Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

NHS; Peterborough; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK is seeking an experienced Speech and Language Therapist to join their dedicated team at The Hollies. You will assess and manage a caseload of adults with learning disabilities, while overseeing specialist therapy interventions and leading clinical practices. The role emphasizes the need for strong clinical leadership skills and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to enhance patient care and improve outcomes. Competitive salary and flexible working options are offered.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Free on-site parking

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in communication and dysphagia needs of adults with learning disabilities.
• Ability to manage a complex caseload and deliver training to adults.
• Extensive understanding of Health and Social Care policies.

Responsibilities

• Assess and manage a caseload of adults with learning disabilities independently.
• Oversee delivery of specialist learning disability Speech and Language Therapy.
• Develop and deliver training packages for support staff.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Communication skills

Dysphagia management

Counselling skills

Negotiation skills

Research participation

Education

Degree in Speech and Language Therapy

HCPC and RCSLT registrations

Post qualification in Dysphagia management

Job description

The closing date is 07 January 2026

Are you looking to further develop your expertise as a highly specialist Speech and Language Therapist?

We have an exciting and rare opportunity for a Band 7 clinician to join our dedicated team at The Hollies, a specialist service providing assessment, treatment and support for adults with learning disabilities. The Hollies is a 6‑beded unit based at the Cavell Centre on the Peterborough City Hospital campus, with free on‑site parking and flexible working options available.

You will be working as part of a compassionate and skilled multidisciplinary team (MDT), committed to delivering high‑quality, person‑centred care. Your clinical responsibilities will include advanced communication and dysphagia assessment and intervention, working collaboratively with individuals, families and carers to support the best possible patient experience.

In your role as clinical lead for Speech and Language Therapy at The Hollies, you will guide best practice, contribute to service development, and help shape the future of communication and dysphagia care within the service. You will also benefit from peer support and clinical supervision from the wider learning disability Speech and Language Therapy team across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

If you are passionate about improving outcomes for people with learning disabilities and are ready to make a meaningful impact, we would be delighted to hear from you. Informal enquiries are warmly welcomed.

Main duties of the job

• The individual in this role will autonomously assess and manage a caseload of adults with a learning disability, which is highly specialised and complex.
• You will oversee the delivery of a specialist learning disability Speech and Language Therapy intervention. Additionally, the post holder will manage all referrals related to communication and/or swallowing difficulties (Dysphagia) within the Adult Learning Disability Inpatient Services.

Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines.

About us

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high‑quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high‑calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under‑represented groups including disabled people and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.

Job responsibilities

1. The incumbent will exhibit highly specialised knowledge and clinical skills and will have undergone appropriate post‑registration training, including in the field of dysphagia management.
2. To possess an extensive understanding of Health and Social Care policies and legislation applicable to the service user group, within the context of professional practice.
3. To independently prioritise, maintain, and manage a complex specialist caseload within the multidisciplinary framework of the Adult Learning Disability Inpatient Service.
4. To be highly proficient in assessing, identifying, treating, and managing the specialist health and communication needs of adults with a learning disability. This includes risk assessment, and addressing complex conditions such as dysphagia, challenging behaviour, forensic issues, palliative care, mental health, and epilepsy.
5. To be highly proficient in identifying and implementing appropriate communication support, including manual signing, symbol use, accessible information, and approaches such as Intensive Interaction.
6. To enable the implementation, adaptation, and use of alternative and augmentative communication across various communication environments, collaborating with service users and their support networks.
7. To identify the need for and participate in the development and delivery of training packages aimed at enhancing the communication and other skills of support workers and others within the area working with adults with a learning disability.
8. To utilise highly specialist observation skills to assess service users and care/staff interactions (including verbal and non‑verbal communication), encouraging adaptive strategies to maximise effective communication while being aware of cultural or linguistic differences.
9. To liaise and communicate effectively and sensitively with other professionals within the MDT and external agencies (e.g., Older People's Teams, Mental Health Teams, Drug and Alcohol, Palliative and Children's Services, Local Authority), providing highly specialist advice as necessary.
10. To develop close working relationships, where appropriate, with other agencies involved in current cases, maintaining confidentiality requirements to promote complementary working relationships and ensure quality service in relation to service user care.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in Speech and Language Therapy
• Current HCPC and RCSLT registrations
• Evidence of ongoing attendance of short study days, conferences, and extended self‑study
• Recognised Post qualification training in Dysphagia management (Specialist Level).

Experience

• Demonstrable post qualification experience working to meet the communication and dysphagia needs of adults with learning disability
• Must demonstrate evidence of highly developed clinical leadership skills
• Experience of developing and delivering training packages to adults.
• Experience of managing a complex caseload.
• Experience of working effectively within a community MD Team.
• Experience of developing service user and carer involvement
• Experience of recruitment and selection

Skills/Abilities

• Ability to provide services in a variety of environments to meet the needs of the service user
• Ability to prioritise your own work and the work of those you supervise
• Ability to work under pressure and manage stress
• Counselling Skills and Coaching skills
• Must be able to communicate information that is highly complex and contentious to clients, staff, senior managers and other agencies / professional groups, for example explaining implications of shortfall in service.
• Must demonstrate highly developed negotiation and problem‑solving skills in complex situations and ability to facilitate these skills in others.
• Must demonstrate established conflict management skills in a variety of environments e.g., one‑to‑one or groups where responses may be unpredictable.
• Ability to generate and participate in research and Audit

Other

• Ability to Travel within geographic location of Trust

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.

Address

The Hollies

The Cavell Centre, Edith Cavell Healthcare Campus

£47,810 to £54,710 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full‑time, Part‑time

Reference number

310-ASMH-7596645

Job locations

The Hollies

The Cavell Centre, Edith Cavell Healthcare Campus