Senior Specialist Speech and Language Therapist | Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
| Posting date: | 17 April 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £58,133 - £65,261 per annum incl. HCA |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 23 May 2026 |
| Location: | London, SE1 7EH |
| Company: | Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 7913630/196-LIS10440E |
Summary
Due to the maternity leave of the current post-holder we have an exciting opportunity within our acute Speech and Language Therapy team at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. We are looking for a dynamic and experienced Speech and Language Therapist to join our existing inpatient team of 29.2 WTE SLTs and 1.4 WTE SLT assistants.
You will be based at St Thomas' Hospital and will be responsible for delivering high-quality care to adult inpatients with communication and/or swallowing disorders on the fast-paced Acute Admissions Ward. You will work closely with the motivated and proactive MDT to enhance patient care and experience as well as facilitating efficient and safe discharge from hospital or transfer to other specialisms as appropriate. This post also has a strong focus on service development and quality improvement.
The suitable applicant will have experience of working at a post-graduate level, independently managing adults with acquired communication and swallowing disorders. Experience of instrumental assessment and leadership/supervision experience is essential. Teaching will be a significant part of the role and you will participate in nurse/medical education and provide external talks and presentations as needed.
There is a strong ethos of clinical support, supervision and development within the team. The service is able to offer you excellent supervision and peer support, with an emphasis on team working.
For full details please see the job description.
• As an autonomous specialist to take clinical responsibility for the provision of a high-quality Speech and Language Therapy service to adult inpatients in acute medicine.
• To support the development and expansion of expert Speech and Language Therapy services in collaboration with the Acute Team Lead SLT and Professional lead for SLT.
• To be an advanced specialist SLT resource in acute medicine and to provide training and support to colleagues in other disciplines / specialties.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.
We are among the UK’s busiest, most successful foundation trusts. We provide specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services as well as a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark.
We have around 22,700 staff, making us one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country and one of the biggest local employers. We aim to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and continue to develop new and existing partnerships with local people, patients, neighbouring NHS organisations, local authorities and charitable bodies and GPs.
We strive to recruit and retain the best staff as the dedication and skills of our employees lie at the heart of our organisation and ensure that our services are of the highest quality, safe and focused on our patients. Our values help us to define and develop our culture, what we do and how we do it. It is important that you understand and reflect these values throughout your employment with the Trust:
· Caring
· Ambitious
· Inclusive
For full details please see the job description.
Department Information
The Adult Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Department at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital consists of 29.2 WTE SLTs and 1.4 WTE SLT Assistants. We have considerable expertise within the team with members representing the profession on a number of regional and national groups as well as contributing to both local and national guidance and research.
This role is part of the acute medical team at St Thomas' Hospital. The structure of the SLT team at St Thomas’ is shown on the main job description attached.
Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical
1. To provide highly specialist independent clinical management of inpatients with disorders of communication / swallowing referred from acute medicine.
2. To demonstrate an advanced level of clinical decision making to independently assess, make a clinical diagnosis and implement specialised therapeutic and/or compensatory programmes of care for patients with complex communication and swallowing disorders.
3. To have specialist knowledge of complex conditions presenting to the acute wards, including conditions linked to older age and frailty, and their impact on communication and swallowing. To offer support and second opinions to other members of the SLT team.
4. To be a specialist resource for Acute Medicine multidisciplinary teams regarding management of swallowing and communication disorders. As a core member of the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) to influence decision making regarding treatment planning and consequences for rehabilitation of communication and swallowing. To use strong negotiation skills in order to support and advocate for patients and carers, contributing to best interests discussions and decisions.
5. To be a specialist resource for the SLT and multidisciplinary teams regarding management and decision making with patients eating and drinking at risk
6. To be a specialist resource for the SLT and multidisciplinary teams regarding management of patients with altered airways
7. To take an active role in regular MDTs, huddles, clinic briefings and ward rounds.
8. To closely liaise with referring consultants, other medical staff, nurses and community teams to provide optimum treatment and support for patients acutely admitted to hospital.
9. To offer clear information and advice to patients and carers regarding diagnosis and management of their communication and/or swallowing impairment, involving them in decision making, goal planning and treatment. To utilise a high level of inter-personal skills to support both patients and carers in adjusting to the impact of their condition.
10. To arrange, carry out, analyse and report on videofluoroscopy and FEES examinations of patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia. To report findings to the MDT regarding implications and provide recommendations for management.
11. To lead videofluoroscopy clinics in accordance with local policies and procedures
12. To assess the need for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aids and to facilitate the provision of an appropriate device including training. To be responsible for the safe use, maintenance and regular audit of AAC aids provided to patients.
13. To refer patients, where appropriate, to outside agencies and/or Speech and Language Therapy in the community on discharge and write discharge reports to ensure continuity of care as per departmental quality standards.
14. To be an expert resource / second opinion for SLTs in the community and neighbouring Trusts with particular reference to the management of acutely unwell adults.
15. To assist with clinical cover in other adult inpatient areas during high periods of high referral rates, sickness absence, annual and study leave, as required by the SLT management team.
Professional/Managerial
1. To strictly observe a personal duty of care in line with departmental and Trust Infection Control Policies when carrying out interventions with patients where there is close contact with body fluids.
2. To be aware of and comply with the Speech and Language Therapy Risk Management Strategy and ensure any incidents/complaints are managed and reported according to Trust policy.
3. To contribute to and develop innovations in areas of risk management, quality standards setting and clinical effectiveness as part of departmental Clinical Governance.
4. To contribute to Acute Medicine’s systems of Clinical Governance as a Senior Specialist Speech and Language Therapy resource.
5. As a core member of the Acute Medicine MDTs, to participate in team meetings and propose, lead and assist in the implementation of policy/service development and improvement initiatives.
6. To contribute as a core member to the multi-professional Nutrition at Ward Level steering group.
7. To provide line management and clinical / professional supervision for a Band 6 Specialist SLT, including regular 1:1 meetings, competency development and annual appraisal.
8. To provide supervision for other junior staff (SLTs and/or assistants) as directed by the Acute Team Lead SLT.
9. To participate in regular 1:1 meetings with the Acute Team Lead SLT as per Personal Development Plan.
10. To liaise with the Acute Team Lead SLT and other AHP leads to support service development and identify opportunities for improvement.
11. To attend and contribute to regular professional and business meetings, in-service training sessions and be a member of relevant Clinical Excellence Networks to facilitate continuing professional development.
12. To offer peer support to colleagues at GSTT and mentor junior staff as appropriate.
13. To offer expert second opinions and advice on request from SLTs in other clinical areas and Trusts with particular reference to management of Acute Medical patients
14. To provide supervision and placements for student Speech and Language Therapists
15. To keep adequate records as directed by the Professional lead for SLT in line with departmental documentation standards and to ensure administration and compilation of statistics.
Education
1. To keep up-to-date with current theory and evidence based practice in the field of communication disorders and complex dysphagia management associated with acute medical admission.
2. To offer regular placements and clinical training to Speech and Language Therapy students.
3. To develop and deliver appropriate training packages to a range of professionals including nursing, medical and allied health professionals throughout the Trust.
4. To give talks and lectures to relevant groups e.g. CENs, community teams, GPs.
Research and Quality Improvement
1. To develop and take the lead in departmental/multi-disciplinary quality improvement projects including design, data collection, analysis and development of action plans as part of the Speech and Language Therapy Department’s annual audit programme / Acute Medicine Multidisciplinary Team initiatives.
2. To participate in and where appropriate actively develop relevant MDT research projects in Acute Medicine in line with the Trust’s commitment to clinical research.
3. To disseminate findings from completed projects in relevant forums.
To undertake such other duties as shall be indicated by the Professional lead for Speech and Language Therapy to meet the exigencies of the service and /or needs of the patients.
This advert closes on Monday 4 May 2026