Job summary
We are pleased to offer a fantastic opportunity within the Adult Speech and Language Therapy Department at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust on a permanent, full time basis.

We are seeking a passionate and experienced Band 6 Speech and Language Therapist to join our Respiratory and Critical Care pathways. This role involves delivering specialist communication and dysphagia services to in patients across high-care Respiratory and Cardiology wards, the General Intensive Care Unit, and the Regional Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.

You will work with skilled Band 6 colleagues, Clinical Speciality Team Leads, and a dedicated SLT Assistant, while closely collaborating with the wider multi-disciplinary team (MDT). Your responsibilities will include managing tracheostomised and ventilator-dependent patients and contributing to regular MDT teaching sessions.

Main duties of the job
We are a dynamic team providing an excellent service to our patients and staff. You will be working within a team who enjoy a supportive and friendly working environment, where we encourage participation and learning from one another at all times and focus our efforts towards a patient centred service. You will work as part of the wider SLT Adult service which has Specialist SLTs within Stroke, Older People and Progressive Neurological disorders, Head and Neck, Oncology and Voice. The department has regular in-service training, peer and line management supervision and weekly Videofluoroscopy and in-patient FEES services.

You can find out more about S and L and the Adult Therapy team here: Therapies - UHBW Careers

About us
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we are meeting our pledge.

Details
Closing date: 05 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year per annum (dependent on experience)
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 387-D&T3570-NG

Essential

• Educated to degree or equivalent
• HCPC registered/ RCSLT member
• Recent experience of working with adults within respiratory and/or critical care
• Experience of working as core member of MDT
• Recent experience of working in Adult acute inpatient settings
• Experience of planning and implementing training to others and/or giving presentations
• Recent evidence of CPD in communication and swallowing problems in respiratory and critical care settings
• Specialised knowledge and experience of a wide range of therapeutic models of working with communication disorders and dysphagia within Respiratory and Critical pathways
• Demonstrates highly developed auditory and perceptual skills in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of adult patients
• Knowledge of clinical governance and audit
• Competent Information Technology Skills, including use of MS office tools, Outlook, Word, Excel
• Ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with a wide range of people
• Ability to manage own time appropriately and to prioritise tasks
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure
• Ability to review and reflect on own skills and knowledge, and to lead own CPD in conjunction with supervisors and peers
• Ability to recognise own professional boundaries and accept support/seek advice as appropriate
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to challenge and influence members of MDT

Desirable

• Experience supervising junior staff and students
• Current knowledge and experience of managing tracheostomy and ventilator dependent patients
• Experience using and interpreting videofluoroscopy / FEES and implementing findings into practice
• Advanced dysphagia skills: independent working with patients with complex dysphagia in a range of acute settings/with multiple aetiologies including management of patients with tracheostomies

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Bristol Royal Infirmary, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol, BS2 8HW, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.uhbw.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

For questions about the job, contact:
Clinical Lead Adult Speech and Language Therapy
Emily Highfield Speech and Language Therapist
emily.highfield3@nhs.net
01173421564

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