A temporary fixed term vacancy has arisen for a highly specialist speech and language therapist to work in the regional cleft lip and palate speech and language therapy team to primarily help to support our cover of the caseload in Cumbria. The post is based at the Newcastle centre, providing a highly specialist service to children and adults with cleft lip and palate and non-cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction.
- Interview Date: 01 April 2025
- 3 hours 45 minutes/week (fixed term until 31st March 2026)
- You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
NO AGENCIES PLEASE
Main duties of the job
The role covers all aspects of cleft care including multidisciplinary team clinics, specialist investigations, specialist therapy interventions, second opinions, clinical audit. You will be working closely with the Cleft Service highly specialist speech and language therapist who covers Cumbria and local speech and language therapy services in Cumbria. You will also provide support and/or training to other speech and language therapists and other professionals within the cleft service.
You will be based at the Newcastle site at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. You will be required to attend clinics held at the hub site as well as using a telemedicine platform for MDT and SLT clinics. Outreach working into the community in Cumbria will also be required.
Your post qualification experience will include significant experience working with cleft lip and palate in a multidisciplinary context. You will also have experience of delivery of training to other professionals and students. Strong communication skills and the ability to work with a variety of professionals and services across a wide geographical area are essential.
The Newcastle Cleft Service is a highly supportive team which works within an ethos of continually monitoring and implementing best practice. Effective support and supervision systems are in place and there are opportunities for ongoing professional development both internally and externally.
About us
Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:
o Freeman Hospital
o Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
o Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)
o Newcastle Dental Hospital
o Newcastle Fertility Centre
o Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
o Northern Genetics Service
o Cramlington Manor Walks
These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.
We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under 'Documents to download' or 'Supporting documents'.
For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To be responsible for a specialist Speech and Language Therapy service to children and adults with non cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) within the Regional Cleft Service
- To provide a specialist Speech and Language Therapy service to children and adults with cleft lip and palate within the Regional Cleft Service.
- To provide specialist advice to medical and teaching staff/parents and second opinions to other SLT colleagues
- To be solely responsible for a personal caseload of children and adults with cleft lip and palate and non-cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) (with associated syndromes).
- To participate in the Combined Cleft Lip and Palate Clinics regionally as requested.
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate.The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
- Registered with Health and Care Professions Council
- Licence to Practice from RCSLT
- Post graduate specialist training to masters level equivalent
- Specific training in specialist clinical techniques e.g. nasendoscopy, videofluoroscopy
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Significant speech and language therapy experience plus experience working with cleft lip and palate
- Facilitating implementation of therapy by fellow professionals
- Organising and running groups
- Extensive experience of providing training to parents and professionals
- Substantial experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Supervising students
- Supervising SLT Assistants and junior therapists
- Involvement in audit and evaluation of projects
- Extensive knowledge of speech, language and communication development and disorders in children with cleft lip and palate and non-cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD)
- Extensive specialist knowledge of a wide range of assessments and therapeutic approaches for young children with cleft lip and palate and noncleft VPD
- Good knowledge of national issues related to provision of cleft services
- In depth knowledge of the roles of other professionals working within the multidisciplinary cleft team
- Audit and research principles
Desirable
- Leading audit and evaluation of projects
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Excellent teaching, training and presentation skills
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Excellent organisation and time management skills
- Highly developed phonetic speech transcription and analysis skills
- Basic computer skills
- Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team
- Ability to work on own initiative
- Highly developed auditory and perceptual skills
Desirable
- Computer skills to ECDL level
Employer details
Employer name
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Royal Victoria Infirmary
317 02 Royal Victoria Infirmary
NE1 4LP
Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.
317-2025-11-14-DR
