Advanced Speech & Language Therapist

NHS; Kirkby-in-Ashfield; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking an Advanced Speech & Language Therapist to join their team. The role focuses on supporting adults with intellectual disabilities and dysphagia in community settings. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with a diverse team to enhance communication and health outcomes for patients. This position offers opportunities for professional development and requires a strong commitment to inclusivity and teamwork.

Qualifications

• Experience managing complex caseloads of adults with communication needs.
• Must have completed Dysphagia competencies.

Responsibilities

• Deliver SLT input to the community Intellectual Disability team.
• Assess and manage eating and drinking difficulties.
• Work with MDT colleagues to support inclusive communication.

Skills

Empathy

Communication

Teamwork

Education

Recognised SLT Degree/diploma

Masters in Dysphagia

Masters in Communication and Mental Health

Job description

Go back Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Advanced Speech & Language Therapist

The closing date is 26 May 2025

We are excited to offer an opportunity to join the SLT service within Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust. We work with adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disability in inpatient and community services.

The focus on this role is to to prevent health inequalities and support the person and their carers to support people to live healthy lives in the community. The successful candidate with work across Mid or North Nottinghamshire with a focus on accessible communication and dysphagia.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.

Main duties of the job

You will play a key role in delivering SLT input into the community Intellectual Disability team. The post involves working with adults with ID, dysphagia, and communication needs. You will have close supervision from the Teams Dysphagia Lead and opportunities to work with a diverse SLT workforce. You will be based in the mid or north Nottinghamshire area with opportunities for working from home for the administrative aspects of the role. Applicants must have completed their Dysphagia competencies and have experience of independent management of a Dysphagia caseload (not necessarily within ID Services)

About us

#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.

We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.

We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.

The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.

The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment

Job responsibilities

Specialist speech, language, and communication assessments focusing on functional communication and what reasonable adjustments (Accessible Information Standards) should be in place to support the persons needs.

Liaison, advice and recommendations that aim to prevent further communication breakdown and that aim to empower the person to express their thoughts and opinions to the extent they wishes. You will work in an interactive and a consultative way.

The role will also involve assessing and developing the management of eating and drinking difficulties for individuals, where issues arise due to a variety of physiological, cognitive and environmental reasons.

Co-working with your MDT colleagues, families, and carers to enable their inclusive communication practices in their relationships, care, and interactions with the individual.

Attendance at meetings with and on behalf of Orion Ward and CIDT and the individual to plan for ongoing and accessible care.

Person Specification

contractual requirements

• Ability to travel across sites

Qualifications

• Recognised SLT Degree/diploma
• RCSLT and HCPC Registered
• Masters (or equivalent) in the area of Dysphagia
• Masters (or equivalent) in the area of communication and mental Health

Training

• Portfolio of relevant post qualification CPD.
• Highly specialist knowledge of Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) of service users with ID, Autism, Developmental Language Disorder, mental health diagnoses etc
• Training in the area of Dysphagia - inc but not limited to completion of Dysphagia competencies
• Post-graduate training specific to client group - ID/Autism
• Training in the area of Dysphagia specific to patients with ID

Experience

• Working experience of assessing and managing a complex caseload of adults with speech, language and communication needs.
• Experience of effective multi-disciplinary/agency working
• Experience of designing and delivering different learning and development opportunities for staff teams.
• Experience of delivering environmental approaches to SLT service delivery and evaluating them
• Established interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Working experience of assessing and managing a complex caseload of adults with dysphagia needs.
• Highly specialist experience of working with autistic people with autism, complex intellectual disabilities and mental health diagnoses/personality disorders
• Experience of linking communication to risk issues
• Experience of managing complex Dysphagia presentations in patients with an ID and co-morbid conditions

Knowledge

• Applied knowledge of working with adults with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN, Autism, mental health diagnoses, attachment and personality disorder or other neuro-developmental disabilities
• Knowledge of Speech Language Communication tools, assessments and interventions relating to the client group.
• Applied leadership knowledge.
• Applied knowledge of working with adults with Dysphagia
• Knowledge of the Dysphagia specific assessments and interventions relating to the client group.
• Knowledge of the link between unmet comm. needs and risk
• Knowledge of the physical and mental health risks associated with unmet and/or complex Dysphagia in the ID population

Skills

• Empathetic and psychologically minded
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Team builder and team member Autonomous and able to work without direct supervision
• Well organised and able to prioritise a high turnover caseload
• Experience of managing a project or service initiative.

Values & Behaviours

• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork
• all colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust's expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights Legislation.

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.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

£46,148 to £52,809 a yearper annum pro rata