Speech and Language Therapist

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust; West Midlands; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Speech and Language Therapist to support adults with swallowing and communication disorders in inpatient and community settings. The post is full time and fixed term for a year.

You will be based in the Central England Rehabilitation Unit, working on the inpatient stroke rehab ward for 3 days a week and in the community across South Warwickshire for 2 days a week, with regular supervision and team meetings.

Qualifications

• Degree in Speech & Language Therapy required.
• HCPC registration or eligible for registration.
• Registered member of Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists (RCSLT).

Responsibilities

• Provide SLT assessments and interventions for adults with swallowing and communication disorders.
• Work with inpatients on the Stroke Rehabilitation ward and in community settings.
• Collaborate within multidisciplinary teams and with carers/families.
• Maintain documentation and contribute to audits and education activities.

Skills

Team player

Time management

Independent working

Education

Speech & Language Therapy degree

HCPC Registration

RCST membership

Job description

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust

Speech and Language Therapist

The closing date is 20 November 2026

This is an exciting opportunity to work in inpatient stroke rehabilitation and in the Community in South Warwickshire. The post is full time and fixed term for a year.

You will be based in the Central England Rehabilitation Unit and be part of a multi disciplinary team working on the specialist inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation ward for 3 days a week and in the community across South Warwickshire for 2 days a week.

We are a supportive team and provide regular supervision and team meetings.

Come and join our supportive adult speech therapy team. We hold regular team meetings as well as providing

Main duties of the job

The post holder works as an independent practitioner to provide speech and language therapy to adults with swallowing and/or communication disorders in South Warwickshire within Rehabilitation and Community settings. The post sits both within the Inpatient team and Community team based at The Leamington Spa Rehabilitation Hospital

The role requires the post holder to see patients in hospital and domiciliary settings: assessing, diagnosing and treating a range of acquired communication and swallowing disorders including stroke.

About us

Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further. In addition our staff survey results have placed us 4th in the country for recommended place to work.

We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are 'Trusted to provide safe, inclusive, effective and compassionate care'. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn't matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.

As part of our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion we encourage all applicants to complete a short survey. This can be accessed via the link below:

https://forms.office.com/e/ahWY3eAGM2

We appreciate you completing the survey.

Job responsibilities

To prioritise and manage own caseload independently.

To provide specialist speech and language therapy assessments for clients referred based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including standardised assessment, self-report measures, direct and indirect structured observations and semistructured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care. This involves a high level of preparation, concentration and analytical skills.

To assess and ascribe a level of risk for dysphagic clients.

To formulate and implement management plans for the treatment and/or management of a clients speech and swallowing disorders, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients difficulties, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.

To assess and ascribe a level of risk using adjuncts to the bedside assessment, which require technical skill e.g. cervical auscultation, pulse oximetry etc.

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, and intervention for clients under their care to both multidisciplinary teams and other, non-professional carers. This will encompass written documentation (SLT notes, med notes, specialist reports etc).

To agree options in collaboration with all those involved, in order to implement the individuals management plan which may include any combination of the following:

Therapeutic intervention with adults either individually or in groups.

Therapeutic intervention with carers either individually or in groups.

Directly supporting others in carrying out individual programmes.

Providing advice on specific strategies to employ in the home and other settings.

Negotiation with client or carer in order to identify and monitor SMART goals.

To identify and refer on to other specialists as appropriate (eg. ENT, videofluoroscopy etc).

To use negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range of situations. To negotiate various roles to be taken in order to execute intervention plans effectively.

To maintain sensitivity at all times to emotional needs of client/carer when imparting distressing information.

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

To frequently demonstrate empathy sensitivity and understanding with clients, carers and families. To treat them with respect and dignity at all times.

To provide specialist communication assessment and intervention in order to identify and support a clients ability to manage their own affairs, with an acquired communication difficulty. To work with the multidisciplinary team in order to achieve this.

To regularly communicate highly complex and specialised information to others through written reports and face to face discussion matching communication style and content to the needs of the receiver.

To be involved in the planning for, and the delivery of education programmes for other professionals.

To be aware of Government papers and initiatives relating to Stroke (e.g. RCP Stroke guidelines 2nd Ed, NSF for Older people).

To adapt assessment and intervention to meet individual clients circumstances, with regards to cultural and linguistic differences. To support and advise the multidisciplinary team in this area.

To interact daily with families and clients who have recently experienced extremely traumatic events and who face an uncertain future.

To engage in regular conversation with clients addressing highly emotive issues, necessitating use of counselling skills to facilitate psychological adjustment to a dramatic change in their self-perception and quality of life.

To provide statistical information on own caseload, including activity and clinical effectiveness measures.

To participate in audit activities in the team, including SSNAP for stroke patients, and participate in audit both in the wider speech and language therapy service, and within multidisciplinary teams.

To participate in research in SLT team, SLT department or multidisciplinary teams.

To utilise theory, evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

To provide advice, consultation and training packages for staff working with the client group across a range of agencies and setting, where appropriate.

To provide advice, consultation and support for carers, and other nonprofessionals.

To assist in the support of students from other professional groups as appropriate.

To provide observation sessions for prospective SLT students.

To participate in clinical training for SLT students, and act as a mentor for Band 5 therapists as required.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Speech & Language Therapy degree
• Registered Member of Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists
• HCPC Registration
• Evidence of completion of ongoing professional development including specialist short courses related to adults with swallowing/communication disorders

Experience

• Experience of assessment , diagnosis and treatment with dysphagia in adults
• Experience of working with acquired complex communication disorders

Skills

• Knowledge of a broad range of neurological conditions
• Knowledge of current good practice in assessment and treatment of dysphagia

Personal Qualities

• Strong team player
• Well-developed communication skills and ability to match communication style to context.
• Good time management skills and ability to work flexibly
• Awareness of own limitations and ability to reflect on own practise
• Ability to work independently and demonstrate initiative

Other

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.

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust