Specialist Speech and Language Therapist - Acute Stroke

The Methodist Church in Britain; Warmley; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

CPD opportunities

Structured supervision

Career progression and FEES training

Job summary

Cheltenham General Hospital, within the Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, seeks a skilled speech and language therapist to join the acute stroke service. You will assess communication and swallowing in stroke inpatients, plan personalised treatment, and work with a multidisciplinary team.

This development post targets band 5 or 6 therapists aiming to build dysphagia and communication expertise with a clear progression plan.

Qualifications

• RCSLT-recognised degree-level qualification.
• HCPC registration.
• Experience with post-stroke communication and/or swallowing.
• Specialist skills in differential diagnosis and targeting clinical interventions.

Responsibilities

• Manage a shared caseload of stroke inpatients with complex communication and swallowing disorders.
• Provide specialist assessment of communication and swallowing difficulties and input into discharge planning.
• Create and implement individualised treatment programmes, monitoring and modifying them as required.
• Provide a comprehensive speech and language therapy service to acute stroke patients with acquired communication and swallowing disorders.
• Work with multidisciplinary colleagues, running regular joint sessions and attending shared goal planning meetings.
• Work alongside experienced speech and language therapy colleagues and a SLT assistant.

Skills

Stroke knowledge

Caseload management

Differential diagnosis

Assessment interpretation

Education

RCSLT-recognised degree-level qualification

HCPC registration

Job description

This specialist speech and language therapy post sits in the acute stroke service at Cheltenham General Hospital, covering the hyperacute and acute stroke units for Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust. The work centres on assessing communication and swallowing difficulties in stroke inpatients, planning and adjusting individual treatment, and joint sessions with the wider multidisciplinary team. It is a development post for band 5 or band 6 therapists who want to build dysphagia and communication expertise, with a structured progression plan for newly qualified or early-career staff.

What the job involves

• Manage a shared caseload of stroke inpatients with complex communication and swallowing disorders
• Provide specialist assessment of communication and swallowing difficulties and input into discharge planning
• Create and implement individualised treatment programmes, monitoring and modifying them as required
• Provide a comprehensive speech and language therapy service to acute stroke patients with acquired communication and swallowing disorders
• Work with multidisciplinary colleagues, running regular joint sessions and attending shared goal planning meetings
• Work alongside experienced speech and language therapy colleagues and a speech and language therapy assistant

Qualifications

• RCSLT-recognised degree-level qualification
• Membership of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Registration & licences

• HCPC registration

Experience

• Experience managing patients with acquired communication and swallowing difficulties after stroke
• Special interest in current evidence-based practice on post-stroke communication and/or swallowing difficulties

Skills & knowledge

• Specialist skills in differential diagnosis and targeting clinical interventions relevant to stroke
• Prioritising and managing a complex caseload independently
• Negotiation skills to manage conflict across a range of situations
• Specialist stroke knowledge underpinned by current evidence-based practice
• Knowledge of a broad range of formal and informal assessment methods and how to interpret them

Nice to have

• Postgraduate dysphagia training
• Experience working with stroke patients in an acute or hyperacute setting

What’s offered

• Comprehensive CPD opportunities and access to a wide range of training
• Structured supervision, including regular peer support sessions
• Opportunities to develop advanced clinical skills, such as FEES
• Clear career progression pathway supported by regular personal development reviews