Critical Care Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A large healthcare organization based in Birmingham is seeking a Band 7 Critical Care Specialist Speech and Language Therapist. The successful candidate will lead a team, managing complex communication and swallowing difficulties in critical care settings. Qualifications include a relevant degree and experience in critical care. This role offers a supportive work environment focusing on staff wellbeing and career development opportunities, making it an ideal fit for those passionate about providing excellent patient care.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience managing acquired swallowing and communication difficulties within acute and ITU settings.
• Basic trache competencies are essential.
• Participation in the weekday service for inpatients across Heartlands and Good Hope Hospitals.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of speech and language therapists.
• Engage in clinical governance and service innovation.
• Represent SLT at daily and weekly MDT meetings.

Skills

Management of complex speech and swallowing conditions

Evidence of working effectively in multidisciplinary teams

Training staff groups

Education

Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent

Health Professions Council – Licence to Practice

Registered Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Postgraduate advanced accredited dysphagia training

Job description

Go back University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Band 7 Critical Care Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

The closing date is 01 February 2026

Are you passionate about delivering outstanding SLT care in critical care?

Are you keen to work with complex communication and swallowing difficulties including patients with tracheostomies incorporating the use of instrumental assessments in the adult critical care setting?

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust is a large organization, based in the vibrant city of Birmingham, now covering four busy hospital sites and a community service

We have a new opportunity for a SLT to join our dynamic team developing and leading our critical care services working across our ITU / HDU units on both Birmingham Heartlands and Good Hope Hospital working alongside a variety of multidisciplinary teams.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate would have extensive experience managing acquired swallowing and communication difficulties within acute and ITU settings. Basic trache competencies are essential and VF / FEEs competencies are desirable though further inhouse training can be provided as required. You will lead on representing SLT at daily / weekly MDT meetings and ward rounds.

You would be supporting the Clinical Team Lead and Professional lead by co‑ordinating the team of speech and language therapists and supporting staff in delivering a clinically prioritised and safe service. The candidate would be actively engaged in the service delivery including business continuity, service planning, clinical governance and service innovation.

The SLT department at HGS are committed to ensuring staff feel supported with their career progression through supervision, appraisal, in‑house and external training, and leadership development. There is also a strong focus on staff wellbeing within UHB Trust including ensuring that our staff work in an inclusive and diverse setting. The team is well respected in the wider hospital and has a reputation for providing excellent and efficient patient centred care.

This post includes participation in the weekday service for inpatients across Heartlands and Good Hope Hospitals.

For further details please contact:

Asfa Bashir – Clinical Team Lead for Speech and Language Therapy

0121 424 0432

About us

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Job responsibilities

Please note for a specific detailed job description for this vacancy please see attached job description.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
• Health Professions Council – Licence to Practice
• Registered Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
• Evidence of skills in the management of complex speech and swallowing conditions
• Postgraduate advanced accredited dysphagia training

Experience

• Relevant postgraduate experience in critical care
• Experience of management of adults with complex swallowing /communication needs
• Experience of involvement in VF / FEES clinic
• Experience of SLT students at clinical tutor and supervisor levels
• Experience of leading audit
• Experience of training staff groups at all levels
• Evidence of working effectively in partnership with others within multidisciplinary teams and across agencies
• Experience of staff management
• Experience of conducting or being involved in research in the specialist area

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 Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust