Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

CNWL; Ealing; On-site; GBP 51,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

CNWL is seeking a passionate and motivated Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to join the Community SLT service in Ealing. This part-time role (22.5 hours/week) involves working with adults facing communication and swallowing difficulties due to neurological conditions. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to further develop their skills within a supportive multi-disciplinary team, while delivering high-quality patient-centred care.

Benefits

Excellent support and supervision structure

Access to a department budget for resources

Opportunities for professional development

Flexible working options

Work from a purpose-built location

Qualifications

• Registered with Health Professions Council.
• Substantial postgraduate experience in Speech and Language Therapy.
• Advanced knowledge of dysphagia and related assessment tools.

Responsibilities

• Assess and manage patients with swallowing and communication difficulties.
• Work with an MDT supporting adults with neurological conditions.
• Provide mentorship for junior staff and supervise assistants.

Skills

Dysphagia Management

Communication Skills

Analysis

Education

Speech & Language Therapy Degree

Master's Degree or equivalent

Job description

Search here to find a new job, a new career, an opportunity
to up skill or to simply change your career direction.

Become part of our team.
We care for you as much as you care for others.

There’s a place for you at CNWL.

We’re passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people.
We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.

With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.

To help your onboarding go smoothly, it’s essential that internal applicants:

Use their NHS.net email address in their TRAC profile

Ensure your application is marked to show thatyou are a current CNWL staff member

Applications using personal email addresses (e.g. Gmail or Yahoo) will not be recognised, and the process simply won’t work.There is also a charge to change new starter personal email addresses to their nhs.net email address.

Before you apply:

Log into TRAC and update your email to your NHS.net address

Check your application details and make sure you are identified as an internal applicant

This small step helps avoid major problems later.

This post is only open to internal applicants.

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 7

Main area Adult Speech and Language Therapy Grade NHS AfC: Band 7 Contract 3 months (Maternity Leave Cover, Fixed term contract) Hours Part time - 22.5 hours per week Job ref 333-G-ECP-0618

Site Clayponds Hospital Town Ealing Salary £51,883 - £58,544 pro rata incl. HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 19/06/2025 23:59 Interview date 23/06/2025

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a motivated speech and language therapist to join our Community SLT (Speech and Language Therapy) service within the Ealing borough of London, as a Band 7. We are looking for an enthusiastic SLT with proven experience of working with adults with neurological conditions and within the community. You will join our dynamic & friendly team working with a Band 8a SLT, other B7 SLT's, B5 & B6 SLT's and SLT Assistant's to assess, manage and treat patients in the borough of Ealing who have either swallowing or communication difficulties.

This post offers you the opportunity to develop your leadership and supervision skills. You must have experience in assessment and management of swallowing and communication disorders in adults with acquired neurological conditions including Stroke, Head Injury and progressive neurological conditions; frailty & general medical conditions. This must include highly specialist skills in dysphagia management with relevant post graduate qualifications. The Speech and Language Therapy team are part of a larger MDT specialist neurological team including OT, PT, Rehab Assistants, Nursing and Specialist MS/PD Nurses. There are great opportunities for joint working, joint goal setting and regular in-service training.

Main duties of the job

In Ealing, the Community Adult SLT offer a service encompassing, Clayponds Rehabilitation Hospital, Enable Long Term Conditions Team, Community Stroke Team, Nursing Home Service and Outpatient SLT.

The caseload covers patients with acquired neurological disorders including, progressive, degenerative, long-term conditions as well as, the frail elderly and dementia populations. There is close working with SLT colleagues across all our teams and with members of the wider MDT and partnership organisations, ensuring the seamless transfer of care for our patients and adherence to excellent care pathways.

The post-holder will be well supported to manage a varied, often complex, caseload and will be clinically supervised and supported by the 8a Community Adult SLT Team Leader.

Whether you are a B7 therapist wishing to consolidate or broaden your skills base or, a B6 therapist looking for their first B7 post you will be nurtured, facilitated and empowered to achieve your full potential in this role.

The successful candidate will have knowledge, skills and experience working with both dysphagia and communication patients, in an outpatients/community clinical setting.

The Ealing Adult SLT Team form part of the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust portfolio of services and we work closely with our colleagues within West London NHS Trust.

Working for our organisation

We can offer you:

• An opportunity to participate in innovative new work models
• An excellent support and supervision structure, including a Trust, SLT Lead
• Excellent professional development and ongoing training opportunities both internal and external.
• An interesting, manageable, caseload and waiting list
• Access to Talking Mats training
• Access to a department budget for resources and equipment including a specific Communications Aids Budget
• Fast, effective, IT and technology
• Excellent MDT working opportunities
• Good links to the Acute environment and access to VF
• Work from a purpose built location with free staff parking
• The opportunity to negotiate your work hours
• Due to careful planning we aim to keep travelling times, when required, to a minimum.

Follow us on twitter @ECP_AdultSLT

• https://www.westlondon.nhs.uk/ecp-adult-speech-language-therapy

If you meet the person specification criteria and have the appropriate clinical skills, together with commitment, energy and experience, then we would welcome hearing from you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To demonstrate specialist knowledge within this clinical specialism, underpinned by current evidence based practice.
• To manage a complex and specialist caseload independently demonstrating evidence of sound clinical judgment and outcome measures.
• To reflect on practice with peers and identify strengths and needs.
• To provide specialist second opinions and advice to more junior colleagues and other professionals in the field.
• To write appropriate reports and case notes, reflecting specialist knowledge.
• To communicate verbally and in writing with client/carer, assessment findings, diagnosis and therapy intervention plan reflecting specialist knowledge. This will include breaking bad news in a sensitive manner e.g. explaining to a stroke patient why they may not ever be able to eat or drink again.
• To negotiate with clients/other professionals around case management and to recognise potential breakdown and conflict when it occurs and resolve.
• To employ negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations.
• To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible.
• To employ excellent communication and advocacy skills to enable clients/carers to access statutory agencies and exercise statutory rights eg enabling patient and solicitor to understand each other.
• To attend and contribute to relevant Speech and Language Therapy Team meetings and lead in small team projects.
• To take a proactive role in team-building within multidisciplinary teams.
• To supervise and plan time-table and work for assistants and volunteers.
• To take responsibility for day-to-day operational management of staff groups.
• To take the lead on inter-agency team-working.
• To represent the SLT department in meetings with other agencies e.g. Stroke services, as requested.
• To contribute to the induction and support system for new staff.
• To mentor, supervise and provide leadership to junior Speech and Language Therapists.
• To provide full student Speech and Language Therapy placement.
• To advise line manager on issues of service delivery including shortfall, service pressures etc.
• To discuss with line manager options for caseload management.
• To monitor stock levels in specialist service area and request new equipment as appropriate.
• To be responsible for the security, care and maintenance of equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained – including equipment loaned to clients.
• To maintain up to date and accurate case notes in line with RCSLT professional standards and local trust policies.
• To share information with others, observing data protection guidelines.
• To work independently within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct.
• To monitor auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of client’s communication and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative effectiveness. This may require intense periods of concentration.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

• Registration with Health Professions Council as a Speech and Language Therapist.
• Recognised Speech & Language Therapy Degree qualification or equivalent
• Registered member of RCSLT
• Evidence of successful completion of courses to Master’s degree or equivalent.
• Evidence of attendance at relevant courses and membership of relevant Special Interest Groups.

Knowledge and Experience

• Substantial postgraduate SLT experience, to include some NHS experience.
• Extensive dysphagia management skills, some of which should be within the clinical specialism.
• Advanced knowledge of a broad range of assessment tools relevant to the clinical specialism.
• Advanced knowledge of trends/best practice within the clinical specialism.
• In-depth knowledge of the principles of clinical governance
• In-depth knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to the clinical specialism.

Skills Abilities and Attributes

• Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills
• Advanced knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions relevant to the clinical specialism and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits
• Demonstrates excellent analytical and reflection skills.
• Evidence of excellent organisational skills.
• Excellent presentation skills, both written and verbal.
• Demonstrates ability to be a good team member and assume leadership responsibilities.
• Advanced negotiation and problem solving skills.
• Other advanced training eg advanced dysphagia
• Evidence of reflective practice.
• Access to their own car, with a clean UK driving licence and willingness to use their car for work.

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.

If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

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.

Name Leila Avery Job title Clinical Services Manager for Ealing Adult SLT Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 020 3830 5708 Additional information

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