Advanced Speech and Language Therapist acute services

NHS; Haywards Heath; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Haywards Heath seeks an experienced Advanced Speech and Language Therapist to lead inpatient services, specializing in dysphagia management and tracheostomy care. The role includes supervising junior staff, providing expert assessments, and improving service design. This position offers a competitive salary range of £47,810 to £54,710 per annum pro rata, with strong support for professional development.

Benefits

Extensive wellbeing programme

Flexible working options

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Must have experience in managing dysphagia and tracheostomy patients.
• Proven experience in supervising junior staff.
• Commitment to professional development and team leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead the inpatient speech and language therapy team.
• Manage clinical governance and audit activities.
• Provide expert assessment and treatment for communication disorders.

Skills

Advanced dysphagia management

Tracheostomy management

Leadership and line management

Education

Qualification in Speech and Language Therapy

Registration with HCPC and RCSLT

Job description

Go back University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

Advanced Speech and Language Therapist acute services

The closing date is 02 October 2025

We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced speech and language therapist to lead our general inpatient and ITU service at Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.

Competencies in advanced dysphagia in a general caseload and tracheostomy management are essential but you will offer a full range of assessment, management and treatments for a variety of swallowing and communication disorders. PRH offers hospital services within care of the elderly, general medicine and surgery, respiratory medicine, oncology and critical care. We have well established videofluoroscopy and FEES services and you will be expected to take a lead role in these. We offer both for inpatients and outpatients as well as running a small neuro outpatient service based across PRH and the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton.

Experience in line managing staff is crucial to this role as you will be required to supervise and manage junior clinicians and administrative staff within this small team.

The SLT service is committed to developing its staff and we strongly support continuing professional development with a variety of internal events and the capacity to support external learning.

Main duties of the job

Band 7 SaLT to lead the inpatient team at PRH. General inpatient clinical duties as well as a service to ITU to include patients on ventilators and with tracheostomies.

Other services include outpatients, VFS and FEES.

Service and team leadership

Clinical governance activities

About us

At UHSussex (UHSx), diversity is our strength, & we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness & experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, & can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) & a Veteran Aware Trust.

We treat our patients & staff with the same compassion & empathy we expect for ourselves. We're here for them when they need us, and we go above & beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our candidate information pack & wellbeing programme,for staff which is extensive & designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.

As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching & training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us & throughout your career we will help you to grow & develop.We hope that in choosing UHSx you are choosing a long & happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make & feel valued for all that you do.

We look forward to receiving your application & the start of your journey with UHSx.

Job responsibilities

• Advance Dysphagia management
• assessment and management of communication disorders in acute services
• VFS
• FEES
• management of neurology and neuro-oncology patients in outpatients
• Line management of junior staff
• Service management and design of Speech and language therapy provision at PRH
• Leadership of a variety of governance activities - education, audit, risk management and quality improvements.

Person Specification

• Qualification
• registration HCPC and RCSLT
• Experience
• knowledge and skills

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role)
• Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues.

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.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

£47,810 to £54,710 a yearPer annum pro rata