Job summary
- Main area
- Clinical Support
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- 18 months (Fixed term)
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 188-CLN111025
- Employer
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Southampton General Hospital
- Town
- Southampton
- Salary
- £38,682 - £46,580 Per Annum (PA) Pro Rata
- Closing
- 12/11/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 17/11/2025
Employer heading
Specialist Speech and Language Therapist - Head and Neck
Band 6
Job overview
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.
Please see below for the detailed job description of the role.
Main duties of the job
We are delighted to be advertising this exciting and rewarding role in Head and Neck oncology. This post is ideal for a patient-centred, friendly and enthusiastic SLT who is keen to work in a stimulating environment alongside skilled colleagues from a range of professions.
UHS offers fantastic training and development giving you the best possible opportunities to achieve the career you want. Development of our staff is central to the delivery of high quality, safe and effective care. We can offer opportunities to develop within a supportive environment
Attached you will find the person specification document which provides more detail about the essential and desirable skills and experience needed for this role. We highly recommend you review this document and use it when completing your application as these criteria are used by hiring managers as guidance during shortlisting.
For an overview of the main duties of the role please see the ‘Job Description and Main Responsibilities’ section below. To understand the day-to-day responsibilities in more detail please read the full job description document attached.
Working for our organisation
University Hospital Southampton is one of England's largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations.
Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast.
We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalizing your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.
At UHS we’re committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients.
At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognizing that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We’re committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Specific to this role we are open to discussing flexibility in the hours that you work. Please talk to us at interview about the flexibility you need, and we will explore what’s possible for the role and service.
Main duties of the job:
Key Responsibilities:
If you are the successful candidate, you will:
• Work as part of the Head and Neck SLT team, including SLT led clinics, MDT clinics, acute wards and outpatient treatment areas.
• Provide regular communication and swallowing assessment and therapy to patients with complex head and neck oncology diagnoses.
• Continually represent the SLT service within head and neck oncology.
• Be innovative in your approach to patient care and service delivery, whilst being part of MDT service initiatives.
• Support patients to have instrumental assessment of their swallowing.
• Offer training and support to MDT members.
• Support the SLT team in leading or taking on non-clinical tasks e.g. student coordination, clinical effectiveness.
What experience/skills are needed
If you are:
• Experienced in working with patients with complex communication and swallowing difficulties as a result of head and neck cancer diagnoses,
• • Experienced or interested in supervising and educating others,
• Experienced in representing SLT in an MDT setting, and effectively advocating for patients’ needs,
• Experienced in working in an acute hospital, and
• Experienced in planning, delivering and evaluating clinical audits, service evaluations and/or research,
we would love to hear from you!
Person specification
Trust Values
Essential criteria
- Patients first
- Always Improving
- Working Together
Qualifications, knowledge and experience
Essential criteria
- Degree or equivalent in Speech and Language Therapy
- HCPC (Health and Care professions Council) registered speech and language therapist
- Evidence of commitment to relevant ongoing CPD and development in relevant areas
- Ability to communicate complex information fluently, confidently and effectively to a diverse range of people: e.g. with patients, carers, managers and other health care professionals
- Ability to demonstrate a practical and sensitive approach and flexibility in working style when applying clinical judgement to complex clinical issues
- Ability to create rapport and professionally manage relationships with colleagues, patients and carers and the emotional challenges this presents
- Demonstrate a holistic approach to treatment
- Evidence of ability to cope with unpredictable events and varying clinical and non-clinical work pressures
- Demonstrate ability to independently plan and prioritise own workload in order to meet deadlines
- Evidence of highly developed auditory and perceptive skills
Desirable criteria
- Experience of audit/project work
- Experience mentoring or supervising speech and language therapy assistants or junior staff
- Experience and involvement with speech and language therapy student training
- Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and relevant specialist groups
- Ability to cover “out of hours” commitments on agreed occasions
Skills and competencies
Essential criteria
- Presentation skills
- Teamwork
- Microsoft Office skills
- Communication
- Record Keeping
- Attention to detail
- Interpersonal skills
- Organisational skills
- Keyboard skills
- Numeracy skills
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Vanessa Richards
- Job title
- Head and Neck Clinical Lead SLT
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 02381206453
- Additional information
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