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Job summary

Main area
Therapy services - Speech and Language Therapy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
193-7285602NCG
Employer
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Royal Berkshire Hospital
Town
Reading
Salary
£37,338 - £44,962 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
16/07/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust logo

Specialist Speech and Language Therapist - Neurology/Stroke

NHS AfC: Band 6

Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated ‘Good’ with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements.  The Trust’s overall rating has also improved to ‘good’.  This is a great opportunity to join our clinical or non-clinical teams to create a positive and motivating environment within our trust.  Come and join our team in this exciting time of change as we pride ourselves, our staff and our services on excellence.

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is “Working together to provide outstanding care for our community.”

We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions

We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate

We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live

We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice

Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don’t you come and join us.  We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical.  

Job overview

Band 6 - Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full-time Band 6 Stroke Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to join our enthusiastic, inclusive and forward-thinking team at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. We are a team of 16 SLTs, working across a range of services including critical care, neurological services, general medicine and surgery, and ENT and Head & Neck services.

This post holder will responsible for providing assessment, therapy and education the patients with dysphagia and communication difficulties on the Acute Stroke Unit (ASU) and Neuro Rehabilitation Unit (NRU), as well as supporting more junior SLTs and Speech and Language Therapy Assistants (SLTA) and contributing to service development.

Main duties of the job

  • Provide specialist assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for adults with acquired communication and/or swallowing disorders following stroke or other neurological conditions, as part of a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation team.

  • Manage a caseload of patients with complex needs, demonstrating clinical expertise in communication impairments and dysphagia management.

  • Work collaboratively within a well-established team of SLTs, contributing to the delivery of a high-quality, evidence-based service.

  • Support  supervision, mentoring, and development of relevant team members including SLTAs.

  • Participate in joint goal setting and care planning with patients, families, and members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), ensuring a person-centred, holistic approach to rehabilitation.

  • Maintain documentation in line with local and national standards, including participation in audit and service evaluation activities.

  • Contribute to the delivery of communication and swallowing training to staff, patients, and carers.

  • Engage in service development initiatives and support implementation of new pathways or interventions in stroke and neurorehabilitation.

  • Maintain own clinical CPD portfolio and actively participate in supervision and relevant clinical networks.

  • While not essential, competencies in Videofluoroscopy (VF) and/or Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) would be desirable; training opportunities may be available for the right candidate.

Working for our organisation

We are one of the largest hospital foundation trusts in the country, and currently touch the lives of half a million patients in the west of Berkshire every year by providing high quality acute medical and surgical services for our local communities.  

Our values:

  • Compassionate
  • Aspirational
  • Resourceful
  • Excellent

The town of Reading sits on the River Thames and is served by great road and rail links to London, Oxford, and Southampton. With excellent leisure and shopping facilities, and a thriving cultural scene, Reading is a wonderful place to live, work, and play and provides excellent facilities for families, including some of the best state and private schools in the UK.

The CQC recently rated the care provided by The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust as good.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further details, please see the job description and person specification included in the job advertisement. 

Person specification

Education

Essential criteria
  • Recognised Speech and Language Therapy degree qualification or equivalent licence to practice
  • Registered member of RCSLT
  • Registered member of HCPC
  • Completion of relevant dysphagia competency framework e.g. RCSLT
Desirable criteria
  • Postgraduate training relevant to stroke/neurorehabilitation
  • Evident of Videofluoroscopy (VF) or Fibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallow (FEES) competency

CPD

Essential criteria
  • Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Networks (CENs)
  • Evidence of successful post-graduate study through CPD portfolio
  • Participation in supervision to support ongoing clinical and professional development
Desirable criteria
  • Evidence of contribution to service development, audit and/or quality improvement projects

Previous Experience

Essential criteria
  • At least two years post graduate experience working in a relevant clinical area
  • Experience of working within a Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT)
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working in an acute and rehabilitation setting with a relevant caseload
  • Experience of development and delivery of training packages to other disciplines, carers and service users

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Well established knowledge of a broad range of assessment tools relevant to the specialist area
  • Knowledge of standards of record keeping
  • Awareness and understanding of relevant policies and guidelines
Desirable criteria
  • Knowledge of the principles of clinical governance/audit including RCSLT clinical guidelines

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Care quality commission - GoodMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.National Preceptorship for Nursing Quality Mark 2024Florence Nightingale Foundation

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Natasha Bruce
Job title
Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0118 322 5205
Additional information

Katie Morris

Professional Lead for Speech and Language Therapy

[email protected]

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