Acute Speech and Language Therapist

Gloucestershire Health and Care; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Free car parking

27 days leave + bank holidays

NHS pension

Flexible working

Job summary

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust in Gloucestershire is recruiting a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (Band 6) to provide assessment, diagnosis and treatment to adults on acute medical wards at Gloucester Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital. This is a fixed-term 6-month maternity cover, part-time 30 hours per week.

You will deliver specialist therapy, support multidisciplinary teams, and maintain HCPC registration.

Qualifications

• Degree in Speech and Language Therapy.
• Post-graduate dysphagia training completed.
• Holds a UK driving licence.
• FEES trained.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist differential diagnosis, clinical advice and care plans for adults with communication and swallowing disorders on acute wards.
• Offer second opinions to SLT colleagues to support clinical management.
• Assess severity and impact of speech, language and swallowing impairments using formal/informal assessments.
• Collaborate with MDTs and liaise with carers/clients for case management.

Skills

UK driving licence

Education

Degree in Speech and Language Therapy

Post-graduate dysphagia training

FEES trained

Job description

Main area Speech and Language Therapist Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Fixed term: 6 months (Would consider bank) Hours 30 hours per week (Part time - 30 hours per week) Job ref 327-26-893

Site Gloucester Royal Hospital / Cheltenham General Hospital Town Gloucester Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 20/11/2026 23:59

We love what we do and we think you will, too!

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county .

We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care . We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you ’.

We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and w e are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality team s in all areas of the Trust .

Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.

It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us .

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to provide Specialist Speech and Language Therapy assessment, diagnosis and treatment to adults in Gloucestershire. This could include patients with acquired communication, voice and swallowing disorders, within an acute medical setting.

This is a 6 month maternity cover on the Acute general medicine wards at Gloucester Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital.

Main duties of the job

• To provide specialist differential diagnosis, clinical advice, and care plans/therapy to clients with communication / swallowing difficulties; this includes analysis of facts and a comparison of a range of options for appropriate intervention, implementing specialist programmes where appropriate.
• To provide advice and second opinions to SLT colleagues when necessary to support the clinical management of clients with acquired communication, voice and swallowing disorders.
• To assess and analyse type, severity and impact of complex conditions of speech, language, communication and swallowing impairments in a wide range of adult patients, through specific formal and informal assessments.
• To provide advice and second opinions when necessary to support the clinical management of clients especially when multi-disciplinary decisions around care are required.
• To demonstrate clear communication skills when presenting specialist clinical information in both verbal and written formats when dealing with sensitive situations such as end of life.

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To maintain up to date and accurate electronic case notes, in line with RCSLT Professional Standards, GHC Trust Policy and departmental guidelines.
• To adhere to and maintain the standards and guidelines as recommended by the RCSLT and the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) codes of conduct and practice.
• To attend relevant training and development in order to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a specialist therapist working with a variety of patients and maintain up to date HCPC and RCSLT registration.
• To prescribe augmentative and alternative methods of communication (e.g. communication aids) and provide support, advice and training to clients, carers and professionals.
• To refer clients on to other services and agencies and to liaise with members of voluntary organisations concerned with the client group
• To negotiate with carers/clients/others around individual case management, ensuring client involvement in their clinical outcomes.

To support compliance with UK immigration requirements, all applicants who require a visa to work in the UK must disclose their visa history in full. This includes current and previous sponsors, dates of sponsorship, visa category, and any changes of employment. If you are on a Graduate or Dependant Visa, please disclose the expiry date on your application. Incomplete information may mean we are unable to consider your application.

Person specification

Experience

• Degree in Speech and Language Therapy
• Post grad dysphagia training completed

Professional Experience

• Experience working in an acute setting
• Experience of managing a complex caseload
• Evidence of working in an MDT
• Holds a UK driving licence

Post graduate training

• Trache trained
• FEES trained

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

• Free car parking at many of our sites
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
• A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
• Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
• Recognition and long service awards
• Fast Track physiotherapy
• Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

If you are aged 16-30, you may be eligible for financial and pastoral support from the King’s Trust, with who we are in partnership with to support your first 6 months in role. We will pass on your details to the King’s Trust who will be in touch with you if you are eligible. If you would rather not be contacted, please let us know.

For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.

Good luck with your application.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.