Overview
Due to maternity leave we need an experienced Speech and Language Therapist to join the acute Speech and Language Therapy team at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital. The role requires delivering high‑quality care to adult inpatients with communication and/or swallowing disorders on the fast‑paced Acute Admissions Ward, working closely with the multidisciplinary team (MDT) to facilitate safe discharge and transfer.
Experience & Qualifications
Applicants should have clinical experience at a postgraduate level, managing adults with acquired communication and swallowing disorders, including instrumental assessment and evidence‑based intervention. Leadership or supervision experience is essential. Strong teaching skills are required, with responsibilities for teaching nurses, doctors, external presentations, and clinical training of students.
Responsibilities
1. Deliver a high‑quality Speech and Language Therapy service to adult inpatients in acute medicine.
2. Support development and expansion of Speech and Language Therapy services in partnership with the Acute Team Lead SLT and the Professional Lead for SLT.
3. Serve as an advanced specialist resource, providing training and support to colleagues in other disciplines.
4. Provide specialist independent clinical management of patients with communication or swallowing disorders referred from acute medicine.
5. Demonstrate advanced clinical decision‑making, independently assess, diagnose, and implement therapeutic programmes for complex communication and swallowing disorders.
6. Display specialist knowledge of complex conditions seen in acute wards, including frailty and age‑related impacts on communication and swallowing; offer support and second opinions to the SLT team.
7. Act as a specialist resource for MDT concerning management of swallowing and communication disorders, influencing treatment planning and rehabilitation decisions.
8. Provide specialist information regarding patients’ eating and drinking at risk and those with altered airways.
9. Participate actively in MDT meetings, huddles, clinic briefings, and ward rounds.
10. Maintain close liaison with consultants, medical staff, nurses, and community teams to optimise patient care and support acute admissions.
11. Offer clear information and advice to patients and carers about diagnosis, management, goal planning, and treatment, engaging them in decision‑making.
12. Arrange, carry out, analyse, and report on videofluoroscopy and FEES examinations, recommending management to the MDT.
13. Lead videofluoroscopy clinics per local policies and procedures.
14. Assess need for AAC aids, facilitate procurement and training, and ensure safe use, maintenance, and audit of devices.
15. Refer patients appropriately to outside agencies and community Speech and Language Therapy on discharge, and prepare discontinuation reports to ensure continuity of care.
16. Serve as an expert resource and second opinion for SLTs in the community and neighbouring trusts regarding acutely unwell adults.
17. Assist with clinical cover in other adult inpatient areas during peak referral periods, sickness absence, annual leave, or study leave as required by the SLT management team.
Professional and Managerial Duties
1. Observe personal duty of care in line with departmental and Trust infection control policies when interventions involve close patient contact.
2. Comply with the Speech and Language Therapy Risk Management Strategy and report incidents or complaints per Trust policy.
3. Contribute to risk management, quality standards, and clinical effectiveness initiatives within departmental Clinical Governance.
4. Contribute to Acute Medicine’s Clinical Governance systems as a Senior Specialist Speech and Language Therapist.
5. Lead policy and service development initiatives and promote improvement within the Acute Medicine MDT.
6. Participate in the multi‑professional Nutrition at Ward Level steering group.
7. Provide line management and clinical/professional supervision for a Band 6 Specialist SLT, including regular one‑to‑one meetings, competency development, and annual appraisals.
8. Supervise junior staff and facilitate placements for students as directed by the Acute Team Lead SLT.
9. Engage in one‑to‑one meetings with the Acute Team Lead SLT as part of the Personal Development Plan.
10. Collaborate with AHP leads to support service development and identify improvement opportunities.
11. Attend and contribute to professional and business meetings, in‑service training, and Clinical Excellence Network meetings to support ongoing professional development.
12. Offer peer support to colleagues at GSTT and mentor junior staff.
13. Provide expert second opinions and advice to SLTs in other clinical areas and Trusts on acute medical patient management.
14. Deliver supervision and student placements for Speech and Language Therapy students.
15. Maintain accurate records per departmental documentation standards, ensuring proper administration and statistical reporting.
Education and Training
1. Keep up to date with current theory and evidence‑based practice in communication disorders and complex dysphagia management associated with acute medical admission.
2. Offer regular placements and clinical training to Speech and Language Therapy students.
3. Develop and deliver appropriate training packages to nursing, medical and allied health professionals throughout the Trust.
4. Give talks and lectures to relevant groups such as CENs, community teams, and GPs.
Research and Quality Improvement
1. Lead departmental and multidisciplinary quality improvement projects, including design, data collection, analysis, and development of action plans as part of the Speech and Language Therapy Department’s audit programme and Acute Medicine MDT initiatives.
2. Participate in and develop research projects in Acute Medicine in line with the Trust’s commitment to clinical research.
3. Disseminate findings from completed projects to relevant forums.
Advert closes on Monday 4 May 2026.
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