Speech and Language Therapist, Stroke and Acute Services

UHCW; Coventry; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Part time

Job summary

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust is seeking a Speech and Language Therapist (Band 5) to join our Acute and Stroke Inpatient SLT team on a permanent, part-time basis (22.5 hours per week).

You will assess and treat adults with communication and swallowing difficulties across stroke and acute wards, with opportunities to work across UHCW and Rugby St Cross Hospital, contributing to service development and training.

Qualifications

• Degree in Speech and Language Therapy or equivalent.
• HCPC registration
• Member of the RCSLT
• Completion of dysphagia competency programme

Responsibilities

• Provide a service to hyper acute and acute stroke wards for patients with communication and swallowing difficulties, with a designated caseload.
• Occasionally attend Rugby St Cross hospital to support SLT provision.
• Attend training to develop dysphagia and other clinical competencies.
• Plan and prioritise own caseload with support from senior clinicians.
• Manage a caseload of patients with varying diagnoses and complex needs using client-centred principles.
• Participate in information management to ensure high quality data is recorded, evaluated and reported.

Skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

IT skills

Adaptability

Education

Degree in Speech and Language Therapy

HCPC registration

Member of the RCSLT

Dysphagia competency programme

Job description

Speech and Language Therapist, Stroke and Acute Services

Band 5

Main area Speech and Language Therapy Grade Band 5 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 22.5 hours per week Job ref 218-AHP-B5-8297197-A

Site University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire Town Coventry Salary £32,073 - £39,043 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 08/11/2026 23:59

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity to grow our Acute and Stroke Inpatient Speech and Language Therapy team here at University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire on a permanent basis. Post holders will have relevant post-graduate experience or be newly qualified.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and innovative team player who can be flexible in meeting the demands of a busy acute hospital.

University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire is a friendly, supportive and innovative place to work. You will be working across both UHCW and Rugby St Cross Hospital. Our service provides input across multiple wards including hyper acute stroke care, respiratory, neurology, care of the elderly, emergency wards and oncology.

The successful candidate will be expected to work with adults with acquired communication and swallowing difficulties across stroke and acute wards, providing assessment, diagnosis and intervention approaches.

If you would like more information in relation to this role, please contact the department.

Interviews are proposed for 17th / 18th November.

Successful applicants will be required to provide an immunisation and vaccination report, from either their current UK occupational health provider or their UK GP.

Main duties of the job

With appropriate training and ongoing support, the main duties of the job include:

• Provide a service to the hyper acute and acute stroke wards at UHCW for patients who have communication and swallowing difficulties taking responsibility for a designated case load within agreed clinical parameters.
• There will also be a requirement to occasionally attend Rugby St Cross hospital to support with SLT provision.
• Participate in training to acquire the skills required for the post, which may include dysphagia training, to maintain and enhance clinical competencies.
• Plan and prioritise own caseload with support from senior clinicians.
• Manage a caseload of patients with varying diagnosis and complex needs, using evidence-based client centred principles.

Working for our organisation

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, rated as good by the Care Quality Commission, is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the UK.

We are extremely proud of our employees across our hospital sites, with high quality patient care at the heart of everything we do.

Boasting some of the most modern facilities in Western Europe, the Trust is renowned for being at the forefront of research and innovation as part of its blossoming reputation as a worldwide leader in healthcare.

By joining our exciting journey, you will form part of a passionate, talented team and will be able to access a wide range of learning and development opportunities. There has never been a better time to join our team.

The Trust is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different perspectives available in our diverse society. We want everyone to feel they are respected, valued, can achieve their potential and receive the most appropriate and relevant care. We will create an environment where the equality and human rights principles of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy are promoted and are part of the organisation's core values.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To be able to conduct and interpret formal and informal communication assessments on a range of patients with varying presentations in stroke and acute.
• Participate in the planning, development and evaluation of clinical practice & service development within area.
• Attend and participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and daily board rounds to coordinate patient care.
• Support and delegation of tasks to band 4 SLT assistants.
• Contribute to the maintenance and development of the SLT service through collaborative working and quality improvement initiatives.
• Participate in information management to ensure high quality data which is recorded, evaluated & reported in a timely manner.
• To be involved in the education and supervision of volunteers, students, and junior staff within the service.
• To work within National and Trust policies / guidelines; and HCPC and RCSLT standards and codes of conduct.

For further details of the role please see the attached job description.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Degree in Speech and Language Therapy or equivalent.
• HCPC registration
• Member of the RCSLT
• Completion of dysphagia competency programme

Experience

• Experience of working with adults with a communication difficulty, either independently or under supervision.
• Experience of working as part of a team.
• Experience of working in the NHS.
• Experience of delivering training.
• Experience of working with patients in a hospital setting.
• Experience of working independently with patients with communication difficulties.

Knowledge

• Up to date SLT knowledge acquired through degree qualification.
• Knowledge of types of communication difficulties affecting adults in an acute setting.
• Knowledge of informal and formal assessment tools and a range of therapeutic interventions relevant to the client group.
• Good working knowledge of national policies and procedures.
• Aware of the different communication needs within a culturally diverse community and how this may impact on professional practice.
• Knowledge of instrumental assessment of swallowing and referral criteria.
• Knowledge of National Stroke Guidelines and SSNAP (Stroke Sentinel National Audit Programme).
• Stroke classifications.

Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent presentation skills
• Able to adapt communication style to varied listeners
• Demonstrates ability to be a good team member and function effectively in the multidisciplinary team
• Supportive to other staff
• Ability to work under pressure
• Keyboard and IT skills to support clinical practice
• Flexible approach and willingness to adapt to change
• Ability to work through interpreters to gain and impart information

Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours

• Evidence of demonstrating the Trust Values (Compassion, Openness, Pride, Partnership, Improve, Learn and Respect) and the associated Values in Action behaviours in the workplace.
• Evidence of promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, and ensuring fair and equitable practices throughout your work experience.
• Evidence of promoting a culture which helps individuals live behaviours aligned to our Trust Values (Compassion, Openness, Pride, Partnership, Improve, Learn and Respect).

To ensure that we provide world‑class patient care, UHCW recruits people that can demonstrate the Trust’s Values and Behaviours in their everyday life. Therefore, if you are invited to interview, you will be undertaking a Values Based Interview/Assessment, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust’s Values and Behaviours which can be accessed on the right side of this page under the job description.

The Supporting Information Section in your application should therefore reflect your understanding of the Trust’s Values and associated Behaviours. You will be expected to provide us with examples from work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviour.

The Trust is committed to Equal Opportunities within the workplace. All vacancies will be considered for Job Share unless otherwise stated. All applicants who have a disability and who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be interviewed. Where a post has an overwhelming response, this Trust may use random selection in order to reduce numbers to interview, any disabled applicants will automatically be guaranteed an interview and will be exempt from this process.

In submitting an application form, you authorise University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust to confirm from your previous or current NHS employer and other prior employers; previous NHS service details and personal data held about you, including Occupational Health data (inoculations and screening tests). This data will be transferred using NHS Electronic Staff Record and third‑party systems via an automated process and only used for the purposes of obtaining and maintaining accurate employment records, should you be appointed to the post.

UHCW NHS Trust, by virtue of its Green Plan, is committed to ensuring that the way we provide services minimises the impact on the environment and the future health of the public e.g. zero waste to landfill, reducing our carbon footprint and increasing our recycling and reuse percentages.

If you are successful at interview you will receive a conditional offer of employment and we’ll ask you for information so that we can carry out pre‑employment checks. You must successfully complete all pre‑employment checks to progress to a final unconditional offer.

We must confirm the identity of our staff and their right to work in the United Kingdom. We will ask you to submit proof of your identity and right to work documents via a secure digital platform approved by the Home Office, named TrustID. Alternatively, you may be asked to attend our office with original documents.

Depending on your level of exposure with patients you may be required to undertake a Standard or Enhanced DBS. The cost of this check will be charged to you and will be deducted from your salary over the first 3 months of employment at the current rate.

All correspondence will be sent by email; please check your account regularly including your Junk/SPAM folders

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.