Overview
Come and join our adult acute SLT service at Harefield Hospital and grow your skills in managing the communication, swallowing and airway needs of people with complex heart and lung conditions. We have significantly expanded the SLT service over the last few years and in addition to our core clinical work, we are focused on driving service and quality improvements that demonstrate impact and improve functional outcomes. We are ‘research aware’, translating and aligning our practice with the best currently available evidence, and on a journey to becoming ‘research active’.
The post holder will be a member of the multi-professional therapy team and SLT service, working within adult services at Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Group. They will develop advanced skills in the field of dysphagia managing a caseload of acutely ill adults with complex communication and swallowing problems related to complex cardiac and respiratory disease, cardiothoracic surgery and transplantation who may be tracheostomised or ventilator dependent (adult intensive care unit). They will be supported to provide specialist assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and intervention, as well as advice/liaison to patients and those caring for them.
This will be guided by broad local & occupational policies, procedures/protocols from the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists. The post holder will receive clinical supervision from the Highly Specialist SLT. They will be involved in discharge planning and ensure a seamless transfer to SLT colleagues and services in the community. They will manage their own caseload and liaise closely with SLT colleagues. The post is embedded within the multi-professional therapy team at Harefield hospital made up of a dynamic group of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, psychologists and therapy assistants. You will work collaboratively with your colleagues to deliver a responsive, patient-centred, high-quality and effective service to inpatients. Continuous professional development will be provided through regular clinical supervision, line management, 121s, appraisal, inservice training and access to study leave funding for external learning opportunities.
Responsibilities
1. To develop and consolidate specialist SLT skills in managing a caseload of acutely ill adults with complex communication and swallowing problems related to complex cardiac and respiratory disease / cardiothoracic surgery. These patients may present with acute or chronic communication and/or swallowing disorders and may be tracheostomised and or ventilator dependent. This may be in a variety of clinical areas including intensive care, high dependency unit, wards, out-patients and clinics.
2. To undertake all aspects of clinical duties and be supported to be an autonomous practitioner. To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of clinical work.
3. To demonstrate specialist knowledge in acute dysphagia and to ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients under own management.
4. To develop RCSLT Level 2 Videofluoroscopy competencies.
5. To develop RCSLT tracheostomy competencies.
For further details please see JD/PS
Additional Information
This advert closes on Sunday 22 Mar 2026
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