Speech and Language Therapist – Children and Teenage Cancer Services

NHS; City Of London; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

A premier NHS trust in London is seeking a Speech and Language Therapist specializing in Children and Teenage Cancer Services. The role requires providing in-patient and out-patient SLT expertise for children receiving radiotherapy. Candidates should have a background in head and neck cancer. This position offers excellent training and the opportunity to work with a dedicated multi-professional team, ensuring top-quality care for vulnerable patients. Competitive salary and exceptional workplace environment are guaranteed.

Qualifications

• Significant clinical experience at a specialist level in neuro/oncology.
• Evidence of working within the NHS.
• Training in SLT student clinical supervision.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist communication and dysphagia services to children and teenagers.
• Deliver SLT care to paediatric patients with complex needs.
• Facilitate timely management of patients at different stages of treatment.

Skills

Communication

Customer Care

Clinical Supervision

Education

Degree in Speech and Language Therapy

HCPC Licence to practice

Job description

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Speech and Language Therapist – Children and Teenage Cancer Services

The closing date is 06 October 2025

Are you a Speech and Language Therapist with head and neck cancer expertise, looking for an exciting new challenge? Do you thrive working as part of a close-knit team, combining specialist knowledge with a creative approach to provide the best patient- and family-centred care?

We are offering a rare and exciting opportunity for a B7 to join the SLT team working in Children and Teenage Cancer Services at University College Hospital (UCH) and we particularly want to attract candidates with head and neck experience who are interested in translating their skills to work with children and teenagers receiving radiotherapy. This is a 0.6 wte post.

We are looking for an SLT who may have skills and experience in adult and/or child head and neck cancer who would like to broaden their skills to the children and teenage population receiving radiotherapy with diagnoses of head and neck, neuro-oncology and some haematology diagnoses. We recognise this is a rare position and so will offer excellent training and supervision to support transferable skills.

You will provide both in-patient and out-patient SLT expertise across the child and teenage age range including at the national Proton Beam Centre and be part of an innovative and expert multi-professional team, including 3 SLTs, delivering cancer care at the forefront of innovative practice.

Main duties of the job

• You will be an autonomous practitioner providing a specialist communication and dysphagia service to children and teenagers with a wide range of cancer diagnoses at all stages on their treatment pathway.
• You will deliver SLT care to teenage and paediatric patients with diverse presentations and complex physical, psychological, and emotional needs.
• You will be an excellent team player with strong communication and negotiation skills, who thrives working as part of a large innovative MDT alongside many experts in this field.
• As part of the multi-professional team you will help facilitate effective and timely management of patients at various stages of their diagnostic trajectory; some of whom may be at the end of life
• You will liaise effectively with various agencies within a wide geographical area, including social services, schools, charitable bodies, health teams and other hospital departments including specialist and partnership services.
• We recognise that paediatric oncology experience is rare and so alongside a keenness to learn and ability to utilise transferable skills, the role will include excellent opportunities for professional learning including regular supervision and specialist oncology teaching.
• You will also have the opportunity to be a key contributor to cutting edge service improvements, including helping to shape our National Proton Beam Therapy service, and the planned further expansion of photon radiotherapy services.

About us

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.

We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:

University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)

National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery

Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals

University College Hospital Grafton Way Building

Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine

University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre

The Hospital for Tropical Diseases

University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street

We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.

We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.

Job responsibilities

For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*

* UCLH top trust to work at in England - In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England for the third year in a row.

UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff To find out more, visit: Flexible working.

To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?

Person Specification

Knowledge & Qualifications

• Degree in Speech and Language Therapy
• HCPC Licence to practice as SLT
• Successful completion of highly specialist post-graduate study relevant to setting and caseload, including knowledge of feeding/ swallowing disorders and communication. (e.g. accredited dysphagia course, accredited communication course, VFS, oncology courses, tracheostomy)
• Member of relevant Special Interest Group(s)
• Training in SLT student clinical supervision
• Evidence of working within the NHS
• MSc or Diploma relating to SLT
• Evidence of qualifications in counselling skills

Experience

• Significant clinical experience working at this level in a relevant field post-registration, including 2 years at a specialist level
• Of working at a complex specialist level within one or more relevant specialist fields including: neuro/oncology, head-and-neck oncology, paediatric dysphagia and associated communication issues.
• Of audit and service evaluation and/or development with data capture
• Proven experience of a highly/specialist range of assessment tools and procedures to evaluate feeding and swallowing disorders, speech & language skills in a complex and/or paediatric/teenage population.
• Good understanding of the clinical governance principles (e.g. audit, clinical effectiveness, risk management, patient, and public involvement)
• Of supervising SLT students
• Basic knowledge of qualitative & quantitative research approaches, the key elements of writing a research protocol

Skills & Abilities

• Communication & Customer Care: The ability to communicate complex, sensitive information
• Excellent verbal and written skills
• Skilled in delivering presentations and training including basic adaptations to presentation/ training style for a range of audiences
• Knowledge of a range of approaches to mentoring, advising, supporting, and clinically supervising less experienced SLTs and support staff
• The ability to reflect on practice

Responsibilities towards promoting Equality Diversity and Inclusion

• Demonstratable understanding of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and/or knowledge of the NHS obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duties

Quality and service improvement

• Demonstrates knowledge of HCPCs code of ethics and professional conduct
• Demonstrates knowledge and adherence to national and local clinical guidelines with reference to paediatric acute caseload e.g. National Service Frameworks/ NICE Guidelines
• Demonstrates knowledge of and commitment to the Equal Opportunities policy, Infection Control and Health and Safety Guidelines
• Demonstrates knowledge of appropriate legislation affecting working practice e.g. Working with Vulnerable Adults, Safeguarding Children
• The ability to develop & implement short term clinically based projects

Ensure the risk of infection to self, colleagues, patients, relatives, and visitors is minimised by:

• Being familiar with, and adhering to policies and guidance on infection prevention and control (IPC), including having maintained IPC in previous professional roles

Specific Requirements

Other requirements, including:

• Physical Effort: Highly specialist lifting &/ or positioning of clients

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.

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£56,276 to £63,176 a yearper annum inclusive of HCAS, pro-rata