Head of Speech and Language Therapy

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust; Whitehaven, Carlisle; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Whitehaven is seeking a Head of Speech and Language Therapy to lead adult acute and community services. The role requires dynamic leadership, strategic oversight, and the ability to advance service delivery through innovation. Ideal candidates will have a relevant degree, management qualifications, and extensive experience in the NHS. This position offers a chance to contribute to patient care and staff development within a supportive and diverse community.

Benefits

27-day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years

NHS Discounts

Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars

Free confidential counselling service

Qualifications

• Evidence of significant experience to Masters Level or equivalent.
• Must have experience in a leadership/managerial role.
• Experience of managing a range of complex operational services.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to the professional staff group.
• Manage service specific staff within SLT Services including recruitment.
• Oversee education of the profession's students.

Skills

Excellent communication

Leadership qualities

Change management skills

Interpersonal skills

Organizational skills

Education

Profession specific degree or equivalent diploma

State registration with the Health and Care Professions Council

Management Qualification

Evidence of CPD

Job description

Go back North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

Head of Speech and Language Therapy

The closing date is 08 December 2025

We have an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and highly skilled Speech & Language Therapist to lead adult acute and community services across North Cumbria and act as Professional Lead across the whole organisation including paediatrics. With the Lake District, the coast and the historic city of Carlisle on your doorstep alongside a clinically-led and diverse organisation spanning acute and community care, a work‑life balance is guaranteed.

This role requires a forward-thinking SLT with the skill to utilise the specialist clinical practice that already exists within the team, with strategic and operational leadership, utilising innovation to evaluate, develop, implement and analyse working practices within the SLT service through the use of evidence‑based practice, audit, research and outcome measures to ensure effective and efficient pathways of care and service delivery for the population of North Cumbria.

As the Head of SLT you will provide strategic, operational, professional, clinical leadership and governance for SLTs. Alongside the Associate Director of AHPs and AHP leads you will play an integral role in the fulfilment of NCIC's focus and vision of moving care closer to home. You will also lead on workforce development with an emphasis on recruitment, retention, role development and lead on developing research and education within the profession and with academic partners.

Main duties of the job

• To provide leadership to the professional staff group within the System ensuring that professional standards are set, implemented, monitored and maintained.
• To manage the service specific staff within SLT Services to include recruitment, retention through career development and appraisal, management of poor performance and sickness absence.
• To represent The Profession within the System and externally participating in professional and multi-agency forums across the region and nationally as required ensuring the wider contribution from the profession.
• To work closely with the ADAHP to develop an environment of flexibility and interdisciplinary co‑operation leading to the provision of a comprehensive and responsive professional service to patients and carers.
• To provide professional advice to Clinical care Groups and Partnership Organisations based upon evidence and good practice.
• To take a lead role in workforce planning and career structure design for the profession within the System to inform recruitment and retention within the service.
• To ensure that the service is provided within designated budget, identifying and delivering efficiency measures as appropriate.
• To oversee the education of the professions' students, co‑ordinating practice placements and liaising with University and Colleges.
• To be responsible for own continued professional development.
• To hold a clinical commitment across adult acute and community care.

About us

At NCIC, we have an ambition to deliver outstanding healthcare services to the population of North Cumbria. The Trust is committed to creating a centre of excellence in providing rural and remote healthcare and provides a wide range of community and acute services throughout our county.

Our 5 key principles demonstrate our belief in the delivery of 'safe, high quality care every time':

• Being a clinically‑led organisation
• Quality and safety at the heart of our Trust
• A positive patient experience every time
• A great place to work
• Managing our money well

As an organisation we are serious about supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our local community and are very much focused on being an inclusive and compassionate place to work. Across the North East and North Cumbria we are working together to deliver our ambition to be the greenest region in England by 2030. All staff are expected to support sustainability.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for further information regarding the role and the essential and desirable criteria required to be met by applicants.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment. Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme or Armed Forces Covenant and you meet all the essential criteria for a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.

Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants moving to the region for certain posts. Please see our policy for eligible vacancies.

Disclosure and Barring Service

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.

DBS charges are as follows (if applicable to the post):

• Standard Check: £21.50 + Administration cost of £5.90 = £27.40. Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.
• Enhanced Check: £49.50 + administration cost of £5.90 = £55.40. Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.

NCIC can offer successful future employees the following benefits:

• 27‑day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years
• NHS Discounts*
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work*
• Vivup is a free, confidential counselling and information service to assist with personal or work‑related problems
• *Subject to eligibility

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Profession specific degree or equivalent diploma.
• Evidence of CPD and relevant post‑graduate courses and/or significant relevant experience to Masters Level or equivalent.
• State registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.
• Management Qualification.
• Member of Professional Body.
• Leadership Qualification.

Knowledge

• Extensive profession specific knowledge, application of theory, best practice and procedures.
• Proven record of achieving service development, managing change and performance.
• In‑depth knowledge and understanding of current NHS policy and its implications for professional practice.
• Experience of working in a leadership/managerial role.
• Knowledge and understanding of the principles of business planning and other management processes in the NHS and their application in practice.

Skills and Aptitudes

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, organisation, time management, problem solving and prioritisation skills.
• Appropriate clinical skills.
• Motivational and change management skills.
• Teaching and presentation skills.
• Confident, highly motivated.
• Leadership qualities, enthusiastic with ability to motivate others.
• Ability to manage conflict and difficult situations.
• Ability to use own initiative, make decisions, work under pressure and to tight timescales when necessary.

Experience

• Experience, knowledge and proven track record of delivery in managing a range of diverse and complex operational services.
• Experience of managing people and financial resources at a senior level.
• Experience of developing services through facilitating change and innovation in a multi‑disciplinary team(s).
• Experience of Business Planning to include developing & producing business plans/cases and Budgetary Management.
• Experience in writing policies and procedures.
• Project Management.
• Evidence of organisational, regional and national healthcare awareness.
• Experience of working in NHS Therapy services.
• Experience working across departmental and organisational boundaries to deliver specific targets and to improve services for patients.
• Comprehensive knowledge of all Local and National Performance Indicators.
• Evidence of adopting national or international benchmarking to improve quality and efficiency.

Other Requirements

• Promote equality and value diversity (Level 3).
• Develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity (Level 4).
• Participate in any on‑call arrangement or shift system on site which is associated with this role, in order to fulfil the requirements of the base service and also the wider Trust.
• These arrangements may vary from time to time depending upon Trust requirements in the best interests in service delivery.
• Ability to cope with the physical demands of the post which may include driving, manual handling of patients and regular travel to all the sites of the System and to other venues across the region.

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.

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Trust Wide and Community Services, Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle or West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven.