Senior Speech and Language Therapist

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 21 June 2026

Due to internal promotion, we are excited to offer this opportunity to join our Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) service in Ipswich and East Suffolk, working with people with acquired conditions on the inpatient wards and the inpatient stroke unit (including HASU) as a senior speech and language therapist.

Our award winning team focuses on research, innovation and service improvement.

Provisional interview date 2nd July

You will support individuals with communication and swallowing difficulties, including those with complex needs, and have the opportunity to develop specialist skills such as working in critical care, high dependency areas and instrumental assessment with videofluoroscopy or FEES. You will collaborate with the Stroke team to support individuals through rehabilitation, setting goals and discharge plans with the MDT, and working with patients and their families to aid stroke recovery. You will support operational service delivery by contributing to triage and prioritisation of the clinical caseload.

You will be part of a large, integrated SLT service that delivers inpatient, outpatient and community services. Our team supports people with a range of conditions including stroke, progressive neurological conditions, head and neck cancer, voice disorders, dementia, respiratory conditions, frailty and a county wide service to adults with learning disability.

We provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across East Suffolk and North Essex, operating from acute hospitals, community hospitals, surgeries, clinics and patients' homes. With over 12,000 staff, we are one of the largest NHS organisations in England.

We support staff with a wide range of training and development opportunities, flexible working options, a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments where applicable, 27 days annual leave (pro rata) and a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offers a variety of services.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, we want to hear from you.

For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

• Experience of working with elderly/very unwell people
• Experience of working with people with stroke and with progressive/terminal illness
• Experience of working with people in acute distress
• Experience of independently managing own caseload, including patients with dysphagia
• Experience of working in various settings
• Experience of working as a member of a multi disciplinary team
• Experience of referring patients for instrumental assessment
• Experience of recording clinical data, for purposes such as SSNAP
• Teaching/training other staff
• Experience of supervising staff
• Experience of analysing instrumental assessments and preparing detailed reports (with supervision)
• Experience of working with tracheostomy

• RCSLT recognised degree or equivalent
• Membership of RCSLT
• HCPC membership
• Ability to travel to different places of work/driving licence
• Evidence of attendance at relevant specialist courses
• Evidence of Video fluoroscopy (MBSImp) or FEES Competency specialist training/experience
• Portfolio of CPD evidence relevant to post

• Knowledge of neurologically impaired patients, particularly those with communication and swallowing problems following a stroke, and with progressive conditions
• Knowledge of communication and swallowing difficulties arising due to acute and chronic conditions
• Knowledge of evidence based practice in relation to dysphagia assessment and therapy intervention
• Independent bedside assessment of dysphagia
• Assessment of communication impairments by various means, including informal assessment, as well as a range of standardised assessments
• Knowledge of use of instrumental assessments in dysphagia management
• Involvement in audit/clinical governance within Speech and Language Therapy
• Use of outcome measures and evidence based practice.
• Awareness of change in NHS and current legislation

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

£39,959 to £48,117 a year per annum pro rata