South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (ENT/Voice/H&N)
The closing date is 25 November 2026

Job summary
Only available to current employees of STSFT.

Do you want to work in a dynamic, supportive, innovative, speech and language therapy team?

Are you passionate about developing your leadership and clinical skills in ENT/Head and Neck cancer?

We have an exciting (26.25 hours per week) opportunity for a Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist in Voice/ENT/Head and Neck cancer as part of our Head and Neck/ENT SALT team.

You will be vital to the delivery of our highly regarded service across South Tyneside and Sunderland. You will be based predominantly at Sunderland Royal Hospital but will work within our team which covers South Tyneside and Sunderland. You will provide clinical leadership as well as delivering a highly specialist level clinical service.

You will have significant skills and experience working in the clinical fields of voice, upper airways disorders and head and neck cancer but you will be keen to develop further.

You will want to work to with us we aim to provide high quality, safe, effective, innovative care within a supportive, nationally recognised MDT which is active in research and innovation.

Main duties of the job
You will have well developed clinical skills in dysphagia, speech, communication, voice and upper airways disorders arising as a result of respiratory, ENT or upper airways disorders and head and neck cancer.

• As one of our Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapists, you will be joining a well-established innovative team of Speech and Language Therapists working in ENT/Head and Neck Cancer to provide a service across the whole patient pathway.
• You will work within a supportive, well established ENT/Head and Neck MDT.
• You will take part in specialist instrumental assessment clinics e.g. voice, VF, FEES, VLE clinics.
• You will be passionate about patient centred care.
• You will be skilled in managing a complex caseload and have experience of prioritising workload to manage demand and capacity issues. You will have highly developed skills in assessment, diagnostics and rehabilitation in across a full spectrum of communication and swallowing disorders.
• You will be committed to team working and to developing other staff too. You will support less experienced therapists through supervision, teaching and training. You will be well supported to further extend your scope of practice within our team.

To find out more, contact
Mandeep Bhabra -0191 569 9009
Laura-Jayne Watson/Michael Caygill/Lorna Raby/Beth Halliday 0191 569 9009
Sarah Talbot - 0191 569 9009

About us
Please add your telephone number to your application form so we can contact you quickly if required.
One Team One Trust - There are many reasons to work at our Trust. From our commitment to putting people first to our accessible services and award winning teams. We have a passion for research, innovation and tackling inequalities. We are committed to respect, fairness and civility and promote a compassionate, caring and positive culture / working environment.
We welcome all applications irrespective of peoples race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under-represented groups. Looking after our workforces health and wellbeing is a priority for us. We also provide access to high quality education, training, career progression and support. Flexible working is supported via our Flexible Working Policy.
The Trust employs around 8,746 people and provides a range of hospital services to a local community of around 430,000 residents. We also provide a range of more specialised services outside this area. We offer our staff outstanding benefits - Fitness Centre (SRH), libraries at both hospital sites, chaplaincy support and access to a Care Co-ordinator to help staff with childcare arrangements.
If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Details
Date posted: 11 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year pro-rata for part-time
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time, Flexible working
Reference number: C9155-CSAHP-1126-27
Job locations: Trust Headquarters, Sunderland Royal Hospital, Sunderland, SR4 7TP, United Kingdom; STSFT South Tyneside District Hospital, SOUTH SHIELDS, NE34 0PL, United Kingdom

Job description
To provide a Highly Specialist SALT service to adults throughout the District who have a voice disorder and head and neck/laryngeal/pharyngeal cancer.
PLEASE REFER TO ATTACHED JOB DESCRIPTION FOR FULL DUTIES OF THE ROLE.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Degree in Speech and Language Pathology / Therapy or equivalent.
• Registration with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC).
• Significant post-graduate experience working as a qualified SALT with adults with a wide range of acquired speech, language and swallowing disorders, with some time spent in a specialist role.
• Post graduate dysphagia qualification in adults with acquired disorders, or equivalent in-house competencies to this level achieved.
• Post-registration education and experience equivalent to MSc level, e.g. Laryngectomy management, Advanced Dysphagia Training/VF/FEES; Counselling Skills, Leadership training.
• Extensive experience in different styles of service delivery for both direct and indirect intervention e.g. group therapy, individual therapy and consultancy.
• Highly specialist knowledge of acquired communication and swallowing in assessment, diagnosis, and therapy techniques with evidence of post-graduate qualification and training at an equivalent level.
• Successful completion and independent practice in a significant number of specialist short courses/self study/training in the specialist area of work.
• Evidence of integration of this learning into clinical practice at a highly specialist level (e.g. neurorehabilitation, stroke, dysphagia, voice, upper airway disorders, Lee Silverman Therapy Practitioner, counselling, neurolinguistics, cognitive-communication disorders, advanced video fluoroscopy interpretation, FEES analysis / interpretation, augmentative and/or alternative communication).
• Post-graduate training in ENT/Head and neck SALT.
• Knowledge of relevant national policies, procedures and therapeutic interventions e.g. Estil, Laryngeal Manipulation, Accent Method, AAC relevant to head and neck cancer, upper airway and voice disorders.

Desirable

• Membership of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy (RCSLT).
• Leadership qualification.
• Independent in managing patients with complex tracheostomy. Advanced post-graduate training in Surgical Voice Restoration (SVR).

Physical Skills
Essential

• Highly developed auditory and visual perceptual skills for assessment of communication and swallowing disorders, e.g. video fluoroscopy, FEES.
• Safe and effective manual handling skills of clients with complex acquired disabilities, including for safe eating and for access to communication aids.
• Specialist skills in use of a range of communication equipment and computer assisted therapy hardware and software including skills in communication aid programming for individuals use.
• To be able to work with clients in a variety of environments to enable and support communication.
• Ability to reflect on auditory, visual and kinaesthetic aspects of client's communication and to identify appropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance communicative effectiveness.
• Ability to cope with frequent exposure to unpleasant/highly unpleasant working conditions e.g., bodily fluids, challenging behaviour.
• Ability to carry out duties as a lone worker.
• Ability to meet the travel demands of the Post.

Desirable

• Car driver/owner.

Skills and Knowledge
Essential

• A working understanding of the legal responsibilities of the profession and the associated code of ethics, including a commitment to non-discriminatory practice and compliance with data protection legislation.
• Knowledge of current policies and procedures relating to Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults / Mental Capacity Act.
• Knowledge of different learning styles and training in clinical supervision.
• Awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion issues impacting on speech and language therapy.
• The ability to work autonomously and actively within a team, within codes of practice and professional guidelines.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills in order to facilitate professional relationships with clients, carers, members of multi disciplinary teams, and others.
• Ability to carry out highly specialised assessment working with other professionals to make a differential diagnosis, prognosis, and intervention plan to manage voice, communication and swallowing disorders in ENT.
• Highly tuned observational, investigative, and analytical skills enabling interpretation of verbal and non-verbal messages within the context of the clients overall needs.
• Ability to frequently apply sustained and intense concentration when working with clients with severe and complex needs, in order to respond appropriately and record accurately.
• Highly developed auditory and visual perceptual skills for assessment of voice and swallowing disorders, e.g. perceptual voice rating, fibre optic nasendoscopy, videostroboscopy; advanced phonetic transcription.
• Manual dexterity to perform Fibreoptic examination.
• Counselling skills, including the ability to empathise, convey complex and sensitive information, and deal with emotional and/or distressing circumstances via recommended training programme plus experience of advanced counselling skills for working with complex cases.

Experience
Essential

• Significant experience of working in adults with a range of speech, language and swallowing disorders with some time spent working with adults in a specialist role within ENT/laryngectomy/head and neck cancer.
• Experience and highly developed knowledge of a range of highly specialist clinical procedures and therapy techniques.
• Extensive experience in different styles of service delivery group therapy, individual therapy and consultancy.
• Experience of collaborative working practice with SALT and other professionals.
• Experience of teaching, training and supervising others including students, other professional, less experienced SALTs, including overseeing research and audit projects.
• Experience of working within a variety of settings and with others to provide complex care e.g. in patient acute, intermediate care, community rehabilitation.
• Experience of planning, delivering, and evaluating training within the SALT department, and to other agencies including education, health, patients, carers, social services, private and voluntary sector.
• Experience of use of fibreoptic nasenendoscopy and videostroboscopy and video fluoroscopy in management of swallowing, voice and upper airway disorders.

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).

Employer details
Employer name: South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Trust Headquarters, Sunderland Royal Hospital, Sunderland, SR4 7TP, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.stsft.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Sarah Talbot, sarah.talbot3@nhs.net, 01915699009