Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

NHS Professionals Limited; Aylesbury; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is seeking a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist for the Adult SLT Department at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. You will assess and manage adults with acute communication and swallowing disorders within ED and front-door services, supporting high-risk patients and contributing to service development.

You will lead instrumental investigations (VFS/FEES), provide expert advice, and mentor colleagues while ensuring high standards of clinical governance and

Qualifications

• Proven experience in acute care settings, including ENT and acute medicine.
• Ability to interpret diagnostic results and develop treatment plans.
• Experience with instrumental assessments such as VFS and FEES.
• HCPC registered and active with the RCSLT where applicable.

Responsibilities

• Independently assess complex clinical presentations and set differential diagnoses; evaluate outcomes.
• Maintain comprehensive clinical documentation and care plans per standards; protect sensitive data.
• Provide guidance to patients with cognitive, language, or behavioural needs and enable access to services.
• Deputise for the Clinical Specialist SLT and oversee team workloads and performance reviews.
• Coordinate professional learning; supervise placements and maintain CPD records.
• Contribute to governance, audits, research, and policy improvements; monitor risks and safety.

Skills

Acute SLT experience

Dysphagia management

VFS knowledge

FEES knowledge

Education

Recognised Speech and Language Therapy degree

HCPC registration

RCSLT membership

Job description

We havean exciting opportunity for a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist atBuckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust to join the Adult Speech and LanguageTherapy Department at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. You will be responsible forproviding specialist assessment and management of adults presenting with acutecommunication and swallowing difficulties within the Emergency Department andfront-door clinical services as part of the REACT team. You will be managing anindependent clinical caseload, interpreting diagnostic results, medicalhistories, and multidisciplinary team input to develop appropriate treatmentplans and implement individualised therapy programmes. You will also besupporting high-risk patients through timely interventions and evidence-basedrecommendations, prioritising cases according to clinical urgency and severity.Working closely with medical, nursing, and allied health professionalcolleagues, you will contribute to service development and hospital-wideinitiatives aimed at improving patient care, clinical outcomes, and the overallexperience of people during hospital admissions.

Main duties of the job

As aSpecialist Speech and Language Therapist, you will be responsible for applyingadvanced clinical expertise to address complex eating, drinking, swallowing,and communication disorders, ensuring that appropriate specialist techniquesare used to meet individual clinical requirements. You will be managing andcontributing to instrumental investigations, including Videofluoroscopy andFibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES), alongside the widerSpeech and Language Therapy team at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. You will besupporting individuals with communication difficulties to express theirpreferences and participate meaningfully in decisions regarding their care andadvance care planning. You will also be responsible for providing specialistadvice to colleagues, patients, and carers, while contributing to clinicalaudits and quality improvement projects to strengthen service standards.Additionally, you will be supporting the professional development of Speech andLanguage Therapy and wider healthcare colleagues through clinical leadership,shared learning, joint working, and training activities.

Job responsibilities

• Toindependently assess complex clinical presentations, formulate differentialdiagnoses, and evaluate specialist treatment outcomes using evidence-basedpractice and appropriate outcome measures. To manage caseload prioritiesefficiently, arrange clinical cover when required, and seek or provide secondopinions to support sound clinical decision-making.
• Tomaintain comprehensive clinical documentation, specialist care plans, andreports in accordance with RCSLT professional standards and Trust policies. Toensure accurate clinical activity records, protect sensitive information, andcommunicate complex information sensitively to support informed consent andpatient participation.
• Toprovide tailored guidance to individuals with cognitive, language, learning, orbehavioural difficulties, ensuring their needs are considered when discussingclinical matters. To facilitate access to appropriate health and social careservices, offer empathetic support to patients and carers, and respondconstructively to initial complaints or concerns.
• Toundertake operational leadership responsibilities by deputising for theClinical Specialist Speech and Language Therapist when required. To organiseteam workloads, allocate staff according to service priorities, contribute tocompetency and performance reviews, identify service pressures, and advise theline manager on operational requirements.
• Tocoordinate professional learning by identifying workforce development needs,organising training activities, and mentoring junior Speech and LanguageTherapists. To supervise student placements, develop and evaluate educationalprogrammes for healthcare professionals and students, maintain a personal CPDportfolio, and participate in relevant professional development activities.
• Tocontribute to clinical governance and strategic planning by initiating audits,participating in research projects, analysing service data, and recommendingimprovements to policies and working practices. To monitor clinical risks,promote health and safety and infection control, maintain equipment securityand stock levels, and ensure compliance with national guidance, Trustprocedures, and professional standards.

Qualifications

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy degree and HCPC registration.
• Registered member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).
• Significant acute Speech and Language Therapy experience, including acute medicine and ENT.
• Experience managing complex dysphagia and communication needs, with knowledge of VFS and FEES.

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.