We are looking to recruit an experienced and compassionate Speech and Language Therapist who is interested in further developing their career in service leadership in the position of Associate Head of Speech and Language Therapy at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust. The Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Department is situated at the Royal Preston Hospital site of LTHTR, however, the team also deliver SLT services to Chorley District Hospital and our Community Healthcare Hub (intermediate care/step down facility). The Associate Head of SLT is a combined clinical and leadership role, roughly split into 3 days of clinical activity and 2 days of leadership. Your clinical work will be determined by your area of clinical expertise, but flexibility to support the service will be needed as required. You are required to be competent in complex dysphagia (including tracheostomy & ventilated patients) and have experience of instrumental assessment, both FEES & VFS. The education and professional development of SLTs within the service is of paramount importance, therefore competence in training is essential. The Associate Head of SLT will also work alongside the Head of Service to operationally manage the team. Leadership training opportunities will be supported to enable the successful candidate to gain the knowledge and skills required. We have a flexible approach and will consider part-time working and flexible working with the successful candidate as required. The Associate Head of SLT is a valued leadership position and essential to support optimal SLT service delivery. You will work alongside the Head of SLT to provide professional leadership to our large team of 25 speech and language therapists, plus administration staff. You must be an autonomous and clinically focussed practitioner, capable of using transferable knowledge and skill to support staff with their varied clinical caseloads. Main responsibilities include: Ensure the service provides timely responses to referrals through triage and identifying the appropriate pathway for intervention. To ensure staff have a designated caseload and coordinate and plan the care for that group Provides leadership for the team to deliver expert advice related to specific conditions or treatment pathways. To lead the development of the workforce through developing and delivering education and training Deliver excellent care with compassion and promote this across the service. To lead the collaborative approach with the multidisciplinary team to ensure the cohesive management of patients. To support operational and workforce management Deputise for the Head of Service as required. Please see the separate job description and person specification for full details. Lancashire Teaching Hospitals is a large acute organisation, delivering specialist services both locally and regionally. LTHTR is committed to visible AHP leadership and there is a strong support network with access to excellent in-house leadership development. It is an exciting time to join The Department Speech and Language Therapy at LTHTR as we are currently reviewing the services we provide and are on an improvement journey. This provides an exciting opportunity to support the Head of SLT to drive innovation and service development forward. The SLT department has a strong reputation for delivering high quality person-centred care and the caseload provides complex presentations across dysphagia, communication and voice respectively. We have established FEES and VFS clinics, with in-service training to provide sustainability. You will join a large, friendly team of speech and language therapists covering a range of specialist services. The department is rated ‘GOLD’ on the STAR quality assurance framework, with a strong commitment to evidence-based practice. CPD and training are supported. To find out more about us, have a look at our twitter pages SLT_LTHTR Please see the separate job description and person specification for full details. To carry a clinical caseload in area of clinical expertise. Be competent in complex dysphagia (including tracheostomy/ventilation) and instrumental assessment Proficient MDT working Provide clinical expertise and oversight in other specialist clinical areas Proactively monitor and improve efficiency and effectiveness within the service Provide leadership, guidance and development for the team of SLTs Ensure high quality, evidence based practice To deputise for the Head of SLT and support operational management of the service