Advanced Speech and Language Therapist- Acute Service

NHS; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK healthcare trust is seeking an Advanced Speech and Language Therapist for its Acute Service team at Birmingham Children's Hospital. This role supports children with complex communication and dysphagia needs. The successful candidate will work closely within a multidisciplinary team, providing expert care and innovative outpatient services. Applicants should be compassionate and possess a professional registration as a Speech & Language Therapist. The role offers a competitive salary, reflecting the experience level.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Training and development opportunities

Supportive work environment

Qualifications

• Registered Speech & Language Therapist with HCPC.
• Postgraduate pediatric experience in SLT.
• Experience in multidisciplinary team work.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist service to children with dysphagia.
• Collaborate with MDTs for integrated care.
• Develop outpatient services for dysphagic patients.

Skills

Clinical effectiveness

Evidence-based practice

Team collaboration

Dysphagia knowledge

Education

Professional registration as a Speech & Language Therapist

Job description

Go back Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Advanced Speech and Language Therapist- Acute Service

The closing date is 11 January 2026

An exciting opportunity, made possible through generous BCH charitable funding, has arisen to join the Acute Speech & Language Therapy (SLT) Team based at Birmingham Children's Hospital (BCH)! The posts are fixed term for a 12-month period and we are happy to offer the roles as a secondment. We welcome applications from suitably trained dysphagia SLTs who are looking to progress their career, either at a Band 6 or Band 7.

In addition to working with patients with acute feeding, swallowing and acquired communication needs across the wards, there will be the opportunity to work with dysphagic outpatients. We have recently been awarded charitable funding for 1.2wte dysphagia trained SLTs to help develop and deliver an outpatient service for patients and their families who, during their critical feeding period following discharge and whilst awaiting support from their community SLT, would benefit from assessment and advice to maximise their oral feeding potential and quality of life.

We are looking for compassionate, resilient, and innovative SLTs with some experience and knowledge of working with children with complex dysphagia and communication needs. We are a friendly, sociable and welcoming team who are committed to offering new colleagues support to develop their skills and their ability to provide high quality care to patients within our acute paediatric setting.

Main duties of the job

To be responsible for the provision and development of a highly specialist service to infants, children and young people with complex dysphagia and acquired communication needs, underpinned by current evidence informed practice.

To work closely and in collaboration with the wider Multidisciplinary Teams (MDT), other professionals including local Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs), parents/carers and community teams; to ensure well-coordinated integrated SLT care in an identified specialist clinical area.

To demonstrate clinical effectiveness through use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures, own professional development and research activity.

To develop and deliver under the supervision of the Clinical Lead/Inpatient Team Coordinator, a highly specialist out-patient service for dysphagic patients and their families at the point of discharge, to maximise feeding potential and quality of life during the young person's critical period for oral feeding and whilst awaiting ongoing support from their community SLT team.

To undertake and present research and/or audit in specialist clinical area to evaluate the effectiveness of the out-patient dysphagia service in terms of enhancing patient care, and empowering parents/carers to safely and confidently transition their child to oral feeding.

About us

Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust is the first of its type in the UK. Our Trust was formed in February 2017 to drive forward our commitment to provide the highest quality, world‑class physical and mental health care for our women, children and families. Uniting our hospitals means more seamless care; more investment to make greater advances in our specialist treatment and world‑leading neo‑natal and fetal work. Importantly, it also gives us a greater voice in shaping the future of family‑centred care.

Birmingham Children's Hospital is a UK leading specialist paediatric centre with an international reputation in several areas.

Birmingham Women's Hospital is one of two dedicated women’s hospitals in the UK, with the busiest single site maternity unit, delivering more than 8,200 babies a year offering a full range of gynaecological, maternity and neonatal care.

Our Trust is committed to creating the best place to work. We believe in promoting and enhancing inclusion, diversity and equality and encourage applications from all areas of the community, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of age, gender identity, disability, race, religion or sexual orientation.

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification to view the full details for this opportunity at Birmingham Womens and Childrens NHS Foundation Trust.

When completing your application, please ensure you have evidenced how you meet the job description and person specification to include transferable experience, qualifications, skills along with professional registration details (if applicable).

Occasionally we receive a large number of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment.

Person Specification

Shortlisting

• Professional registration as a Speech & Language Therapist with the HCPC and the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.
• Experience of a range of post graduate paediatric experience working as a SLT with complex communication and eating, drinking and swallowing problems.
• Experience of working as a key member in specialist multi-disciplinary teams.
• Evidence of ability to provide support and supervision to others.
• Experience in training and educating other professionals and carers in the role of Speech and Language Therapy.
• Highly motivated to work with children and young people at Birmingham Children's Hospital.
• Experience of leading projects in audit and/or research.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust

£38,682 to £54,710 a year pro rata (Dependent on experience)