Job summary
- Main area
- 317 Speech Therapy - FH
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- Fixed term: 10 months (from date of appointment)
- Hours
- Part time - 11.25 hours per week (11 Hours 15 Minutes/Week)
- Job ref
- 317-2025-35-019
- Employer
- The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Freeman Hospital
- Town
- 317 01 Freeman Hospital
- Salary
- £38,682 - £46,580 pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 18/09/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 10/10/2025
Employer heading
Specialist Speech & Language Therapist
Band 6
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 15,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.6 billion.
We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country, supporting people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts each day, delivering high standards of healthcare.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.
Job overview
Due to research funding, we have temporary backfill hours available. We are seeking a Speech and Language Therapist with an interest in ENT/Head and neck cancer, keen to gain experience in this area and support project work within our department. We are looking for someone with completed dysphagia competencies. Experience working in this specialist field is desirable but not essential.
The postholder will be supporting our team of therapists and assistants (ranging from Bands 3-8b) in delivering care to patients with head and neck cancer and voice/upper airway disorders. This post will allow the successful candidate to develop their existing dysphagia skills, working with highly complex patient groups in acute and out-patient settings.
It will also provide an opportunity to conduct a quality improvement project, supported by senior members of the team.
The postholder will be working across the team in both inpatient and outpatient settings seeing a mix of patients with cancer and benign voice, swallowing and upper airway disorders. We are based at the Freeman Hospital but also work at the Royal Victoria Infirmary as part of specialist MDT clinics and to see in-patients on an ad-hoc basis as needed.
- Interview Date Friday 10 October 2025
- 11 Hours 15 Minutes/Week
- You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
NO AGENCIES PLEASE
Main duties of the job
We are keen to use this opportunity to develop a co-design project in the head and neck cancer service and the successful candidate will be given dedicated time to support the successful completion of this with support from senior members of the team.
We support head and neck cancer patients from diagnosis, treatment (post-surgery, radiotherapy, palliative care) to rehabilitation and survivorship. The Newcastle H&N MDT is one of the busiest units in the UK, with an excellent reputation for innovation and research. It remains a friendly and supportive environment where AHPs are valued team members. Our voice/upper airways service is nationally renowned, organising and hosting the bi-annual Newcastle Voice Conference and leading on many exciting innovations in practice.
As a department we support and host national conferences and training programmes. We are committed to teaching, quality improvement and are highly research active. We have close links with Newcastle University as well as regional AHP sub-groups. You will be joining a busy but strong, effective SLT team who work closely together to support each other in delivering outstanding care to our patients whilst always striving to improve and develop the services we provide.
Working for our organisation
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Our staff oversee over 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:
• Freeman Hospital
• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service
• Cramlington Manor Walks
These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.
We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.
For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To be responsible for the assessment, differential diagnosis, treatment and management of patients with speech, voice/upper airway and/or swallowing disorders within the ENT department.
Person specification
KNOWLEDGE
Essential criteria
- Knowledge in critical areas (i.e. dysphagia / voice disorders)
- Understanding roles of MDT members
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of national policies and procedures
- Understanding factors which influence service delivery
SKILLS
Essential criteria
- Good assessment skills in relevant areas
- Relevant clinical skills including dysphagia competencies
- Excellent organisational skills
- Prioritisation skills
- Excellent presentation skills
Desirable criteria
- Observation, listening, analysis and empathy skills
- Advanced negotiation and problem solving skills
- Experience of instrumental assessments of voice and swallowing
EXPERIENCE
Essential criteria
- Working in clinical teams
- Relevant post-graduate clinical experience
- Assessment and management of patients with benign swallowing/voice/upper airway disorders
Desirable criteria
- H&N dysphagia training/experience
- Experience of working with voice/upper airway disorders
QUALIFICATIONS
Essential criteria
- Recognised SLT Degree Qualification
- HCPC – Licence to Practice
- Experiential training of relevant specialist skills
Desirable criteria
- Completion of specialist post-graduate training
- Member of relevant CENs
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
- Diane Sellstrom
- Job title
- Lead Speech and Language Therapist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0191 2137635
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