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Job summary

Main area
Critical Care & Complex Airways
Grade
Band 8a
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 33.75 hours per week
Job ref
391-RFL-7434133
Employer
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Barnet Hospital
Town
Barnet
Salary
£61,631 - £68,623 per annum pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
19/09/2025 23:59

Employer heading

NHS

Band 8A Clinical Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Band 8a

Our trust has over 17,000 staff serving 2 million patients every year. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and more than 30 services in the community.  This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients.

Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers’ money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.

Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

Click here to view our video Welcome to the Royal Free


 

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, highly motivated and experienced Speech and Language Therapist to join the Therapy team at Barnet Hospital as a Clinical Specialist in Complex Airways.   

The successful applicant will ensure clinical excellence in the provision of a highly specialist, evidence based SLT service for patients with acquired communication and swallowing difficulties with a particular focus on those with complex airways.   They will act as a source of specialist expertise for the Barnet SLT team, service users, other healthcare professionals, and stakeholders.

The post holder will be based in the Respiratory, Surgery & Critical Care therapy team alongside dietitians, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.    They will also be part of a team of senior SLT’s working within specialty groups that include Neurology, Head and Neck Cancer, Voice, General medicine /Health Services for the Elderly and Emergency Medicine.

This is a predominantly clinical role, carrying a specialist caseload across the respiratory, surgical and critical care areas, while working closely with our multi-disciplinary healthcare team. The postholder will also provide clinical supervision to identified specialist SLTs and contribute to the continued development of our services.  In addition, the postholder will have research experience and will support the therapy department with developing skills in this area.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be:

·    Responsible for the continuing development of a highly specialist therapy service, providing expert assessment, diagnosis and treatment for patients and supporting colleagues within the wider service.

·   A strong leader with clinical supervision / line management responsibility for more junior staff.

·    Providing and training others in specialist skills for interpretative assessment techniques and interventions (e.g. FEES, Videofluoroscopy, stroboscopy)

·   Deputising for the Professional Lead SLT / Team Clinical Lead when needed, to ensure the development of collaborative and MDT working practices, assisting in achieving local and national standards and supporting governance processes.

·  Demonstrating an expert level of communication skills in order to co-ordinate and navigate patient care between professionals.

·   Providing advice and support to staff to develop research skills and literacy within the team and wider department.

· Participating in the SLT bank holiday rota as an autonomous practitioner within the Trust.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s biggest and most innovative trusts. Across three main hospitals, our dedicated army of staff care for over 1.6million patients, treat more than 200,000 in A&E, deliver over 8,000 babies and carry out more than 17million tests.

Our size, scale and influence offer you unrivalled career opportunities and a forward-thinking approach to working that works around your lifestyle. From flexible hours and generous benefits, to next level training, we make it easier to take your career to the top.

For more information please follow link https://www.royalfreelondonjobs.co.uk/

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more detail about this role.

 

Please note the advert may close early if a high volume of applications are received. 

 

Please be aware that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in completing application forms will be monitored to ensure fairness and transparency. If you have used AI you must state this in your application.

 

Person specification

Royal Free World Class Values

Essential criteria
  • Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values

Education & professional Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Degree/Diploma in relevant clinical area
  • HCPC Registration
  • Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
  • Postgraduate training or development in clinical skills up to a Masters Degree level relevant clinical area
  • Membership of clinical excellence network or equivalent
Desirable criteria
  • Postgraduate training or development in research and leadership skills

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Post qualification experience – to have experience of working in an acute hospital, including work at a Band 7 level within relevant specialist setting
  • Proven advanced clinical experience in respiratory and complex airway management
  • Experience of managing complex patients
  • Experience in service development activities
  • Experience of facilitating change by collaborating with stakeholders across other professions and organisations
  • Experience of participating in research or service development work
Desirable criteria
  • Experience at 8a in clinical setting

Skills and aptitudes

Essential criteria
  • Expert knowledge of current clinical practice in relevant area
  • Up to date in all current issues related to professional practice and Health service provision
  • Computer skills with appropriate knowledge of spreadsheets, word, databases and presentation packages required for this level
  • Able to demonstrate advanced expert skills in specialist area
  • Highly motivated and forward thinking and able to motivate others
  • Expert assessment skills including instrumental assessment with complex patients (including those ventilated/ with tracheostomy)
  • Highly developed communication skills – verbal, written and presentation
  • Evidence of effective communication and working with clinicians and MDT
  • Able to demonstrate a clear understanding of both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary issues and the ability to work and lead efficiently and effectively in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary team
  • Able to work independently as an autonomous practitioner
  • Able to demonstrate expert clinical reasoning skills including problem solving
  • Able to work under pressure
  • Teaching and supervisory skills within formal and informal environments including senior qualified staff
  • Clear vision of role/commitment to specialty
  • Clear understanding of NHS reforms and policies and their impact on the service
  • Committed to personal and team development

Personal Qualities & attributes

Essential criteria
  • Flexibility and supportive in approach to change in service needs
  • Ability to cope with working in a stressful environment
  • Punctual and reliable
  • Research-minded
  • Able to work on different sites
  • Able to document information accurately
  • Analytical ability with complex data
  • Leadership and influencing skills
  • Innovative and creative thinker

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Nursing TimesApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleDisability confident employerTimewise PartnerCare Quality Commission - Requires improvementEnei MemberArmed Forces Covenant

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Ali Rhodes
Job title
Clinical Lead Therapist - Critical Care & Surgery
Email address
[email protected]
Additional information

For further information please contact

Ali Rhodes (Clinical Lead in Respiratory, Surgery and Critical Care) via [email protected] 

Ros Pawar (Professional Lead SLT for Barnet and Chase sites) via [email protected]

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