Job summary
Are you ready to develop your specialist skills and gain experience across a diverse range of acute caseloads?

Join our dynamic Speech and Language Therapy team at Southmead Hospital and rotate through some of the most rewarding and clinically challenging areas of practice. You will work across Stroke, Critical Care (ICU), Complex Care (General Medicine), Neurosurgery and HART (Hyper-Acute Rehab Team), supporting adults with complex communication and swallowing needs.

This exciting role offers the opportunity to:

• Gain experience across multiple specialist pathways
• Develop expertise in dysphagia, tracheostomy and complex neurorehabilitation
• Work within multidisciplinary teams alongside highly skilled SLTs
• Access specialist training, including FEES and videofluoroscopy
• Contribute to a forward-thinking service committed to innovation, quality improvement and outstanding patient care

Whether you are looking to consolidate your acute experience or take the next step in your clinical development, this rotation offers an exceptional opportunity to build advanced skills and make a real difference to patients with complex needs.

Main duties of the job

• Provide specialist speech and language therapy assessment, diagnosis and treatment for adults with communication and swallowing disorders resulting from stroke, acquired neurological conditions, neurosurgery, medical conditions and long-term health needs
• Hold responsibility for an inpatient or outpatient caseload
• Work as a member of the specialist SLT team delivering assessment, advice, rehabilitation and management for adults with acquired communication and swallowing difficulties.
• Liaise closely with multidisciplinary teams, primary care providers and partner agencies to ensure coordinated patient care.
• Develop and maintain specialist knowledge and skills in dysphagia and communication disorders, including critical care, tracheostomy and ventilator-dependent patient management where applicable.

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're meeting our pledge.

Details
Date posted: 05 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year pa pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 339-CCS9556-KC
Closing date: 19 November 2026

Person Specification
Essential

• HCPC Registration / Licence to Practise
• Degree qualification recognised by RCSLT in Speech and Language Therapy
• Achievement of level C competence in dysphagia
• Specialist knowledge of communication and swallowing disorders in stroke, neurology, neurosurgery and elderly care
• Ability to undertake independent caseload management
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Specialist knowledge of adult acquired communication and swallowing disorders
• Knowledge of evidence-based practice and outcome measurement
• Postgraduate experience managing adults with communication and swallowing disorders
• Experience working within MDT settings
• Experience working in acute inpatient settings
• Experience of dysphagia assessment and management
• Ability to work independently and use initiative appropriately
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload effectively
• Reflective practitioner who seeks feedback and learning opportunities
• Flexible and adaptable approach to service needs
• Commitment to continuing professional development

Desirable

• FEES and/or VFS training
• Knowledge of FEES and videofluoroscopy assessment pathways
• Experience with tracheostomy and ventilated patients

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. 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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. Apply through our website.

Employer contact details
Contact: Catherine Hamilton, Head of Speech and Language Therapy, SHOU, catherine.hamilton13@nhs.net, 07517130444