Children\'s Speech and Language Therapy Dysphagia Lead in London

Bromley Healthcare delivers the full spectrum of community nursing and therapy services for all age groups and operates as a community interest company. This role is part of the Children’s Speech and Language Therapy service and will support the development of a specialist dysphagia service for babies and young children.

Job overview

Children’s Speech & Language Therapist Dysphagia Lead – Band 7 – 22.5 hours per week. Due to an increasing demand for our services, we are expanding our children’s SLT team and are keen to find an experienced Dysphagia Lead to drive growth and innovation.

What we offer

• In‑service training and the opportunity to apply for external courses
• Regular whole‑team CPD meetings and small clinical supervision groups
• Regular line management and ad‑hoc support from colleagues
• Access to clinical specialists for specialist opinions and support
• Opportunities for career progression
• Admin support from our Care Co‑ordination Centre

Interviews will be held week commencing 20th April 2026.

Main duties of the job

• Work closely with the Service Lead for Children’s Speech and Language Therapy and coordinate care across the borough.
• Provide specialist opinion appointments, support other therapists and collaborate with other health professionals and tertiary centres.
• Lead on new service developments in dysphagia for babies and young children.
• Carry out duties as outlined in the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) Inter‑professional Dysphagia Framework – Specialist Dysphagia Practitioner level.
• External supervision from a consultant dysphagia practitioner will be arranged.

Detailed responsibilities

• Develop and provide a specialist speech and language therapy service to babies and young children referred with communication and/or swallowing disorders.
• Make a differential diagnosis, including complex cases, based on evidence from assessment, leading to decisions about intervention and treatment.
• Deliver specialist clinical decisions and carry out specialist procedures, including tracheostomy management and use of speech synthesisers.
• Refer for videofluoroscopic assessments when required.
• Communicate complex condition–related information from assessment to patients/clients, carers, families and multidisciplinary team members.
• Maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of patients/clients and their carers when presenting potentially distressing information.
• Initiate and provide a variety of treatment options according to patient needs, including the use of interpreters and augmentative communication devices such as signing, symbols and speech synthesisers.
• Negotiate and work closely with clients, carers, other professionals and families to agree decision‑making and prioritisation relevant to complex cases, based on best practice.
• Use forms of alternative and augmentative communication when indicated from assessment to maximise therapeutic outcomes.
• Demonstrate empathy with clients, carers, families and colleagues, aiming to achieve effective communication, particularly where barriers to understanding exist.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Speech and Language Therapy degree
• Experience to a Specialist Dysphagia Practitioner level with babies and small children (as described in the RCSLT Inter‑professional Dysphagia Framework)
• Professional Registration: HCPC Registered Speech and Language Therapist, Registered member of RCSLT

Experience

• Evidence of appropriate external and internal training up to master’s level as appropriate to specialism
• Membership of relevant CEN

Skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including observation, listening and empathy
• Highly developed negotiation and problem‑solving skills with clients, carers and other professionals
• Excellent analytical skills with wide knowledge necessary for case‑load management, assessment and therapy relevant to the client group (e.g., prioritisation, ability to compare and contrast relative benefits of specialist therapeutic interventions)
• Well‑organised, reflective practitioner

Benefits and flexible working

We provide a comprehensive benefits package, including pension schemes, discounted gym memberships, cycle‑to‑work scheme, access to home furnishings and electronics, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), high‑street retailer discounts, Blue Light Card eligibility, low‑interest personal loans and an excellent lease‑car scheme. Flexible working options from day one: compressed hours, part‑time, and job shares.

Diversity and inclusion

We are fully committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture. Discrimination of any protected characteristic is not tolerated. We particularly encourage application from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, especially at senior levels. We welcome applicants with a disability. Reasonable adjustments can be made throughout the interview process. Please let us know if you require any.

Child‑health and safety note

Applications must be reflective of skills, knowledge and experience. If AI was used in the application, it must be declared with the type and purpose of the AI used in the supporting statement.

Recruitment process

Please check your emails regularly; interviews typically occur within two weeks of the closing date. All references must be for individuals who are line managers or professional leads. Staff identified as at‑risk will be prioritized. We reserve the right to close adverts earlier than first published.

Legal and regulatory

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and related orders. Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service will be required.