysphagia
- Experience of working in various settings
- Experience of working as a member of a multi-disciplinary team
- Experience of referring patients for instrumental assessment
- Experience of recording clinical data, for purposes such as SSNAP
Desirable
- Teaching/training other staff
- Experience of supervising staff
- Experience of analysing instrumental assessments and preparing detailed reports (with supervision)
- Experience of working with tracheostomy
Experience
Essential
- Knowledge of neurologically impaired patients, particularly those with communication and swallowing problems following a stroke, and with progressive conditions
- Knowledge of communication and swallowing difficulties arising due to acute and chronic conditions
- Knowledge of evidence-based practice in relation to dysphagia assessment and therapy intervention
- Independent Bedside assessment of dysphagia
- Assessment of communication impairments by various means, including informal assessment, as well as a range of standardised assessments
Desirable
- Knowledge of use of instrumental assessments in dysphagia management
- Involvement in audit/clinical governance within Speech and Language Therapy
- Use of outcome measures and evidence based practice.
- Awareness of change in NHS and current legislation
Qualifications
Essential
- RCSLT recognised degree or equivalent
- Membership of RCSLT
- HCPC membership
- Ability to travel to different places of work/driving licence
- Independent Dysphagia practitioner
Desirable
- Evidence of attendance at relevant specialist courses
- Evidence of Video fluoroscopy (MBSImp) or FEES Competency specialist training/experience
- Portfolio of CPD evidence relevant to post
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Senior Speech and Language Therapist with East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust in Colchester, East of England, England. It is listed as a Band 6 Speech and Language Therapist role. The advertised salary is £39,959 - £48,117 per annum pro rata. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 21 Jun 2026.
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