Assistant Practitioner in Speech and Language Therapy

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust; Telford; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Part time

Job summary

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is recruiting an Assistant Practitioner in Speech and Language Therapy. This Band 4, 29 hours per week post is based at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, with work across East Shropshire in community settings and telehealth options.

You will support SLTs, assess patients, and help develop treatment plans for adults with communication or swallowing disorders.

Qualifications

• Evidence of basic education in literacy and numeracy of GCSE Grade 9 – 4 or equivalent qualification.
• Experience of working within community health settings and with Speech and Language therapists.
• Knowledge of the role of the assistant practitioner and the boundaries of the position.

Responsibilities

• Assess and implement treatment programmes for delegated patients in community SLT.
• Hold responsibility for own caseload with support from senior staff.
• Provide high-standard service to communication-impaired and swallow-disordered patients in community/outpatient settings.
• Assess delegated patients and develop individual treatment plans.
• Prioritise work with supervision across community settings.

Skills

Independent working

Caseload management

Education

Foundation degree level

Job description

Assistant Practitioner in Speech and Language Therapy

NHS AfC: Band 4

Main area Assistant Practitioner Grade NHS AfC: Band 4 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 29 hours per week Job ref 223-APS-654-A

Site PRH Town Telford Salary £28,392 - £31,157 pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 29/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

We require a dynamicand innovative Assistant Practitioner to work within our friendly Community Speech and Language Therapy Team. You will have experience of working within community health settings and with Speech and Language therapists working in the field of acquired communication and swallowing disorder in adults.

This Assistant Practitioner post is based at the Princess Royal Hospital site in Telford within the Therapies Department but will work across the East of the county in a variety of settings to include community hospital wards, care homes and patient's own homes. There may also be the opportunity to hold clinics in person or via telehealth.

The successful applicant will work in support of and alongside our team of friendly an experienced Speech and language Therapists.

Main duties of the job

• To assess and implement treatment programmes for delegated patients in the Community Speech and language Therapy department.
• To hold responsibility for own caseload with access to and support from senior professional staff as part of a comprehensive process of patient assessment and management
• To work as a member of the Community SLT therapy team, providing a high standard service to Communication impaired and swallow disordered patients in community and outpatient settings.
• Performs assessment of delegated patients with simple presentations of physical and psychological conditions. In partnership with the patient, identifies needs, formulates objectives and provides and delivers an individual treatment programme.
• Prioritises own work with access to supervision of professional staff in the Community therapy department, including a range of community settings to include, community hospitals, care homes, outpatient clinics and patient’s own homes. Clinical work is routinely evaluated
• May provide day to day supervision and delegation of tasks to therapy assistants within team and to students.
• Takes decisions to progress interventions according to level of competency and training within agreed protocols if required. Has the freedom to discharge patients without referring back to professional staff.
• Responsible for assessing and ordering appropriate specialised equipment for patients, including demonstration and safe issue of this equipment.

Working for our organisation

We believe that compassionate care sits at the heart of everything we do. Every member of our team — clinical or non-clinical — plays a vital role in ensuring that patients, families, and colleagues are treated with dignity, empathy, and respect at all times.

We expect all staff to demonstrate compassion not only through their words, but through their actions: by listening attentively, communicating clearly and kindly, and recognising individual needs, feelings, and circumstances of those in our care.

Effective communication is central to safe and high-quality healthcare. We value colleagues who take the time to understand others, explain information in a meaningful way, and respond to concerns with patience and understanding.

By joining our team, you are committing to uphold these values — ensuring that every patient feels heard, respected, and valued, and that compassion is embedded in every interaction, every day.

Our Service will relocate to The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in 2028 as part of HTP. This move will bring specialist services together in a modern, purpose-built facility to improve patient care and team experience.

We are actively recruiting, and successful candidates will be expected to move with the Service in early 2028. The relocation will follow a formal management of change process, including full consultation and support for staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For full duties and responsibilities please refer to the attached document entitled Job Description.

Qualifications

• Evidence of basic education in literacy and numeracy of GCSE Grade 9 – 4 or equivalent qualification.

Skills

• Ability to work independently to an agreed protocol and modifying programmes, as appropriate.
• Organisational skills and the ability to manage and prioritise own caseload.

Experience

• Previous work experience within the Therapy Care Group or Health Care environment e.g., Community Rehab/Therapy teams
• Previous experience of working in Speech and Language Therapy community and/or outpatient setting
• Previous experience of working with patients with communication or swallowing impairment.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of therapy interventions acquired through training or experience within a healthcare setting to foundation degree level
• Knowledge of the role of the assistant practitioner and the boundaries of the position.
• Basic understanding of the patient condition and its impact on the therapy intervention.

By submitting your application to Trac, you are giving your consent for parts of your application data to be transferred to the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and other secure, internal NHS Workforce systems. This is to support and manage your recruitment and employment within your employing organisation.

If the role requires a qualification/professional registration, you will need to provide proof during the recruitment process. By submitting your application you are giving the Trust permission to check the qualification certificates provided back to the source provider. Please note that a sample of all applicant’s qualifications will be checked with the educational institution or provider.

We commit to removing barriers for people with disabilities or long-term health conditions in recruitment, training, and career progression. We will offer an interview to all applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the above position and will support reasonable adjustments wherever possible. In addition, whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from candidates who are male, from black and minority ethnic backgrounds or who have a disability, as these are currently under-represented in our workforce.

We are committed to offering an interview to applicants from the Armed Forces community who meet the minimum criteria for the position. In addition, for those who are successfully appointed from the Armed Forces community, the Trust are committed to recognising previous service and rank in terms of pay, annual leave and other terms and conditions.

We are committed to equal opportunities in employment. The policies and practices of the Trust aim to promote an environment that is free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of all people. At the heart of our policy, we seek to treat people fairly, flexibly and with dignity and respect.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people from an Ethnic minority background are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

We aim to create a trusting, flexible workplace, that attracts talent and enables everyone to be their best working self. Many of our colleagues work flexibly in many different ways, including part-time. Please talk to us at interview about the flexibility you need. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise a fair and equitable process that balances your needs, the needs of our patients and service delivery.

Our Commitment to Safety and Respect - The Trust is a signatory to the NHS Sexual Safety Charter and is committed to a safe, inclusive workplace free from sexual misconduct, harassment, and discrimination.

Thank you for your interest in The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, we look forward to receiving your application for employment.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

Name Julie Harrison Job title Team Manager Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 01743261153

If you have problems applying, contact

Address The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
Shrewsbury Business Park
1 Douglas Court
Anchorage Avenue
Shrewsbury
Shropshire
SY2 6LG
Telephone [phone]