Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist- Head and Neck

Lincolnshire Community Health Services; Lincoln; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust is seeking a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (Head and Neck) in Lincoln. This 18-month fixed‑term Band 7 post supports the Head and Neck Cancer pathway, collaborating with ENT, Maxillofacial and Oncology teams to assess and manage complex dysphagia, voice and speech needs.

You will lead a Head and Neck SLT caseload, participate in MDT clinics, and provide supervision and training to junior staff, with opportunities to develop

Qualifications

• Recognised SLT degree, HCPC registered and specialist training to masters level or equivalent.
• Experience in managing complex dysphagia and head & neck conditions.
• Experience in NHS and independent caseload management; instrumental dysphagia assessments.

Responsibilities

• Lead SLT service for Head & Neck patients and complex dysphagia cases.
• Attend weekly MDT clinics in Lincoln and Nottingham.
• Provide clinical guidance, supervision and training to junior staff.
• Deliver instrumental dysphagia assessments (VF/FEES) and rehabilitation.
• Develop service improvements and audit activity.

Skills

Dysphagia assessment

Tracheostomies

IT skills

Management

Research appraisal

Education

SLT degree

HCPC registration

Postgraduate specialty training

RCSLT membership

Specialist group membership

Job description

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist- Head and Neck

Band 7

Main area Speech and Language Therapy Grade Band 7 Contract 18 months (Temporary fixed term contract) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 818-CYP448

Site Adult Speech and Language Therapy, Lincoln County Hospital Town Lincoln Salary £49,387 - £56,515 Per Annum, Pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 30/10/2026 08:00

We recognise that outstanding care can only be delivered through our people. We want to attract people who can help us deliver our vision. We want in return to help people achieve what they wish in their careers in the NHS at LCHS.

We are always keen to welcome highly skilled, committed and compassionate individuals to our teams – people who put patients at the heart of everything they do and are ready to help us achieve our vision.

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) and United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) have come together in a Group arrangement, with the goal of improving the care provided to patients across the county.

This will not constitute a formal merger of the two organisations, but will bring the Trusts together under a single Board and Executive Leadership Team, with the goal of improving the care that is provided to patients both in the community and in hospitals across Lincolnshire. Both Trusts will retain their separate statutory names and legal obligations.

The Group will be known as Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group (LCHG).

Our Group values guide everything we do. They are:

• Compassionate - We care about people - Compassionate is the act of showing empathy, kindness, and respect to others, recognising their individual needs and circumstances. It involves listening, understanding, and supporting others in a way that makes them feel valued, safe, and cared for.
• Collaborative - We work together as a team - Collaborative is working inclusively and respectfully with others to achieve shared goals. It involves open communication, valuing diverse perspectives, and building trust to create a supportive and effective team environment.
• Innovative - We strive to improve - Innovative is the process of exploring new ideas, approaches, and technologies to improve care, services, and working practices. It involves creativity, curiosity, and a willingness to take risks in a safe and supportive environment.

If you believe in them too, then you are ready to join the LCHG team.

We’ve taken great pride in building working environments where staff always feel valued, cared for and part of a team. Without doubt this is a challenging yet very rewarding job that is at the centre of health and care in Lincolnshire - making a positive difference to our patients. We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated.

Job overview

We are delighted to announce new posts in Head and Neck Speech and Language Therapy in Lincolnshire due to increased funding from the East Midlands Cancer Alliance. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly skilled and enthusiastic Speech and Language Therapist to work within the Head and Neck Cancer service in ULTH, assessing, treating and managing a caseload of patients with Head and Neck Cancer and a range of speech, swallowing and voice difficulties, including tracheostomy and laryngectomy.

This is a fixed term 18-month post.

This role provides great opportunities to work closely with colleagues within ENT, Maxillofacial and Oncology teams as well as colleagues in Dietetics, Radiology and CNS team to provide joint patient clinics in a supportive environment across the whole of the head and neck cancer pathway.

Please see our video of a day in the life of a current H&N SLT:

The post holder will independently manage a Head and Neck Cancer caseload, including attending weekly MDT clinics with teams from Lincoln and Nottingham present, offering outpatient appointments to assess and manage a range of speech, voice and swallowing difficulties at all stages of the head and neck cancer pathway, inputting into instrumental dysphagia assessments (FEES and Videofluoroscopy) and prioritising the patients with the highest level of Speech and Language Therapy needs for input.

Working for our organisation

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust is in the top 25 per cent of all community trusts for overall staff engagement in the 2021 NHS National Staff Survey.

At LCHS, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in LCHS' workforce.

LCHS recognises the increasing demand for more flexibility in working practices in order to accommodate the personal goals and commitments that employees experience at different stages during their working lives. Flexible working opportunities such as part-time working, compressed hours, job shares, and hybrid working models can help staff to balance their personal and work commitments. Arrangements can be put in place if it can be shown that the needs of the individual can be balanced with those of the service and the impact on other team members, enabling the Trust to recruit and retain skilled staff, raise staff morale, reduce absenteeism and respond to changing service needs more effectively.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To be a clinical leader for the SLT service for H&N patients including those with complex dysphagia and voice and tracheostomy, to provide a full pathway of assessment including VF and FEES, management and rehabilitation, to identify and lead service improvement, provide clinical guidance and training for junior H&N staff and the wider team as needed.

Please see attached job description and person specification for full details of main responsibilities.

Person specification

Qualification

• Recognised SLT degree
• Current HCPC registration
• Evidence of postgraduate training in specialty to masters level or equivalent experience
• Evidence of skills in the management of complex speech and swallowing conditions
• Member of relevant specialist group
• Registered member of RCSLT

Experience

• Experience as a Speech and Language Therapist including experience in an area relating to the treatment of complications related to Dysphagia, Head and Neck/ ENT
• Experience of managing highly complex cases.
• Experience of working in the NHS
• Experience of independent working and caseload management
• Experience of developing and delivering training in area of clinical expertise.
• Experience in carrying out instrumental Dysphagia assessments
• Experience of providing supervision to colleagues and students
• Evidence of leadership/management experience
• Experience of working in primary care.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of clinical governance activities
• Up-to-date knowledge base relating to specialist area.

Skills

• Competencies in instrumental dysphagia assessment (VF and/or FEES) and tracheostomies
• Basic IT skills
• Organisational and management skills
• Able to work flexibly including responding and adapting to changes
• Ability to critically appraise and evaluate clinical research, reports or papers

Enjoy a better quality of life in one of the UK's most welcoming counties.

Whether you're taking the first exciting steps in your career, itching for a new challenge or searching for a better place to raise a family, Lincolnshire welcomes everyone.

Discover a range of rewarding health and social care careers in a county that's friendly, fascinating, affordable and brimming with everything you need to live a happy life.

Important Information: All new employees will be subject to a charge if a DBS check is required for the post. The Disclosure & Barring Service application form (formerly CRB) will be provided by LCHS and the fee will be deducted from your salary over a maximum of a 3 month period.

Any existing employees who require a DBS check as part of the application process will be subject to a charge for that DBS check.

We are a Disability Confident employer ensuring that disabled people have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations.

We encourage and support vaccination update as this remains the best line of defence against COVID19.

Please note, for applicants with previous NHS service: If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, LCHS reserves the right to close this advert prior to the closing date.

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.