Specialist SLT Head and Neck

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; Worcester; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A large acute hospital trust in the UK is seeking a motivated Band 6 Speech and Language Therapist to join their specialist Head and Neck Cancer team. The role involves managing complex communication and swallowing needs, working independently, and contributing to multidisciplinary clinics for oncology and surgical patients. Ideal candidates will have a degree in Speech and Language Therapy, HCPC registration, and excellent communication skills. This position offers opportunities for professional development and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Demonstrate specialist knowledge in clinical specialism underpinned by current evidence-based practice.
• Manage caseload independently.
• Demonstrate knowledge of RCSLT Professional and Clinical Guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Act as a specialist Speech and Language Therapist for the Head and Neck MDT.
• Provide assessment and treatment for dysphagia, voice and communication difficulties.
• Contribute to clinics for oncology and surgical patients.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Motivation

Negotiation skills

Problem solving

Team-working skills

Education

Degree in Speech and Language Therapy or equivalent

Membership of RCSLT

Registration with HCPC

Membership of relevant CEN

Job description

Go back Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Specialist SLT Head and Neck

The closing date is 19 January 2026

We are seeking a motivated and skilled Band 6 SLT to join our specialist Head and Neck Cancer team. This is an exciting opportunity to work within a dynamic multidisciplinary team delivering high quality, evidence based care to adults with complex communication and swallowing needs.

You will manage a varied caseload including patients pre and post surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. You will provide assessment, treatment and rehabilitation for dysphagia, voice and communication difficulties.

Main duties of the job

• Act as a specialist Speech and Language Therapist for the Head and Neck MDT based at WRH.
• Input to the patient’s pathway from diagnosis to discharge from this service.
• Work independently with Surgical Voice Restoration patients.
• Contribute to pre, on and post treatment clinics for both oncology and surgical patients in the unit.
• Attend Head and Neck MDT on a weekly basis.
• Assess, develop and implement Specialist Speech and Language Therapy treatment for allocated caseload.
• Provide appropriate specialist intervention and evaluate outcomes.
• Provide advice to others regarding the management and care of patients/clients with communication and/or feeding and swallowing difficulties.

About us

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester.

Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised for providing good and outstanding patient‑centred care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

• Being open and honest
• Ensuring people feel cared for
• Showing respect to everyone

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation – this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex‑positive employer.

DBS Checks and Costs: Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see the link in the Supporting Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.

Job responsibilities

See job description attached for full details.

To contribute to clinical teams both multi‑disciplinary and uni‑disciplinary by discussing own and others' input around clients’ needs ensuring a well‑co‑ordinated care plan.

To communicate complex condition‑related information from assessment to clients, carers, families and members of the multi‑disciplinary team/other professions.

To work closely with clients, carers and families, agreeing decision‑making relevant to the patient/client management.

To demonstrate empathy with clients, carers and families and colleagues, ensuring effective communication is achieved, particularly where barriers to understanding exist.

To develop skills in motivating clients and/or carers to engage in the therapeutic process.

To develop negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations.

To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible.

To form productive relationships with others who may be under stress and/or have challenging communication difficulties.

Knowledge, training and experience

To demonstrate specialist knowledge in clinical specialism underpinned by current evidence‑based practice.

To manage caseload independently.

To identify personal/professional development evidenced by Personal Development Plan/Professional Portfolio developed within an appraisal framework.

To participate in Individual Performance Review ensuring that the objectives set reflect the Service and Trust plans, including specific objectives relating the clinical specialism.

To attend relevant training and development to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a specialist therapist working in the adult acute inpatients and voice outpatients and maintain up to date HCPC and RCSLT registration.

To attend Specialist Short Courses appropriate to clinical specialism.

To demonstrate knowledge of, and adhere to RCSLT Professional and Clinical and National and Local Clinical Guidelines.

To participate in the development of local clinical guidelines informed by evidence of clinical specialism.

To participate in the development and delivery of specialist training (formal and informal) to others in area of clinical expertise with and without support.

To keep up to date with new techniques and developments for the promotion and maintenance of good practice in head and neck management and treatment.

To provide advice to non‑specialists and other specialists/professionals within clinical field.

To attend relevant course, meetings and special interest groups.

To develop a working knowledge of relevant procedures including: Safeguarding, Working with Vulnerable Adults, Mental Capacity Act and other legal frameworks.

To develop a working knowledge of the principles of Clinical Governance and their application to professional practice.

Analytical and judgemental skills

To develop the ability to reflect on auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of clients' communication/voice and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative effectiveness.

To negotiate with carers, clients and others around individual case management.

To recognise potential breakdown and conflict when it occurs and seek advice and support to resolve.

To use specialist knowledge to inform sound clinical judgements/decision making for case management.

To make a differential diagnosis on the basis of evidence from assessment seeking advice as appropriate.

To develop clear care plans based on best practice.

To demonstrate the ability to reflect on practice with peers and mentors and identify own strengths and development needs.

To develop the ability to target training (formal and informal) appropriately to the needs of course participants.

To develop the ability to reflect on and evaluate training provided.

To adapt practice to meet individual patient/client circumstances.

Physical skills

To demonstrate highly developed auditory and perceptual skills in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients/clients.

To demonstrate skills in handling clients with disabilities.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree in Speech and Language Therapy or equivalent.
• Membership of RCSLT.
• Registration with HCPC.
• Membership of relevant CEN.

Knowledge and Skills

• Substantial theoretical knowledge of acquired communication and swallowing disorders.
• Excellent communication skills, for example be able to use skills of persuasion, motivation, negotiation and problem solving with patients, colleagues in the department, MDT, medical team and other professionals on a daily basis.
• Awareness of the appropriate use of counselling skills.
• Able to analyse complex and highly sensitive information regarding a patient’s diagnosis. To be able to communicate this information to patients, relatives and colleagues.
• Ability to overcome non‑compliance of professional colleagues.
• Ability to overcome non‑compliance of patients and relatives.

Personal Qualities

• Effective communication skills with people who have significant and complex communication difficulties i.e. to convey and receive accurate information with patients post Head and Neck cancer diagnosis/treatment and/or severe psychological distress.
• Well‑developed perceptual and auditory skills, e.g. when listening to disordered voice or resonance.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and team‑working skills.
• Ability to absorb, interpret and summarise verbal information in a pressurised clinical environment.
• Ability to be systematic and organised.

Experience

• Experience of working in relevant specialty fields which will have led to acquisition of sound and well‑established theoretical and practical specialist knowledge.
• Successful experience of working and learning in multi‑professional teams.
• Experience of working with complex conditions with an appropriate level of autonomy.
• Previous head and neck experience.
• Previous altered airways experience e.g. tracheostomy/laryngectomy.
• Previous experience of assessing and using instrumental assessment as part of caseload management for dysphagia.

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.