Speech Language Therapist

Royal Marsden; Greater London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal Marsden is seeking a Speech and Language Therapist to join their team in Sutton. This role focuses on oncology patients, offering professional development and mentorship opportunities. Ideal candidates will have experience in managing complex communication and swallowing disorders, particularly related to head and neck cancer. Join a world-leading cancer center dedicated to exceptional patient care and professional growth.

Benefits

Flexible working requests

Learning and development opportunities

Career pathways

Qualifications

• Experience with head and neck cancer patients.
• Post graduate training in videofluoroscopy.
• Experience in clinical supervision.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist clinical service for communication/swallowing disorders.
• Manage complex cases from acute to palliative stages.
• Support and guide Band 5 therapists.

Skills

Communication

Counseling

Clinical Management

Education

Masters or equivalent of post-graduate specialist training

Registered MRCSLT

Registered member of HCPC

Tools

Videofluoroscopy

AAC

Job description

Are you a dynamic and motivated Speech and Language Therapist looking to advance your career? The Royal Marsden in Sutton is seeking a highly skilled professional to join our esteemed team. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on the lives of oncology patients. We are looking for a band 5 or 6 dependent on experience as we will consider career progression.

About the Role:

• Specialised Focus: The role primarily involves working with head and neck cancer and neuro-oncology patients, offering you the chance to deepen your expertise in these areas.

• Collaborative Environment: You will work alongside experienced SLT and AHP colleagues within our multi-professional team, ensuring comprehensive patient care.

Professional Development:

• Supervision and Support: Benefit from our well-established supervision and support structure, including collaboration with SLTs at our Chelsea location.

• Skill Enhancement: Participate in regular journal clubs and seize opportunities for research and clinical skill development, such as videofluoroscopy and FEES.

Join Us and Make a Difference:

• Mentorship Role: Support and guide a Band 5 therapist as appropriate, helping them achieve their competencies and grow professionally.

Main duties of the job

1. To contribute to the provision of a specialist clinical service, from acute to palliative and terminal stages of care, across the lifespan, to patients referred to the Trust with a wide range of communication and/or swallowing disorders secondary to cancer and/or its treatment.

2. The main referral sources are the Head and Neck and Neuro Oncology Units who provide a clinically complex case load where patients have undergone radical treatment including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Other referral sources include neuro oncology, haemato-oncological and gastrointestinal tumours as well as a small paediatric caseload.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification.

Clinical

1. To demonstrate specialist clinical skills with both in and outpatients when managing their swallowing and/or communication problems related to the nature and stage (acute to terminal/end) of their cancer, across the lifespan.

2. To demonstrate a high level of decision making and to manage and provide a holistic and highly specialist clinical service. This consists of assessing, diagnosing, planning, co-ordinating, implementing and evaluating the specialist treatment programmes for in and outpatients referred to the Trust, who present with complex communication and/or swallowing problems related to their cancer and/or its treatment.

3. To demonstrate specialist clinical management with both in and outpatients who have complex communication and/or swallowing problems following surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy as well as the SAOP patients accessing support from senior colleagues as necessary.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• Registered MRCSLT
• Registered member of HCPC
• Masters or equivalent of post-graduate specialist training and membership/committee role in relevant CEN
• Attended post graduate dysphagia training leading to independent practice.
• Attended specialist/expert short courses relevant to head & neck cancer e.g advanced videofluoroscopy and/ or FEES
• Attended specialist/ expert short courses relevant to adults with acquired communication impairment eg dysphasia, dysarthria, dyspraxia.
• Post graduate training/experience in videofluoroscopy
• Advanced counselling
• Post graduate training in the use of AAC with adults.

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of working at a specialist level with adults with acquired dysphagia/ communication disorders as a result of their cancer and /or its treatment, particularly Head & Neck and/ or Neuro oncology.
• Demonstrable experience of independent management of adults with acquired dysphagia
• Evidence of developing and delivering training
• Clinical supervision of SLT students
• Experience of developing case management skills in less experienced staff
• Knowledge/experience with the use of nasendoscopy/stroboscopy when assessing/treating patients with swallowing difficulties.
• Demonstrable experience of an ability to independently perform and evaluate videofluoroscopy assessments at an advanced level
• Experience of working with children with language delay/ disorders. This can be from placement however examples of development of core skills in this area must be demonstrated.

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.

All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Name Kate Ashforth Job title Professional Lead for Speech and Language Therapy Email address [e-mail]