Job summary
- Main area
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Grade
- Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Job share
- Flexible working
- Compressed hours
- Job ref
- 327-25-642
- Employer
- Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Cheltenham General Hospital
- Town
- Cheltenham
- Salary
- £31,049 - £37,796 per annum (pro rata)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 20/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Speech and Language Therapist
Band 5
We love what we do and we think you will, too!
At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county.
We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care. We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you’.
We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and we are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality teams in all areas of the Trust.
Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.
It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us .
Job overview
This role is offered on a permanent basis. The hours are full-time, 37.5 hours per week. Part-time hours will be considered.
Are you interested in working with people who have had an acute stroke? Are you passionate about providing personalised care? Do you enjoy working in a team achieving person centred goals?
We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 5 Speech and Language Therapist to join the Adult Speech and Language Therapy Service within Gloucestershire, working across both the hyperacute and acute stroke units at Cheltenham General Hospital.
This post will provide you with an opportunity to develop your dysphagia and communication assessment and therapy skills, with the support of experienced speech and language therapists within our stroke team. You will also have the opportunity to work closely with members of the stroke MDT.
Opportunities to develop in other areas of acute and community work are available and this position may develop into a rotational post in the future
We offer flexible working opportunities.
The service offers regular clinical and line management supervision, along with peer support sessions. We have a strong ethos for continuing professional development and a range of both in-house and external training is available. .
The successful applicant will be joining a dedicated, supportive and sociable team and will have the opportunity to regularly work alongside other experienced therapists and assistants.
Main duties of the job
The role is based on the acute stroke wards at Cheltenham General Hospital. You will initially work with the communication caseload with in house dysphagia training organised into the role. If you are already dysphagia trained then the apportioning of the work will be discussed when you start.
The post is open to newly qualified, currently practising therapists and therapists returning to practice. It is desirable to be dysphagia competent, however in-house dysphagia training is available . If you are newly qualified we will support you through your newly qualified practitioner competencies and the trust’s preceptorship program. Registration with the HCPC is essential for the role. .
The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.
Working for our organisation
We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.
Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:
- 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
- 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
- 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.
This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The job involves provision of assessment, diagnosis and treatment within an acute inpatient setting to adults in Gloucestershire with acquired communication, voice and swallowing disorders following a Stroke. You will work as part of a team and hold a shared caseload alongside experienced Speech and Language Therapy colleagues. You will be line managed by the band 7 Team lead Speech and Language Therapist.
We provide a Multi-professional preceptorship programme that is aligned to the National Preceptorship Framework for Nursing and have been awarded the Interim quality mark from NHS England. Our programme is provided to all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners. In addition to the programme we also offer all preceptees the opportunity of enrolling and completing the level 7 (Masters) 15 credit validated module “Preceptorship for Healthcare” (AP7026).
Newly qualified Social Workers are offered the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment programme (ASYE) which is similar to a preceptorship programme.
The Trust is required to work in line with the Government’s UK Visa and Immigration Rules and Regulations. For more information about sponsorship for certain roles, please visit - https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas
Person specification
QUALIFICATIONS
Essential criteria
- Recognised Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists degree level qualification and registered with the RCSLT
- Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
- Member of the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC)
Desirable criteria
- Post Graduate Dysphagia Training
LENGTH AND / OR NATURE OF EXPERIENCE
Essential criteria
- Experience in managing patients with post stroke acquired communication and swallowing difficulties within an acute setting
PROFESSIONAL / MANAGERIAL / SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE
Essential criteria
- Ability to identify own professional development needs and develop a professional portfolio within the appraisal framework, including specific objectives
- Skill in selection of appropriate strategies for prioritisation and management of a caseload, with support as required
- Skills in differential diagnosis and targeting of clinical interventions
- Ability to demonstrate highly developed auditory and perceptual skills in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of clients
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including skilled and professional recognition of communication barriers/facilitation
- Ability to effectively manage own caseload
- Negotiation skills for management of conflict across a range of situations
- Knowledge of a broad range of formal and informal assessment methods and their interpretation
Desirable criteria
- To employ appropriate strategies to manage aggressive or other inappropriate behaviour within the workplace
- Excellent presentation skills
PERSONAL SKILLS ABILITIES AND ATTRIBUTES
Essential criteria
- Approachable and flexible
- Good communication skills (written and verbal)
- Be able to prioritise tasks and manage time effectively
- Ability to work under pressure
- Ability to assimilate new concepts and approaches to care
- Ability to engage positively with service users
- Ability to work effectively as a team member
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
- Resilience in emotive situations
- Ability to use own initiative
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Essential criteria
- Ability to work flexibly across the Trust
- Able to attend and participate in all mandatory and statutory training events
Desirable criteria
- Ability to travel around the locality as requested, independently and efficiently
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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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
- Rachael Smith
- Job title
- Stroke Lead Speech and Language Therapist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 422 8105
- Additional information
Helen Spear, Head of Service for Physical Health Speech and Language Therapy [email protected] 0300 4 228105
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