Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Northumbria Group.; Hexham; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Generous annual leave

Pension scheme

Lease car and home electronics scheme

Job summary

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in Hexham is seeking a full-time Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (NHS AfC: Band 6) to provide assessment, intervention and rehabilitation across community and ward settings in Hexham, Alnwick and Berwick. The role offers 37.5 hours weekly, flexible working, and opportunities for professional development within a supportive SLT team.

Applicants should have a recognised SLT degree, HCPC registration, and experience in dysphagia and

Qualifications

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy degree or equivalent.
• HCPC Licence to Practice.
• Registered with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
• Experience delivering training packages or education.
• Experience supervising, mentoring and supporting others (students and assistants).

Responsibilities

• Provide assessment, intervention and rehabilitation for adults with speech, language and swallowing disorders in hospital and community settings.
• Work within the MDT and supervise junior staff and students.
• Contribute to training, CPD and quality improvement activities.

Skills

Training development

Supervision

Mentoring

Education

Speech and Language Therapy degree

Job description

Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 6

Main area Speech & Language Therapy Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week Job ref 319-8386946IO

Site Hexham General Hospital Town Hexham Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 12/11/2026 23:59

Do you want to work in one of the best performing NHS organisations in England? Work for an organisation that was voted the best acute and combined acute and community trust in the country, based on the experience of its staff (NHS Staff Survey 2022). Work in an organisation that supports its staff and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients? You can live and breathe in an area that has the cleanest air, cost effective living, great nightlife, some of the best schools with a wealth of history available on your doorstep. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn’t, this is what you get when you work for Northumbria Healthcare and, this is…the Northumbria Way!

What the Northumbria Way means for you

• Extensive staff health and well-being programme including access to our specialist Wellbeing Hub
• Support and connection through a variety of Staff Network groups
• A range of flexible working opportunities
• Generous annual leave and pension scheme
• Access to lease car and home electronics scheme (qualifying criteria applies)
• Opportunities to improve your professional development through our vast training programmes
• Access to savings scheme via salary sacrifice with Northumberland Community Bank

We work closely with Kids First Nurseries that are based within our trust grounds at Wansbeck, North Tyneside and Hexham hospitals to care for our Trust family's children, they offer care for children from 6 weeks old up to 4 years. There are a number of funding options run by the government to help working parents, including Early Years Funding and Tax Free Childcare.

Flexible working offers choice in where, when, and how we work, ensuring patients remain at the heart of all we do. It’s open to everyone, and we aim to find solutions that work for both you and the organisation. All arrangements must be reasonable and balanced to maintain safe and effective patient care.

We are proud to be one of the country’s top performing NHS trusts – rated ’outstanding’ overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We provide a range of health and care services to support more than 500,000 people living in Northumberland and North Tyneside across the largest geographical area of any NHS Trust in England. Our teams deliver care from hospitals, a range of community venues and people’s homes. Our hospitals include a specialist emergency care hospital (the first of its kind in England), three general hospitals and community hospitals. In the community we deliver a wide range of community and public health services.

We lead in innovation and quality, having opened the Northumbria Healthcare Manufacturing and Innovation Hub during the Covid-19 pandemic and have recently launched our Community Promise – a pledge to make a real impact not just in healthcare but on the wider factors that affect people’s lives, such as education, employment and the economy.

Whilst Northumbria Healthcare are a highly innovative organisation, the use of Third Party Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a risk to the integrity of our Recruitment & Selection processes. If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity your individual recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Job overview

We are excited to be offering the opportunity to join the Northumbria Healthcare Speech and Language Therapy adult acquired team.

We are looking to recruit a full time, permanent Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to provide assessment, intervention and rehabilitation to patients within both community and ward settings based in the West of Northumberland at Hexham General Hospital and the north of Northumberland at Alnwick and Berwick Infirmaries. Hexham General Hospital is a modern vibrant and friendly hospital situated in the heart of beautiful West Northumberland.

Berwick Infirmary is under construction and will soon be unveiled as a brand new purpose built hospital covering up to our borders with Scotland. Alnwick Infirmary is in the north of Northumberland and boasts a wonderful coastline and historical landmarks.

This role will appeal to innovative Therapists who are committed to delivering the highest quality service for adults with a range of speech language and swallowing disorders.

Main duties of the job

This post offers an exciting opportunity to further develop your skills with a mixed adult caseload . You will have the opportunity to work within a supportive SLT team and develop further experience working with a wide range of clients in community settings and on the hospital wards at Hexham, Alnwick and Berwick.

The post holder will be supported by highly specialist clinicians to further develop clinical competencies int he areas of complex dysphagia, videofluorosocopy, a developing endoscopy (FEES) service and rehabilitation (including stroke). The successful candidate will be supported to develop other skills such as leadership, clinical supervision and practice education, and will be provided with structured support and supervision. the post holder will be part of a large team of passionate therapists working collectively towards challenging annual objectives and offering a robust focus on CPD.

The post holder will be involved in teaching and mentoring of ward staff, MDT colleagues, junior SLT’s and students and will work closely within the MDT to enable seamless patient centred care.

Working for our organisation

We manage three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick on Tweed, covering one of the largest geographical areas of any NHS trust in the country. Leading in innovation and quality – opening a state of the art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We can offer you a highly rewarding post which includes

• clinical supervision
• regular team meetings, peer supervision, clinical focus groups and the opportunity to attend Regional Clinical Excellence Networks.
• In-service training
• Opportunities to contribute to quality improvement work and innovations
• Close links with Newcastle University and other regional services including RCAS (Regional Communication Aid Service)
• Close working with Clinical Leads, Highly Specialist SLT’s in dysphagia, aphasia, dysarthria, AAC and stammering, innovation, audit and caseload management.

The post holder will work in our rural communities in Northumberland providing ward-based intervention alongside time into community settings. Due to the geography of Northumberland, the successful candidate will need to be able to meet the travel requirements of the post including offering home visits and travelling to other hospital sites.

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree qualification or equivalent
• Health and Care Professions Council - Licence to Practice
• Registered member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
• Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses or equivalent experience in the management of acquired swallowing and communication conditions

Person specification

Qualifications

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree qualification or equivalent
• Health and Care Professions Council - Licence to Practice
• Registered Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
• Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses
• Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Networks

Experience

• Experience of contributing to the development and delivery of training packages
• Experience of supervising, mentoring and supporting others e.g. students and assistants

Other

• It is an essential requirement of the role that the post holder has a valid driving licence and is either a car owner and able to use the car for work purposes, or has a Trust personal lease vehicle which may be used for the role. However, the Trust would consider making reasonable adjustments to the role, if necessary, to enable a disabled person to undertake the role

Applicants who are members of the Armed Forces, those who have a disability that requires support in the work place (two ticks pledge) and those who have been looked after by the care system as a child or young person (for example, in foster care, children's homes, kinship or local authority care) who meet the essential criteria will be interviewed under the Trust’s interview guarantee scheme.

We recognise the positive value of diversity and inclusion and are committed to a workforce that is diverse, equal and inclusive. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME people are currently under-represented in our workforce as well as other under-represented groups such as LGBT+ and disabled candidates. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, a Stonewall Diversity Champion, we have a Gold award from the Defense Recognition Scheme, and we are delighted to support Apprenticeships, Age Posi+ive and are a mindful employer.

Applicants who meet the Fit and Proper Person Requirements (FPPR) will require additional pre-employment checks in line with CQC and NHS England statutory guidance.

Make sure to read the ‘applicant guidance notes’ before submitting your application and make sure you know everything there is to know before joining our fantastic trust!

Certificate of Sponsorship

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust proudly hold a sponsor licence. In order to provide sponsorship you and the role you are applying for must meet UKVI eligibility requirements. Please check your eligibility prior to submitting an application. Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Please note that it is a requirement of this Trust that all successful applicants pay for their own DBS certification if a DBS check is required for the post. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first monthly pay.

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.

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