About this role
Job summary
Fixed-term 12 months Bart's Health - Royal London Hospital (0.5) & Newham Hospital (0.5)
We're offering an exciting opportunity for a Highly Specialist Neonatal SLT to join our expanding neonatal MDT across two neonatal units. This 12-month maternity-cover post is ideal for an SLT passionate about infant feeding, dysphagia, early communication, neurodevelopment, Family Integrated Care, and surgical pathways.
You'll work within a supportive neonatal workforce and receive ongoing mentoring and leadership from the Clinical Lead Neonatal and Highly specialist SLTs at the Royal London Hospital, alongside close collaboration with the wider MDT on both sites
If you're committed to integrated working, developmental care, and Baby Friendly principles, we'd love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
Role Summary
The post holder will work as an autonomous Neonatal Speech and Language Therapist within the Acute Children's Therapies and Play Service across Barts Neonatal units. They will provide highly specialist neonatal expertise in Neonatal developmental feeding, early communication, developmental care, and neonatal dysphagia.
Embedded within the neonatal unit at RLH level 3 centre and Newham University Hospital LNU the post holder will work collaboratively with families and the wider multidisciplinary team (MDT)--including medical and nursing staff, Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Respiratory colleagues, Infant Feeding Leads, and other specialist services--to deliver Universal, Targeted, and Specialist interventions. They will contribute actively to the Baby Friendly Initiative and Family Integrated Care, supporting high-quality, family-centred neonatal practice.
The post holder will receive regular peer support from the Barts Health Neonatal SLT team, the wider neonatal network, and clinical supervision from the Clinical Neonatal Lead for Speech and Language Therapy. While they will hold independent responsibility for managing the neonatal SLT caseload, they will have access to second opinions and joint working opportunities with the Neonatal Clinical Lead SLT and other specialist MDT colleagues (e.g., Paeds SLT OT, Physiotherapy, Respiratory, ENT) to ensure safe, evidence-based care.
About us
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.
The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
Job description Job responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
.Degree/Equivalent in Speech and Language Therapy .HCPC Registration .Evidence of continuing professional development in the area .Training/short course in neonatal/ infant feeding and dysphagia . Proven Neonatal interest and CPD, training .HEE modules in neonatal care .Breast feeding knowledge and skills in at risk infants .Knowledge of developmental care, FICARE and BFI frameworks .Understanding of neonatal care and network
Desirable
.Member RCSLT .Member of Neonatal special clinical interest groups .Supervision training .FINE 1 .NBO .Lactation training .BFI training
Experience Essential
.Post-qualification experience working within infant feeding, communication and infant dysphagia (including infant feeding) .Experience of working within a paediactic acute multidisciplinary team .Experience of working within an acute hospital setting
Desirable
.Experience of working within Neonatal MDT .Embedded ways of working .Running parent groups, developmental care packages .MDT ward rounds .Family integrated care, developmental care and BFI
Skills Essential
.The ability to prioritize, organize and delegate USING Neonatal frameworks, prioritization tools and pathways .Excellent interpersonal skills - including observation, listening and empathy skills. .Assessment and intervention of early feeding, early communication and dysphagia in ICU .Coaching parents in early feeding and early interaction for infants .Teaching early communication and feeding for parents and staff .Skills for problem solving .The ability to keep accurate and legible patient notes .To have competent IT skills .Good auditory discrimination skills and.
Desirable
.To have participated in audit or research .To have worked independently in managing an neonatal caseload with distance supervision
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 Barts Health NHS Trust
Address Royal London and Newham University Hospitals
London
E1 1FR
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)