Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust; Whittingham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist for a new mental health inpatient unit. The position will involve delivering evidence-based interventions, managing a complex caseload, and supporting the multi-disciplinary team. The role offers opportunities for professional development in a collaborative environment, where compassionate and person-centered care is paramount.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Opportunities for professional development

Qualifications

• Experience with patients having complex speech and language needs.
• Ability to establish individualized management and treatment plans.
• Experience in providing clinical leadership and supervision.

Responsibilities

• Assessing and treating patients with complex presentations.
• Promoting health and reducing inequalities.
• Providing clinical leadership and supervision within the SLT team.

Skills

Clinical reasoning

Evidence-based interventions

Patient-centered care

Leadership

Education

Relevant degree in Speech and Language Therapy

HCPC registration

Job description

Water Meadow View is a new mental health inpatient unit for adults with learning disabilities, opening in late Autumn 2025 on our site in Whittingham, Preston. We are seeking a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to join our team and support the Multi-Disciplinary Team in delivering outstanding, person-centred care.

Our trust aims to provide the best possible care, and this new inpatient unit will exemplify clinical excellence, support, safety, and patient-centred approaches.

The post holder will be responsible for assessing, treating, planning, delivering, and evaluating evidence-based, highly specialised speech and language interventions. You will manage a clinical caseload of patients with complex speech and language needs and provide expert advice to therapists, senior clinicians, and the MDT across LSCFT.

Joining us, you will positively impact the lives of people with learning disabilities by delivering compassionate, person-centred care in a purpose-built, co-produced environment, with opportunities for professional development.

Key responsibilities include:

1. Providing clinical triage and supporting service demand management.
2. Undertaking comprehensive assessments for patients with complex presentations, formulating diagnoses, and developing outcome measurement systems.
3. Establishing individualised management and treatment plans using advanced clinical reasoning and evidence-based interventions, including cross-organisational collaboration.
4. Promoting health and reducing inequalities for patients, families, and communities to maximise health, education, and social well-being.
5. Providing clinical leadership and supervision, fostering a culture of learning and reflective practice within the SLT team and MDT.
6. Serving as Clinical Lead in an agreed area, ensuring evidence-based practice, driving development, and offering second opinions across LSCFT. Participating actively in the SLT community within LSCFT and beyond.

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust offers a range of services, including secondary mental health care, inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health, and forensic services. The trust also provides physical health and well-being services in the community in partnership with local agencies.

We support flexible working arrangements such as term-time, part-time, compressed hours, flexi-time, and career breaks. Applicants are encouraged to specify their preferences in their applications and discuss these at interview.

For more information, please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

For further details or informal visits, please contact:

Name: Carol Johnson
Job title: Team Leader
Email: [e-mail]