Cork University Hospital is seeking an experienced Senior Speech and Language Therapist to join its Emergency Medicine department on a permanent, wholetime basis. This is a specialist role embedded within one of Ireland’s busiest acute hospital settings, offering a clinician the opportunity to deliver and develop high-impact SLT services to complex, acutely unwell patients in a fast-paced emergency environment.
Role Overview
As a Senior Speech and Language Therapist within Emergency Medicine at Cork University Hospital, you will lead the delivery of specialist SLT assessment and intervention services for patients presenting through the Emergency Department. You will work as an autonomous practitioner and as part of the multidisciplinary team, contributing clinical expertise across dysphagia, communication, and acquired neurological conditions in an acute setting. The post represents an opportunity to shape service development in a nationally significant regional hospital.
Key Responsibilities
- Carry out specialist speech and language therapy assessment and management of patients in the Emergency Medicine department, including those with dysphagia, acquired communication disorders, and voice difficulties.
- Work as an autonomous practitioner and key member of the ED multidisciplinary team, liaising with medical, nursing, and allied health colleagues.
- Develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based clinical protocols appropriate to the acute emergency setting.
- Provide clinical supervision and support to junior SLT staff and students on placement.
- Contribute to service planning, audit, quality improvement, and continuing professional development initiatives.
- Maintain accurate clinical records and produce reports in compliance with HSE standards and CORU requirements.
- Participate in departmental and interdisciplinary meetings, case conferences, and relevant working groups.
Requirements
Candidates must meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the Job Specification available to download at the bottom of this advertisement. Core requirements are expected to include:
- A recognised qualification in Speech and Language Therapy and current registration with CORU (Speech and Language Therapists Registration Board).
- A minimum of three years’ post-qualification experience, with demonstrable competence relevant to the clinical area.
- Experience in acute hospital or emergency settings is highly desirable.
- Strong clinical reasoning, assessment, and intervention skills, particularly in dysphagia and acquired communication disorders.
- Ability to work effectively under pressure in a demanding, time-sensitive clinical environment.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organisational skills.
Candidates are strongly advised to download and read the full Job Specification before completing their application.
Salary
€65,197 – €76,767 per annum (HSE Speech and Language Therapist, Senior scale, 9-point scale). Salary is based on the HSE Consolidated Salary Scales effective 1 June 2026 (Department of Health Circular 2/2026).
Location
Cork University Hospital is a major tertiary referral centre and the largest acute hospital in the HSE South West region. The hospital provides a broad range of specialist services to patients across Cork and Munster, and the Emergency Department sees a high volume and complexity of presentations year-round. The successful candidate will be working in a dynamic, well-resourced acute environment with access to a multidisciplinary team of experienced clinicians.
Contract Type
Permanent Wholetime.
Application Details
Applications must be submitted via Rezoomo. Please download, save, and read the Job Specification and Application Form, available at the bottom of this advertisement on the HSE recruitment portal, before applying.
Reference: CUHSL99697
Proposed Interview Date
To be confirmed.
Informal Enquiries
For further information about this post, please contact Sinead Brosnan, Speech & Language Therapy Manager In Charge 3.
Email: sinead.brosnan@hse.ie
Tel: 086 021 6022
