Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
We are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for a Band 7 Speech and Language Therapist to join our innovative service in community head & neck cancer and voice disorders.
The NELFT Speech and Language Therapy service supports adults with acquired disorders in Barking & Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge. The successful candidate will join a supportive and innovative team with established clinical specialists across multiple fields, including stroke, progressive neurology, head and neck cancers, and voice disorders.
Competencies and experience in managing surgical voice restoration are essential. The service offers weekly community videofluoroscopy and FEES clinics, and a monthly joint voice/dysphagia clinic with ENT. Competencies in these procedures would therefore be desirable. All staff are encouraged to lead quality improvement projects. In 2024, we were highly commended at the HSJ Awards for our community laryngectomy service development.
Clinical support will be provided by the Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapists in head and neck/ENT and adult neurology. CPD is actively supported through regular supervision, appraisals, and excellent training opportunities. Members of the team are supported to get involved in CENs and research. For further information, please follow our X @NELFTAdultSLT .
Main duties of the job
1. Independently manage and differentially diagnose a caseload of clients with head and neck cancer, voice and complex dysphagia needs.
2. Contribute to multidisciplinary support for clients with a range of swallow and communication difficulties.
3. Provide feedback, advice and training to family members, carers and members of the multidisciplinary team regarding communication needs and swallowing difficulties and strategies to facilitate development.
4. To deliver a comprehensive, holistic service to patients undergoing laryngectomy, including the provision of SVR management
5. To participate in the delivery and development of the Videofluoroscopy & FEES Clinics
6. To provide highly specialist clinical/technical skills for interpretive assessment techniques, reading videofluoroscopic / FEES examinations.
7. To participate in the delivery and development of joint complex voice and dysphagia clinics with ENT and Gastroenterology colleagues
8. To work with colleagues in clinical psychology in the management of patients with voice disorders and head & neck cancer.
9. To provide supervision and leadership to junior speech and language therapy staff in the areas of dysphagia, head and neck cancer and voice disorders within NELFT London.
Working for our organisation
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers, we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
10. We are kind.
11. We are respectful.
12. We work together with our communities
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period.
Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.
High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941 pro rata for part time).
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Detailed Job Description and Main responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer closely to this when completing your application. We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Any development needs to help you succeed in the role, can be discussed at the interview stage.
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
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Person specification
Other
Essential criteria
13. To be able to travel efficiently throughout the area
Skills
Essential criteria
14. Basic awareness of IT and IT skills
15. Demonstrate clear clinical reasoning based on evidence based practice
16. Able to use own initiative
17. Organise and manage own caseload
18. Allocate duties and supervise therapy assistants
19. Good supervision skills
20. Formulate care programmes, identify goals by organising and prioritising
21. Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy
22. Negotiation, problem solving concentration, analytical and reflection skills
23. Written and verbal presentation skills
24. Present information in clear and logical manner
25. Ability to be a good team member
Knowledge
Essential criteria
26. An awareness of NHS priorities
27. Awareness of NHS Plan, NSF, clinical governance priorities and changing service needs
28. Government policy and legislation and how this may affect service delivery
29. Knowledge of acquired communication and swallowing disorders
30. Knowledge of assessment tools, treatment techniques and therapeutic interventions
31. Awareness of the roles of other professionals
32. Awareness of standards of record keeping
33. Understanding of safeguarding
Desirable criteria
34. Awareness of the principles of clinical governance/audit
Experience
Essential criteria
35. Significant relevant experience at undergraduate/post graduate level
36. Working collaboratively with carers and other professionals
37. Experience of working in a multi-agency and/or multi-disciplinary team
38. Working with clients who have a range of communication, trismus and swallowing needs resulting from head and neck cancer
39. Planning and delivery of training to other professionals
40. Working with clients who have clinical voice disorders
41. Experience of independently managing surgical voice restoration
Desirable criteria
42. Experience of videofluroscopy clinic
43. Experience of running a FEES clinic
44. Experience of running joint voice clinic with ENT
45. Experience of independently managing people with a tracheostomy
Qualifications
Essential criteria
46. NVQ level 2 or equivalent standard of literacy and numeracy
47. Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
48. HCPC Licence to Practice
49. Show active interest in CPD in line with RCSLT guidelines
50. Post graduate training in dysphagia
51. Competencies in working with laryngectomy including SVR
Desirable criteria
52. Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy
53. Competencies in FEES
54. Competencies in videofluroscopy
55. Competencies in tracheostomy
Trust Values
Essential criteria
56. Demonstrates trust values
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
57. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
58. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
59. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
60. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
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 whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.