Experts at Hand Clinical-Operational Lead Speech and Language Therapy

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust; Amersham; Remote; GBP 58,000 - 65,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Job share

Part-time hours

Job summary

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is seeking an experienced Speech and Language Therapist to lead the Experts at Hand programme within SEND reform, shaping a system-wide service. The role focuses on strategic and operational leadership, delivering timely, needs-led support for children and young people, in collaboration with education and health partners.

You will lead a team of specialists, drive innovation, and ensure high-quality outcomes while balancing governance, workforce development

Qualifications

• Significant post-registration experience providing highly specialist SLT interventions to children and young people.
• Operational and/or clinical leadership of a therapy service or team.
• Experience in line management, performance and staff development.
• Experience building partnerships with education, local authority and health sectors.
• Experience leading service transformation and budget management.
• Ability to travel and work flexibly across sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic, operational and clinical delivery of the SLT element of the Experts at Hand programme.
• Drive service innovation and continuous improvement in line with SEND reforms.
• Collaborate with senior leaders across health, education and social care.
• Lead and develop a team of Highly Specialist SLTs and Therapy Assistants.
• Provide expert advice, consultation and clinical leadership for complex cases.
• Monitor service performance, outcomes and quality standards.
• Manage resources effectively and contribute to budget management.
• Lead workforce development, supervision, training and succession planning.
• Represent the service at local, regional and national forums.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Clinical leadership

Staff development

Budget management

Partnership building

Communication skills

Education

Degree or Diploma (Speech and Language Therapy)

HCPC registration

RCSLT member

Postgraduate clinical/management qualification

Job description

Experts at Hand Clinical-Operational Lead Speech and Language Therapy

Band 8a

Main area Speech and Language Therapy Grade Band 8a Contract Permanent Hours

• Part time
• Job share
• Flexible working

18.75 hours per week Job ref 434-CR8232493

Site Amersham Hospital Town Amersham Salary £57,528 - £64,750 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 11/10/2026 23:59

Be part of our BHT family

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (BHT) is an integrated provider of acute hospital and community services for people living in Buckinghamshire and the surrounding area.

We care for over half a million patients every year:

• Provide specialist spinal services at our world renowned National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, the birthplace of the Paralympics
• Nationally recognised for urology and skin cancer services
• Regional specialist centre for burns, plastic surgery, dermatology, stroke and cardiac services
• Deliver community services in health centres, schools, patients’ own homes, community hospitals and community hubs.

More than 6,500 people from different nations, cultures and backgrounds work for us.

We would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options. We strive to be a family friendly, inclusive employer.

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work and invite you to join our BHT family.

Job overview

Shape the future of SEND support across Buckinghamshire

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and innovative Speech and Language Therapist to lead the Speech and Language Therapy contribution to Buckinghamshire's new Experts at Hand programme, a key element of the national SEND reform agenda.

As the Experts at Hand Clinical & Operational Lead, you will play a pivotal role in designing, developing and delivering a transformational service that strengthens inclusive practice across mainstream education settings. Working collaboratively with the Local Authority, Integrated Care Board, schools and wider system partners, you will provide strategic leadership to ensure children and young people receive timely, needs-led support through a graduated approach.

This is a unique opportunity to influence service development at a system level while maintaining your professional expertise and shaping the future Speech and Language Therapy workforce within SEND services.

Main duties of the job

Reporting to the Head of Service for CYP Integrated Therapy Services, you will:

• Lead the strategic, operational and clinical delivery of the Speech and Language Therapy element of the Experts at Hand programme.
• Drive service innovation and continuous improvement in line with national SEND reforms.
• Work collaboratively with senior leaders across health, education and social care.
• Lead and develop a team of Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapists and Therapy Assistants.
• Provide expert advice, consultation and clinical leadership for complex situations.
• Monitor service performance, outcomes and quality standards.
• Manage resources effectively and contribute to budget management.
• Lead workforce development, supervision, training and succession planning.
• Represent the service at local, regional and national forums.

What does Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust offer you?

As part of our BHT family, you’ll benefit from learning and development opportunities to support your career progression.

Alongside NHS benefits of generous annual leave entitlement and pension scheme, you'll have access to NHS discount schemes.

We provide a range of health and wellbeing services to promote a healthy, happy workforce.

What do we stand for?

Our vision is to provide outstanding care, support healthy communities and be a great place to work.

Our mission is to provide personal and compassionate care every time.

We are working hard to increase diversity at all levels within the trust. We believe a diverse workforce can have a positive effect on both staff wellbeing and patient outcomes.

We welcome applications from black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates, candidates with disabilities and care-experienced candidates.

We are proud to achieve the Gold award for the Armed Forces Covenant and support applications from the Armed Forces Community. Please contact [e-mail] (Armed Forces Covenant Lead) if you would like guidance or assistance with your application.

We make employment decisions by matching our service needs with the skills and experience of candidates, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a comprehensive list of responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to the Job Description and Person Specification by downloading the JD and PS attachment in the advert.

If you are an internal applicant there is the option for secondment, all applicants must have the endorsement/support of their line manager prior to application.

Person specification

Education, qualifications and training

• Degree or Diploma (Speech and Language Therapy)
• Professional registration with HCPC.
• Member RCSLT.
• Post graduate clinical/ management qualification or equivalent level of experience and proven ability to perform at this level
• Significant demonstrable experience of and demonstrable achievement in managing education/ health/social care services

Values

• Communicates openly, honestly and professionally, and actively promotes team working and building strong working relationships
• Patients are always first. Drives service improvements. Strong self-awareness with a desire to grow.
• Treats all with compassion and kindness. Ensures everyone feels valued.
• Consults others and listens to their views/opinions. Enables others to take the initiative

EXPERIENCE

• Significant post-registration experience providing highly specialist speech and language therapy interventions to children and young people with complex needs
• Experience of operational and/or clinical leadership of a therapy service or team
• Experience of line management, including appraisal, performance and professional development of staff
• Experience of developing and maintaining effective partnerships with education, local authority, health and other stakeholders in the redesign of services
• Experience of effectively leading and implementing change and service transformation
• Experience of budget management / management of resources
• Experience of managing complaints, disputes, resolutions and/or Serious Incidents
• Experience of working and coproducing within, or in close partnership with, education and early years settings and of SEND / EHCP processes

SKILLS, ABILITIES & KNOWLEDGE

• Highly expert knowledge and skills in speech, language and communication needs in children and young people
• Advanced knowledge of current legislation, the SEND Code of Practice, the graduated approach and the national SEND reform / Experts at Hand programme, spanning education and health
• Ability to provide strategic and operational leadership and to translate national policy into local delivery
• Highly developed communication, negotiation and influencing skills, including the ability to manage complex and contentious information
• Ability to analyse and interpret Key Performance Indicators, activity and outcome data to drive improvement
• Ability to plan, organise and adjust a broad, complex range of activities across multiple partners and settings
• Knowledge of clinical governance, risk management and safeguarding, and their application in practice
• Compassionate, inclusive leadership skills and the ability to motivate, develop and support staff

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

• Ability to travel to other sites and settings across Buckinghamshire - access to own transport
• Ability to work flexibly across sites and to attend system and partnership meetings as required

PPE requirements: Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust requires all colleagues to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in accordance with our infection prevention and control procedures.

Flu vaccinations remain the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course our patients from the viruses when working in our healthcare settings. We encourage our staff to be vaccinated when recommended.

Application deadline: This post will close on the closing date stated at midnight, however if we receive a large number of applications or there is a change in circumstance, we may be required to close a job before the advertised date.

Contacting you: We will contact candidates through the email address supplied on their application form. Please make sure you check this regularly.

Application information: If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records (ESR) system.

Shortlisting: The monitoring and safeguarding sections are not made visible to the shortlisting panel. The safeguarding section may be made visible to the interview panel, dependent on the role being recruited into.

Travel expenses: It is Trust policy that travel expenses for interviews will not be reimbursed.

Smoking: All Trust sites are NO SMOKING. Smoking in all areas of the buildings and premises is prohibited.

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.

Name Fiona Barry Job title Head of Service CYP Integrated Therapies Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 07866 157024 Additional information

We want to ensure you perform at your best during the interview process. Therefore, all shortlisted candidates will receive details of what to expect in the interview process in advance.