Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist (XR07)

NHS; Leeds; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist to join a dedicated team at Leeds Children's Hospital. The role involves managing complex communication and swallowing disorders among pediatric patients, providing expert input and working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team. Ideal candidates will have a relevant degree, professional license, and a strong background in dysphagia management. This position offers opportunities for professional development within one of the UK's largest acute health services.

Qualifications

• Experience with complex communication and swallowing difficulties.
• Post graduate training in pediatric dysphagia.
• In-depth knowledge of RCSLT Professional and Clinical Guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Manage a complex clinical caseload including needs assessment.
• Provide second opinions and training to other professionals.
• Audit caseloads to measure and improve service provision.

Skills

Excellent interpersonal skills

Active listening/counselling skills

Analytical and problem-solving skills

Time management skills

Ability to work under pressure

Education

Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree

Health Professions Council license

Registered Member of RCSLT

Job description

Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist (XR07)

Weare looking to recruit a dynamic, motivated and highly skilled Band 7Specialist Cardiac Speech and Language Therapist capable of providing highquality input within Leeds Childrens Hospital. This dedicated post willprovide an excellent opportunity to develop skills as a core member of thewell established Cardiac MDT serving the population of Leeds and Yorkshireregion. This exciting role will alsoallow skill development via quality improvement and audit projects.

LeedsChildrens Hospital provides care across the region and is a well establishedteaching hospital. The fantastic work of Leeds Teaching Hospital has recentlyfeatured on Saving Lives in Leeds and it is one of the largest acute healthproviders in the UK. The hospitals offer specialities including Neurology,Neuro Rehab, Neonates, Cardio-Respiratory & Gastroenterology, criticalcare, surgical, oncology and haematology.The Hospital is based within one of the fastest growing cities in theNorth, in the thriving city centre of Leeds which has excellent transportlinks.

OurPaediatric Speech and Language Therapy team providehospital based services for children with complex communication and/orswallowing difficulties linked to a variety of acute and chronic conditionsacross a broad range of medical specialities at local and regional level.

Expected ShortlistingDate

14/11/2025

Planned InterviewDate

25/11/2025

Main duties of the job

Tofulfil the role of Highly Specialist LTV SLT, you will have experience ofworking at an advanced level in the assessment, differential diagnosis andmanagement of Feeding and Swallowing difficulties from Neonates toAdolescents as part of a multidisciplinary team. You will be able todemonstrate highly developed skills in the assessment, treatment andmanagement of complex dysphagia. This will include tracheostomy managementand potential use of videofluoroscopy in conjunction with excellent inter-personalcommunication, organisational and team work skills and be able to showevidence of continued professional development.

Youwill carry a complex clinical caseload as well as helping coordinate servicedevelopment, training, pre and post-operative assessments/treatments andtransfer of care at local and regional level. You will be working closelywith the LTV MDT, patients, families and relevant Health and Social Careteams ensuring compliance against clinical drivers.

About us

Comeand join our team in Leeds and become part of The Leeds Way sharing ourvision and values.

Ourvalues are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see thisas a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by ourstaff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five valuesare:

Accountable

Empowered

LeedsTeaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest acute health providers inthe UK and based in one of the fastest growing and vibrant cities in thenorth.

Youwill be joining a dynamic and motivated SLT team that cover the whole of theLeeds Childrens Hospital have the opportunity to work with paediatricin-patients across all medical specialities, which includes but is notlimited to: neonatal, surgical, neurology, respiratory, ENT,gastroenterology, cardiac, general paediatrics, PICU/HDU and oncology.

LeedsTeaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk'members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job advertsare subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or removeadverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in theshortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while thisprocess is completed, and contact the named contact if you have anyquestions.

Job responsibilities

Toassess differentially diagnose and manage complex communication andswallowing breakdown relating to a wide range of conditions. Utilise highlyspecialist knowledge in line with local policies/protocols and professionalguidelines. Provide specialist second opinions on request to other health andsocial care professionals. Build links with allied agencies across primaryand secondary care improving local and regional care pathways acrossin/outpatient settings.

Diagnose,assess, treat and manage complex communication, swallowing, cognitive andemotional impairments. Ensure all patients have opportunities to improvetheir swallowing/communication function and decrease reliance on enteralfeeds and communication aids.

Developa rehabilitation care pathway focussing on education, enablement andempowerment of service users and their carers

Thepost holder will:

3.1 Manage Highly Specialist caseloadsensuring their complex communication and swallowing needs are met safely

3.2 Provide seamless pathway of care withlocality services ensuring equitable citywide provision.

3.3 Manage local and regional complexcaseloads.

3.4 Plan, coordinate and deliver medicaleducation and training programs for health/social staff, patients, careproviders, regional SLTs and students

3.5 Act as patient advocate facilitatingcommunication in order to secure compliance with Mental Capacity Act

3.6 Audit caseloads and provision to measurevalue of input across this care pathway and evaluate alternative models ofprovision

3.7Optimise service provision by balancing provision between specialist Acuteand Outpatient clinics

Person Specification

Experience

• Specialist Knowledge of relevant client groups
• Evidence of successful completion of specialist post graduate short courses related to the specialism eg: Tracheostomy Videofluoroscopy Palliative Care
• In-depth knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions and evidence of highly specialist clinical expertise relevant to the specialism.
• Well established knowledge of RCSLT Professional and Clinical Guidelines/ policies both locally and nationally in the specialism as well as relevant national strategy and drivers
• Substantial SLT experience post qualification with significant experience of assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of neonates and older children presenting with complex communication
• Experience working at advanced level in the assessment, differential diagnosis and management of the specialism .
• Experience in teaching competencies to less experienced Speech and Language Therapists.
• Experience in the provision of second opinions and advice to internal and external professional colleagues.
• Experience in delivering Communication and Swallowing training to SLT colleagues and other members of the MDT
• Experience of conducting clinical audit.
• Able to manage the emotional consequences of with patients with a range of feeding and communication disorders.
• Experience in student clinical supervision
• Experience of working within specialist MDT
• Has attended Clinical Supervisory Skills Course, or equivalent
• Knowledge of the principles of clinical governance, including audit cycle, continuous quality improvement and user involvement. Experience in research/audit
• Line Management experience Experience in conducting appraisals
• Experience of working in Specialist MDTs and acting as a specialist SLT resource.
• Experience of working with AAC
• Competence and experience in conducting, interpreting and analysing VFSS to support diagnosis and management of patients presenting with complex paediatric dysphagia
• Assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of communication and feeding disorders associated with tracheostomy including ventilator assisted patients in a paediatric setting

Skills & behaviours

• Demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills. Active and empathetic listening/ counselling skills
• Sensitive to the needs of others and has an awareness and responsiveness to other peoples feelings and needs
• Values differences; regards people as individuals and appreciates value of diversity in the workplace
• Able to work as part of a team, co-operating to work together and in conjunction with others and willing to help and assist wherever possible and appropriate.
• Able to develop, establish and maintain positive relationships with others both internal and external to the organisation.
• Able to work under pressure, dealing with peaks and troughs in workload.
• Positive attitude to dealing with change; flexible and adaptable, willing to change and accept change and to explore new ways of doing things and approaches
• Highly motivated and reliable
• Has a strong degree of personal integrity; able to adhere to standards of conduct based on a sense of right and wrong and be dependable and reliable
• Ability to formulate independent clinical decisions following assessment.
• Able to negotiate with client / carer and medical / AHP teams around individual case management
• Able to communicate complex, sensitive condition-related information from assessment to patients and carers
• Ability to give clear advice, instruction and training to patients, carers and other professionals relating to complex communication/ swallowing disorders
• Good time management, organisational and prioritisation skills. Highly developed Negotiation and Problem solving skills. Excellent presentation skills, both written and verbal
• Well developed analytical, reflective, negotiation and problem solving skills. Good auditory discrimination skills and ability to transcribe speech phonetically.
• Good time management, organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Must be willing to participate in any relevant training identified to develop skills required to carry out duties

Qualifications

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree accredited by RCSLT
• Health Professions Council license to practice as a Speech and Language Therapist.
• Registered Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
• Post Graduate training in and maintenance of: RCSLT Level C / Proficient Paediatric Dysphagia Training & Competency Framework
• Advanced level dysphagia training.
• Advanced communication skills
• Post graduate training in VFSS

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.

Clinical speech and Language Therapy Manager