Job vacancy: Macmillan Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, Dartford

Job summary

Main area: Speech Therapy
Grade: Band 7
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 252-7433696

Employer: Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Darent Valley Hospital
Town: Dartford
Salary: £50,008 - £56,908 incl HCAS per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 09/09/2025 23:59

Macmillan Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Band 7

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The wider Adult SLT service at Darent Valley Hospital

Our friendly and driven team of 17 SLT staff members has expanded significantly in recent years with strong clinical leadership across Inpatient and Outpatient specialities. This role will see you join this focused and flexible leadership team, allowing opportunity to further develop the Macmillan and wider SLT service.

The chosen candidate will access support and peer supervision from our well established and well-resourced SLT team, as well as forming relationships with the Trust’s and wider cancer networks including the regional oncology SLTs and specialist CENs. They will be joining a welcoming, energetic and innovative department offering regular CPD opportunities both internally and externally.

We are passionate about service development including clinical innovations to enhance patient care, and keep abreast of research, RCSLT and AHP-wide advances. We also actively promote MDT and AHP liaison and networking, and have an active social media presence via our X page. See our recruitment video to hear more from our team- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ZCMlSDW0o

Please do contact us for more information or to arrange an informal visit ([email protected] / 01322 428593) - we would be delighted to hear from you and to provide more detail.

Person specification

Education and Training

Essential criteria

Recognised Speech & Language Therapy degree qualification or equivalent
Health and Care Professions Council – Licence to Practise
Registered member of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists
Level 6 (RCSLT EDSCF) dysphagia competency

Desirable criteria

Post graduate training or accredited qualification in Videofluoroscopy/ FEES
Training or qualification in the care of laryngectomy and surgical voice restoration

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of working with cancer caseload
Experience of work in both an inpatient and outpatient setting
Experience of supervising junior colleagues, including SLTAs and SLT students
Experience of developing and delivering training, employing excellent presentation skills
Experience of advising/providing second opinions
Experience of mentoring/ preceptorship

Desirable criteria

Experience in leading and completing project work in specialist area
Experience in videofluoroscopy/FEES
Experience with laryngectomy and SVR
Competent with tracheostomy patients
Experience in patient group working

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

In-depth knowledge of national guidelines appropriate to a cancer caseload
Specialist knowledge of a broad range of assessment tools relevant to the specialist patient group
Specialist knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions relevant to the specialist patient group and ability to compare and contrast benefits
Ability to work in a time-sensitive manner with the multidisciplinary team
Specialist knowledge of trends/best practice within the clinical specialism

Desirable criteria

Knowledge of the work and aims of Macmillan Cancer Support
Active member of national level CENs and participation in conferences relevant to caseload

Our staff are our most valuable asset. We are committed to making staff feel appreciated, supported and included in the Trust’s successes. Our mission is to be an outstanding place to work providing the very best care for our patients and excellent career opportunities for our staff. Everything we do is guided by our core values and behaviours, identified by our staff and embedded throughout the organisation.

Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement

We have the highest CQC rating of all Acute NHS Trusts in Kent and Medway (Good). The CQC highlighted that managers promoted a positive culture that supported, valued staff and created a sense of common purpose based upon shared values.

The Trust is a great place to work, stay, develop a career and enjoy a healthy work life balance. We have made and are delivering on a wide range of commitments to staff; health and wellbeing; equality; diversity and inclusion; access to education and career development. During 2020 we sett up quality councils, driven by our staff to create a culture of shared governance and quality improvement.

We have a strong focus on innovation and improvement. Part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ (GSTT) ‘Healthcare Alliance’ we are introducing new models of care to improve clinical outcomes for patients. Our association with GSTT also gives staff wishing to develop their skills excellent opportunities to work across numerous specialities.

As our local population increases, our services and skills are expanding and adapting to meet demand. We are continuously looking at best practice models to enhance and improve the services we offer.

The Trust provides services at Darent Valley Hospital and Queen Mary’s Hospital, for a local population of over 500,000 people.

If you would like to be part of our innovative and forward thinking team putting patients at the centre of all we do, we invite you to #joinourfamily.

The NHS are striving towards “we work flexibly” as a workforce, we want to ensure that you can work in a way that is best for us, our patients, and importantly for you. We offer many flexible working opportunities, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement for you and if it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Please note this vacancy may close earlier than stated to aid efficient processing of applications. To ensure your application will be considered please submit it at your earliest convenience. If you have not heard from us within 21 days of the closing date please assume that you have not been shortlisted on this occasion.

Please note, that due to the limited number of car parking spaces, car parking permits will be allocated subject to compliance with the Trusts eligibility criteria and availability of spaces. Permit holders are not guaranteed a car parking space.

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust is a smoke free organisation. To improve public health smoking or vaping is not permitted anywhere on the hospital site.

Mindful employer. Being positive about mental health.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: Libby Garner
Job title: Head of SLT - Outpatients
Email address: [email protected]
Telephone number: 01322 428593

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Job summary

Employer heading

Macmillan Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Band 7

Job overview

Main duties of the job

Working for our organisation

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Person specification

Education and Training

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Experience

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

Documents to download

Further details / informal visits contact

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