Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (Acute)

NHS; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Lease car scheme

Home electronics scheme

Generous annual leave

Pension scheme

Staff health and wellbeing programmes

Job summary

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, based in Liverpool, seeks a Highly Specialist Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist (Acute) to deliver expert assessment and intervention for dysphagia and communication needs. Work within inpatient services and collaborate with tertiary services across specialties.

The role requires advanced knowledge, research, teaching, and leadership within a busy acute paediatric setting. A supportive environment with strong staff wellbeing benefits is offered.

Qualifications

• Qualified Speech and Language Therapist with HCPC registration.
• Experience managing acute/complex paediatric dysphagia.
• Experience with developmental speech, language and communication disorders from birth to adulthood.

Responsibilities

• Provide highly specialist, evidence-based speech and language therapy for children and young people with dysphagia and communication needs as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Skills

Paediatric dysphagia

Clinical audit

Teaching/education

Research methods

AAC implementation

Prioritisation & problem solving

Clinical supervision

RCSLT member

Education

Qualified Speech and Language Therapist

HCPC registered

Experience with acute/complex paediatric dysphagia

Developmental speech, language and communication disorders (birth to adulthood)

Using/interpreting objective/instrumental assessments

Job description

Main area Highly Specialist Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist (Acute) Grade NHS AfC: Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 9 sessions per week Job ref 411-DIA-26-8274309

Employer Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust Town Liverpool Salary £49,387 - £56,515 N/A Salary period Yearly Closing 23/10/2026 23:59

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (Acute)

NHS AfC: Band 7

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is a provider of specialist health care and has a presence in community outreach sites and, in collaboration with other providers, our clinicians help deliver care closer to patients’ homes by holding local clinics at locations from Cumbria to Shropshire, in Wales and the Isle of Man. The Trust also provides inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs at our Sunflower House building newly relocated, and opened on the hospital site.

We currently have more than 4,000 staff working across our community and hospital sites. We’re also a teaching and training hospital providing education and training to around 540 medical and over 500 nursing and allied health professional students each year.

As black and minority ethnic (BME) employees are currently under-represented in this area, we particularly welcome applications from members of our BME communities. All appointments will be made on merit.

You can expect a warm welcome at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours. At Alder Hey we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:

• Great flexible working opportunities
• Lease car scheme and Home Electronics Scheme
• Generous annual leave and pension scheme
• Extensive staff health and well-being programmes

Job overview

Highly Specialist Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist (Acute)

Are you an experienced Speech and Language Therapist with high level skills in paediatric dysphagia and communication needs looking for your next challenge?

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to join our friendly and supportive acute paediatric team based within the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital inpatient services.

This is an exciting opportunity to work within a dynamic multidisciplinary environment, delivering highly specialist assessment and intervention for children and young people presenting with dysphagia and acquired speech, language and communication needs. You will provide highly specialist input to children across a range of acute specialties and work closely with tertiary services, including the Neuromuscular and Long-Term Ventilation teams.

As a key member of the team, you will contribute to the assessment and management of complex feeding and swallowing difficulties and acquired communication disorders, support service development, and work collaboratively with colleagues across health and education settings to ensure children and families receive high-quality, evidence-based care.

Main duties of the job

Job Summary:

• To be responsible for the provision and further development of highly specialist, evidence-based speech and language therapy services for children, young people and their families with dysphagia and with acquired and developmental speech, language and communication disorders as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• To use an advanced level of knowledge, skills and experience to provide both in-patient and out-patient speech and language therapy services for children and young people referred to Alder Hey Children’s NHS Trust.
• To evaluate national and international standards of care and ensure that speech and language therapy care is delivered effectively to these standards.
• To initiate, lead and undertake research, audit, development and implementation of evidence-based protocols and standards of speech and language therapy care.

Working for our organisation

Sponsorship - We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the government website.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

See attached Job description document included.

• To be responsible for the provision and further development of highly specialist, evidence-based speech and language therapy services for children, young people and their families with dysphagia and with acquired and developmental speech, language and communication disorders as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• To use an advanced level of knowledge, skills and experience to provide both in-patient and out-patient speech and language therapy services for children and young people referred to Alder Hey Children’s NHS Trust.
• To evaluate national and international standards of care and ensure that speech and language therapy care is delivered effectively to these standards.
• To initiate, lead and undertake research, audit, development and implementation of evidence-based protocols and standards of speech and language therapy care.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Qualified Speech and Language Therapist
• Registered with HCPC
• Expereince of managing acute/complex paediatric dysphagia
• Wide experience of managing developmental speech, language and communication disorders from birth to adulthood
• Using/interpreting objective/instrumental assessments where appropriate
• Assessing children for AAC/Implementing AAC packages
• Undertaking clinical audit and using the outcomes to improve clinical care
• A range of approaches to the assessment and management of children with developmental and acquired dysphagia
• A range of approaches to the assessment and management of children with complex, acquired speech language and communication disorders
• Ability to prioritise, problem solve and create practical solutions to complex clinical problems
• Clinical supervision and teaching
• Ability to complete projects within agreed deadlines
• Member of RCSLT
• Working in an acute paediatric environment/patients
• Working with children with complex and degenerative conditions including Neuromuscular conditions and tracheostomy.
• Teaching at a post graduate level.
• Research methodology - knowledge and implementation

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We are committed to creating a well-managed, flexible working environment that supports staff and promotes their welfare and development. We actively promote equality and diversity and operate a Zero Tolerance policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment.

Please declare within the supporting information if artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in your application.

Please note, the selection processes at Alder Hey Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain vigilant against candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn’t accurately reflect their skills.

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.