About this role
Job summary
Clinical Lead - Adult Speech and Language Therapy (Stroke Services)
This is an exciting opportunity to provide clinical leadership within our adult stroke service, supporting the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred care for people with stroke and acquired brain injury.
Working as a key member of the multidisciplinary stroke team, you will lead the Speech and Language Therapy team for acute stroke and support the wider stroke pathway, ensuring excellence in the assessment and management of communication and swallowing disorders. You will play a central role in driving service development, promoting evidence-based practice and maintaining high standards of care.
You will provide professional and clinical leadership to a skilled team of Speech and Language Therapists and support staff, offering day-to-day guidance, supervision and support. Responsibilities include workforce planning, caseload management, rostering, training and the development of staff and services.
Alongside your leadership responsibilities, you will maintain a clinical caseload, managing patients with a range of complex communication and dysphagia needs.
Working 22.5 hours per week (0.6 WTE), you will report to the Team Lead for Acute Speech and Language Therapy Services.
Proposed Interview date : 28th August 2026
Main duties of the job
Provide clinical and professional leadership to the acute stroke SLT team.
Lead high-quality, evidence-based care for patients with stroke and acquired brain injury, including assessment and management of communication and swallowing disorders.
Support and develop staff through supervision, training and clinical leadership.
Provide specialist input for patients with complex communication and dysphagia needs, working closely with the multidisciplinary team.
Oversee caseload management, service delivery and workforce planning to ensure safe and effective care.
Contribute to service development, quality improvement, audit and clinical governance.
Support the wider Adult SLT service, working with colleagues across specialist areas including Progressive Neurological Conditions, Head and Neck, Voice, Dysfluency and Mental Health.
Support students, apprentices and less experienced staff through supervision and training.
We also offer:
Regular appraisal and supervision Regular Team and Service meetings Training and CPD opportunities Regular service development projects Excellent links to regional Hubs for AAC provision Electronic patient records and mobile working 27-33 days holiday (depending on NHS service) plus bank holidays (pro rata) One of the UK's best pension schemes Special Leave for personal reasons NHS Car Lease Scheme Eye Care Vouchers Employee Assistance Programme NHS Discounts Hertfordshire has good transport links to London and the surrounding areas
About us
A big thank you for considering joining us at Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust. You'll find it a great place to work with many benefits offered to you as a member of our staff. We put our patients, their families and carers at the centre of our vision - Outstanding care for healthier communities.
Our staff are proud to be Caring, Pioneering and Inclusive in their work to help achieve the Trust vision. We welcome diversity in our workforce and are interested in applicants from all backgrounds and ages
We don't want you to miss out so we'd like you to know that if we have a high level of interest in this role, the vacancy may close prior to the advertised closing date, so please make your application as soon as possible - Apply now
You've made a great decision to apply to join to HCT - we're looking forward to taking the next steps of the journey with you.
Job description Job responsibilities
The SLT service offers the following:* Regular whole service and local team meetings* Structured in-service training and support for external courses* Multidisciplinary team working* Regular clinical supervision and annual appraisal* Access to clinical leads for advice/support ENT/Head and Neck Cancer, Fluency, Dysphagia, Progressive Neurological disorders, Stroke, Dementia.
We value our staff and see clinical supervision as a priority both through senior supervision and peer support models. Annual appraisal and personal objective setting are Trust priorities.
A full valid driving licence and access to a car to use regularly for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).
Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust encourages and supports all staff to be vaccinated as this remains the best line of defence against COVID-19.
We are committed to supporting flexible working options for staff, wherever possible, and welcome discussions on flexible working patterns to support our staff to maintain a healthy work life balance.
The use of AI is monitored and if you have used it then you are required to declare this, as well as what type of AI tools you have used and for what purpose. We reserve the right to further test your individual knowledge and skills in relation to the requirements for the post through robust and thorough interview and assessment.
Person Specification
Qualifications/Education Essential
Please confirm you have an qualification to practise as a Speech and Language Therapist and are a registered member of both the HCPC and RCSLT. How would you describe your level of dysphagia experience? Do you have evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses and/or relevant experience up to Master's degree equivalent? Do you have membership/attendance at relevant Special Interest Groups?
Experience and Knowledge Essential
Do you have a minimum of 3 years experience in the area of adult work? Please describe your experience of the management of dysphagia in acute and community settings. Please describe your knowledge and experience of assessment and intervention tools relevant to the adult client group including dysphagia/ dysphasia/ dysarthria/dyspraxia/dysphonia/dysfluency/ dysgraphia/dyslexia/dementia. What is your experience of working with people with people with neurological conditions in acute and community SLT settings. Have you provided training topics related to communication and swallowing? Please provide examples of this. Please describe your experience of communication aids in acute and community settings. Describe your knowledge and experience with RCSLT standards of practice including record keeping and national policies and procedures relevant to adult SLT. Describe your experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team and your understanding of the roles of other professionals. Have you had the opportunity to engage in research or audit in healthcare? Please share an example of this. What do you understand about the principles of clinical governance?
Desirable
Have you had the opportunity to run a videofluorscopy clinic? Please describe this. Do you have experience of working with patients with tracheostomies?
Skills and Abilities Essential
How do you demonstrate your continuing professional development and application of new learning to your clinical practice? How would you describe you written and verbal presentation skills? Can you provide an example of where you have used these skills? How would you describe your organisation and prioritisation skills for both clinical and non-clinical work? What experience do you have helping others prioritise and organise their workloads? Describe a time when you have needed to use your negotiation and influencing skills to resolve an issue. Excellent ability to independently integrate complex information to manage individual patients. How do you rate your auditory discrimination and perceptual skills? Describe your experience of transcribing and analysing speech phonetically. How do you use reflection to problem solve and develop your own performance and that of others?
Personal Qualities Essential
What is your experience with leadership? Describe examples where your have provided effective leadership to help resolve issues within a team. Give examples of when you have used listening skills, empathy and sensitivity in your clinical and leadership roles. Excellent interpersonal communication skills including observation, listening, empathy and sensitivity. Describe how you manage the emotional consequences of working with patients with distressing conditions. How do you access support or advice when you need to? How do you demonstrate your flexibility and adaptability when working clinically, professionally and within the organisation?
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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
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. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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 Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
Address Lister Hospital
Coreys Mill Lane
Stevenage
SG1 4AB
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.hct.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)