Directorate: Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals
Location: Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Londonderry
Contract and Hours: Permanent / Full Time (37.5hpw)
Closing date: 18 March 2026
It is anticipated that interviews will take place on 1st April 2026
Job summary
The post-holder will be the Clinical Lead for adults with acquired communication and/or swallowing disorders in Altnagelvin Area Hospital and will use a collaborative framework to achieve well-being outcomes.
The post-holder will provide advanced clinical expertise in the management of adults with acquired communication/swallowing difficulties in the acute hospital setting and will act as a final point of reference for the specialism. He/She will take a lead role in the strategic planning, development and evaluation of the specialist service, in conjunction with the relevant Team Lead and Head of Service. The post-holder will provide professional leadership and have responsibility for clinical governance for the specialism within the Trust.
The post-holder will be responsible for the planning, design, delivery and evaluation of training/teaching, advice and support within the highly complex specialist area to service users, Speech & Language Therapists (SLTs) and other professionals inside and outside the Trust.
The post-holder will be required to provide specialist advice, guidance, supervision and support to Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) colleagues. The post-holder will provide expert opinion/second opinions to senior SLTs and those from other professions on highly complex clinical cases.
The post-holder will be required to initiate, co-ordinate and undertake research and audit activities.
Main responsibilities
The post holder will
- Be responsible for the provision of a high quality SLT service to a designated caseload including:
o management of speech, language and communication and eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties
o Formulation of individual treatment plans and outcome measures
o Writing assessment reports
o Onward referrals to other professionals as required
o Attendance at case conferences/relevant meetings
o Contribution to the relevant statutory processes
- Contribute to the development of organisational and professional body responses to emerging health policy at regional level
- Interpret national and regional policy for specialist area
- Build and maintain relationships and collaborate with others in developing projects relating to specialist area
- Lead in implementing change programmes in the specialist area
- Provide support to more junior colleagues and others who are affected by change
- Interpret and compare a complex range of options for treatment within specialism; identify and contribute priorities for the specialism
- Extrapolate knowledge to understand potential future impact of key decisions for specialist clinical area
- Review the effectiveness of alternative treatment options and therapeutic approaches for a highly specialist area/supervisees caseload
- Balance clinical priorities for the specialist caseload or Specialist Clinical Service Area with those of the assigned area and wider SLT Team
- Develop systems which help self and others manage their time and workload more effectively
- Highlight priorities and collaborate with Team Lead to compile clinical evidence to inform business plans for specialist area
- Deputise for Team Lead
- Advise Team Lead on workforce planning for specialist service
- Review current service delivery for specialism, identifies opportunities for minimising inefficiency and implements change
- Contribute to HR processes for specialist area e.g. recruitment and selection, appraisal, mentoring and coaching, as required
For complete details view the full job description in the Additional Information section below
