Job summary
This is a rare and exciting opportunity to take up a highly specialist voice and dysphagia post.

We can offer you a challenging/rewarding job that includes:

• Joint ENT/SLT voice clinics with up to date technology
• Joint ENT/SLT medialisation clinics in out-patient setting
• Regular joint ENT/ SLT meetings
• SLT-led VLE clinics
• Regular voice education groups
• Well-resourced specialist voice equipment, books and resources including new SLT stack/ chip n tip scope/ stroboscopy
• Voice peer support groups with dedicated team of voice therapist colleagues
• Attendance at Voice CEN encouraged
• Clinical supervision with senior experienced voice therapist
• Opportunity for CPD
• In-Service Training
• On-line access for daily voice triage
• Clinical supervision and support from ENT and Clinical Psychology
• Monthly staff meetings
• Regular line management supervision and support from SLT professional lead
• Annual Appraisal
• Good IT access/ mobile-working laptop for out-patient clinics
• Central appointment booking team
• SLT assistant support for groups and clinics

Please note this position requires a Disclosure Barring Service check (DBS) formerly

Main duties of the job
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest integrated care providers in England, serving a population of around 600,000 people. We are a high performing organization with a track record of success.

We are looking for an experienced, motivated Speech and Language Therapist with skills in voice and dysphagia to offer voice assessment and therapy as part of our innovative voice and dysphagia team for County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust. The post-holder will be based at Darlington Memorial Hospital. The role involves hospital based out-patient sessions assessing and treating patients with voice disorders as well as working with our ENT colleagues to deliver best-practice care. Voice therapy packages are delivered on a 1:1 or group basis with the flexibility of virtual appts where appropriate for patients. There is also the opportunity to work with a small caseload of complex community dysphagic caseload.

About us
If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

Job responsibilities
The successful candidate will hold a degree in Speech and Language Therapy and be registered with the Health Professionals Council. You will have significant post-graduate experience of working with adults with voice disorders and dysphagia and have a passion for service development.

We will provide professional development opportunities to enable career development with peer support and clinical supervision from Clinical Leads and Highly Specialist Staff.

You will be committed to multi-disciplinary working, continuing professional development of higher level voice competencies and be in possession of excellent communication and prioritisation skills. Experience in video laryngeal endoscopy and joint SLT/ ENT clinics would be highly desirable.

The Speech and Language Therapy Service is comprised of a pro-active team of experienced colleagues allowing ready-access to support, second opinions and on-going peer supervision to deliver evidence-based practise assessment and therapy to patients. You will help supervise more junior staff and speech and language therapy students as well as contribute to the delivery of teaching programmes to medical students and a range of professionals enhancing patient care.

Person Specification
Special Skills & Knowledge
Essential

• Click here to enter text.Ability to make judgements involving complex facts or situations, which require the analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options.
• Planning and organisational skills applicable to advising on the formulation of long-term strategic plans relating to the specialist area, which involve uncertainty.
• Highly developed physical skills (precision, speed, hand/eye/sensory co-ordination) to perform real time phonemic and phonetic transcriptions.
• High level interpersonal and communication skills persuasion, negotiation, training, empathy and re-assurance.
• Ability to communicate highly complex, sensitive, contentious information where there may be barriers to overcome.

Special Requirements
Essential

• Commitment to developing own clinical and non-clinical expertise.
• To keep up to date with current clinical and technical advances and relevant management practices; to be advised of same by peers and more senior clinicians within the Trust.
• Able to travel independently within the Foundation Trust area/ Car Owner/ Car Driver
• Able to travel independently countywide

Statutory Registration
Essential

• HCPC registration
• RCSLT member

Qualifications
Essential

• Speech and Language Therapy Degree or equivalent as recognised by RCSLT
• Health professions Council Licence to Practice
• Evidence of successful completion of highly specialist courses up to Masters Degree Equivalent
• Knowledge and understanding of national and local Health/Education/Social care policies and practices
• Highly developed specialist knowledge across a range of work procedures and practices relating to the identification, definition, diagnosis, and remediation of voice and dysphagia disorders including a post basic dysphagia qualification or equivalent

Desirable

• VLE/ FEES trained
• Experience of Joint SLT/ENT clinics

Experience
Essential

• Highly specialist experience at post-graduate level in voice/ dysphagia specialist/lead area.
• At least 2 years working as a Speech and Language Therapist in specialist area.

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.

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