Band 6 Speech And Language Therapist

Royal Free London Nhs Foundation Trust; Chipping Barnet; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an enthusiastic Speech and Language Therapist to join its SLT team on a fixed-term basis. You will rotate across acute general medicine, elderly care, stroke, respiratory and cancer services, with opportunities to develop specialist dysphagia skills.

The role expects strong clinical and organisational abilities, with involvement in teaching, service development, and quality improvement projects within a supportive, multidisciplinary environment.

Qualifications

• Dysphagia competencies and knowledge of MDT working are essential.
• Evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning to inform care.
• Excellent communication with patients and colleagues; teaching/training may be required.

Responsibilities

• Support the SLT team to manage a busy caseload.
• Participate in the Band 6 rotation to gain competencies across elderly care, medicine, respiratory, voice and cancer services.
• Support FEES and video fluoroscopy services where required.
• Contribute to teaching and training programmes within the Trust.

Skills

Dysphagia

MDT collaboration

Clinical reasoning

Communication skills

Education

Degree in Speech and Language Therapy

Job description

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, self-motivated Speech and Language Therapist to join our friendly SLT teams. Working within integrated multi-disciplinary teams, you will help deliver excellent patient care alongside 18 SLTs and SLTAs in a supportive, dynamic environment known for developing staff. This fixed-term post (until January 2027) offers rotations and specialist competencies in:

• Acute general medicine and elderly care (Barnet Hospital)
• Acute stroke (Barnet Hospital)
• Respiratory, surgical and critical care (Barnet Hospital)
• Voice and head and neck cancer (Barnet Hospital; 1 session at Chase Farm)
• Specialist neurological rehabilitation (Edgware Hospital)

Rotations are regularly reviewed. The successful candidate will be keen to develop specialist knowledge, with strong organisational and clinical skills to deliver high-quality care and support safe discharge planning. You will have opportunities to contribute to Quality Improvement Projects and service development. The Therapy Department holds a high profile within the Trust and is committed to staff and service development. We provide in-service and external training to meet service and learning needs. You will be supported to develop clinical, teaching and managerial skills within Trust values and CPD guidelines. This role suits a Band 5 with completed dysphagia competencies or a Band 6 seeking broader clinical experience.

Main duties of the job

This post involves supporting the SLT team to manage a busy caseload and participating in the Band 6 rotation to gain competencies across the areas of: elderly care and general medicine; respiratory and surgical wards, including critical care; voice, head and neck cancer service; acute stroke and specialist neurological rehabilitation. The SLT team also work with the Rapid Response Team.

Dysphagia competencies and proven skills in MDT working and prioritisation are necessary for this role. We provide inpatient and outpatient FEES and video fluoroscopy services and there will be opportunities for this post to participate in these services.

The post holder will be expected to contribute to the regular teaching and training programme throughout the Trust.

About us

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's biggest and most innovative trusts with over 17,000 staff serving 2 million patients every year. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and more than 30 services in the community. This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients. Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers' money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation. Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

Details

Salary: £45,953 to £54,254 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS
Contract: Fixed term, 12 months
Working pattern: Full-time
Band: Band 6 (Agenda for change)
Reference number: 391-RFL-8351282-A

Essential person specification

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust shared commitments
• Degree/ graduate diploma or equivalent in Speech and Language Therapy
• Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration as a speech and language therapist
• Certificated graduate courses or equivalent in-house training in clinical specialty areas
• Understanding of the role of SLT across a broad range of clinical areas
• Effective clinical reasoning skills
• Ability to be proactive in service development
• Ability to critically evaluate current research and apply to own practice
• Knowledge and application of principles of evidence-based practice
• Knowledge of the use of instrumental assessment
• Ability to reflect on and appraise own practice
• Effective verbal communication skills with a range of patients and healthcare professionals regarding complex and sensitive issues
• Effective written communication skills
• Good presentation skills
• Able to autonomously manage clinical caseload and prioritise effectively
• Ability to work effectively within different teams both multi and uni-disciplinary
• Ability to demonstrate initiative to manage own time and meet deadlines
• Skills in differential diagnosis in communication and swallowing disorders in adults with acquired disorders
• Comply with trust manual handling guidelines
• Good understanding of relevant clinical guidelines
• Broad range of clinical experience at a Band 5 level or above
• Teaching/training/presentations to staff or students
• Supervision of more junior staff, assistants and students
• Active participation in an audit or project work
• Evidence of CPD
• Strong interpersonal skills, including assertiveness and negotiation
• Positive attitude to change; able to facilitate change within teams
• Self-motivated and able to motivate others

Desirable

• Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
• Membership of special interest group
• Experience of working in an acute, hospital-based setting, including working within an MDT

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

For questions about the job, contact:

Rosalind Pawar, SLT Clinical and Professional Lead, [e-mail]

The closing date is 29 October 2026.