Job summary
- Main area
- James Cook Cancer Institute & Speciality Medicine Services
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 328-JCSM-7506023
- Employer
- South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- The James Cook University Hospital
- Town
- Middlesbrough
- Salary
- £47,810 - £54,710 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 19/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist: Community Dysphagia
Band 7
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and energetic Speech and Language Therapist to lead and develop the Speech and Language Therapy community dysphagia service.
The post holder will be responsible for managing patients with acquired dysphagia who are resident in the South Tees locality community setting (residing within their own home or a care home setting). As this is a new development you will have opportunity to evaluate and implement hybrid methods of service delivery to best meet service demand, such as home visits, clinics and virtual assessments.
Main duties of the job
The clinical caseload will include managing patients with a diagnosis of dementia, stroke, and potentially some neurological conditions eg Parkinson’s Disease or other undiagnosed neurological conditions. There will also be a requirement to liaise with gastroenterology regarding the management of patients with oesophageal dysphagia.
The service will work across Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, but with an office base within the main speech therapy department at The James Cook University Hospital site.
Provision of education and training to carers and health care professionals supporting the patient caseload will also be an important part of this role.
You will contribute to achieving performance targets for the service and be responsible for evaluating service provision and achieving targets within your specific clinical area.
Regular support will be provided from your operational lead and from specialist colleagues across the wider team.
Working for our organisation
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust offers leadership and improvement training to all new staff. This training programme has been designed to support our leaders in developing their understanding of leadership and management skills. You will be expected to attend the following training sessions:
· Your Leadership Impact
· Leading your Team to Success
· Leading Into the Future
· Service Improvement for Beginners
· Developing your Service Improvement Skills
· Lean Practitioner
The leadership and improvement programme aims to:
· Explore leadership within the NHS
· Promote Trust values and behaviours
· Develop your leadership effectiveness and skills
· Equip staff with the necessary knowledge and skills to lead and complete service improvements within the scope of your role.
After you complete these six and a half days of training you will be able to explore further leadership and improvement training opportunities. We also offer a range of additional in-house and externally provided courses and bitesize programmes through our Leadership and Improvement Team.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the full job description and person specification document(s) attached for main responsibilities of the role.
Person specification
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
- • Basic IT skills
- • Audit and research experience
- • Project management / quality improvement experience
- • Evidence of ongoing continuous professional development
- • To display effective communication skills, communicating complex, sensitive and contentious information to patients, carers and colleagues
- • To demonstrate analytical skills and judgement when dealing with the management of complex clients
- • Skills of motivation, persuasion and innovation
- • Demonstrate excellent knowledge and clinical expertise within relevant specialist area
Desirable criteria
- • Experience with use of electronic note systems e.g. SystemOne
Qualifications and Training
Essential criteria
- • To hold a degree or relevant Diploma in Speech & Language Therapy
- • To be a registered member of the Health Care Professions Council
- • To have post-graduate training in dysphagia (can be in house or external)
- • To be a member of RCSLT
- • Have undertaken relevant leadership development training or qualifications
Experience
Essential criteria
- • To have substantial post graduate experience including work with frail, respiratory, elderly, stroke and neuro patients in an acute, rehabilitation and / or community setting
- • To have experience in the management of dysphagia at advanced level
- • Ideally to be competent in undertaking videofluoroscopy assessments
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
- Kathryn Dawson
- Job title
- Operational Lead Speech and Language Therapist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01642 854497
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