Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

NHS; Little Stanney; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Supportive team environment

Job summary

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist to lead and develop paediatric SLT services. You will oversee Clinic and Designated Provision services, provide highly specialist assessments and support, and work with a multidisciplinary team. Flexible working will be considered.

The role requires strong leadership, clinical governance involvement and the ability to manage complex cases while supporting staff development across the service.

Qualifications

• Recognised SLT degree with HCPC registration.
• RCSLT Licence to Practice.
• Evidence of CPD activity.
• Willingness to travel across the Trust.
• Right to work in the UK.

Responsibilities

• Provide highly specialist assessment and intervention for children with SLCN.
• Provide clinical leadership for the Clinic and Designated Provision services.
• Support Team Leads with service planning, targets and development.
• Supervise therapists and SLTAs and contribute to governance and quality improvement.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Specialist SLT

Pediatric SLT

Assessment & intervention

Team support

Education

Speech and Language Therapy degree

HCPC registration

RCSLT Licence to Practice

CPD evidence

Tools

AAC knowledge

Record keeping

Job description

Go back North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (BCH)

Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

The closing date is 22 September 2026

We are seeking anenthusiastic and motivated Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist tojoin our large, friendly and innovative paediatric Speech and Language Therapyteam. We can offer the opportunity to work alongside a diverse range of skilledclinicians and support staff across a well-established service. We place equalimportance on delivering excellent outcomes for children and young people andensuring the wellbeing, development and support of our workforce.

In this role, you will oversee our Clinic andDesignated Provision (DP) services, managing day-to-day queries and supportingTeam Leads with service targets, planning and ongoing service development. Youwill provide highly specialist assessment and intervention for children with arange of speech, language and communication needs and provide clinical supportto your colleagues. You will work alongside other Highly Specialist SLTs andbenefit from regular support, supervision, training and flexible working.

Main duties of the job

Thepostholder will manage day-to-day clinical and operational queries, offerspecialist advice and support to SLTs and SLTAs, and promote consistent,high-quality practice. Working closely with Team Leads, they will supportcaseload and pathway planning, monitor performance against service targets, andcontribute to clinical governance and quality improvement. The role willinvolve leading service development across both areas of the service. Thepostholder will also provide highly specialist assessment and evidence-basedintervention for children accessing the Clinic and Designated Provisionservices. The role requires excellent clinical reasoning, communication,organisation and leadership skills, alongside the ability to make independentdecisions within the scope of the role and recognise when issues should beescalated to Team Leads.

About us

Flexible working will be considered for all roles.

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (NCM) serves more than one million residents across the Halton and Warrington boroughs and the wider North West region.

Bringing together community and out-of-hospital services (formerly provided by Bridgewater Community Healthcare) with inpatient and elective care (formerly Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals) we provide services at two hospital sites and more than 70 community hubs and facilities.

Our mission, vision and values are at the heart of North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (NCM).

They underpin everything we do and everything we aspire to be as an organisation.

Our mission

We will be exceptional for our patients, our communities and each other

Our vision

We will be a great organisation providing excellent healthcare and opportunities to work and learn

Our values

• Kind: We are caring, supportive and respectful to everyone
• Open: We are honest, transparent and open to new ways of working
• Fair: We listen, value our differences and are inclusive to all
• One team: We work well together and with our communities

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose:

The post holder will provide clinical leadership for the Clinic and Designated Provision (DP) services, supporting Team Leads with service planning, targets and development. They will deliver highly specialist assessment and intervention for children with a range of speech, language and communication needs, while providing expert clinical advice and support to colleagues.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Clinical Skills

• To assess and diagnose within the highly specialist clinical area
• To develop and implement highly specialist Speech and Language Therapy treatment and evaluate outcomes
• To produce detailed reports reflecting specialist knowledge regarding patients' needs and summarising proposed treatment plans.
• To contribute to legal documents such as Education, Health and Care Plans. Annual reviews and individual education plans.
• To provide specialist advice to patients, carers and other professionals regarding the management and care of patients with communication difficulties
• To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence based practice and outcome measures
• To adapt practice to meet individual patients circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic differences
• To maintain up to date and accurate case notes in line with RCSLT professional standards and local trust policies
• To share information with carers and other professionals, observing data protection guidelines
• To contribute to multi-disciplinary and uni-disciplinary teams to ensure a patient focused approach to treatment. To represent at health panels where required
• To communicate complex information from specialist assessment and treatment, to patients, carers and other professionals
• To work closely with patients, carers and other professionals to negotiate and agree patient management
• To demonstrate empathy with patients, carers and other professionals, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where significant barriers to understanding exist.
• To respond sensitivity at all times, in particular when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the clinical difficulties and their implications

To oversee the clinic based service to children with SLCN driving innovation in line with best practice.

To monitor care pathways and service outcomes to ensure clinical effectiveness

• To demonstrate expert skills in motivating patients, carers and other professionals to engage in the therapeutic process
• To demonstrate expert skills in managing conflict within the context of the highly specialist clinical area
• To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible, in line with trust policy
• To foster productive relationships with others who have challenging communication difficulties and/or who may be under stress
• To apply expert strategies to facilitate and enhance the effectiveness of communication, both verbal, non-verbal and environmental
• To provide specialist assessment and advice on optimising the patient's communication environment, including the communication skills of carers and other professionals within the patient's environment
• To provide supervision and specialist clinical advice, support and second opinions for therapists and other professionals working within highly specialist clinical area, offering case discussions, joint assessments, joint intervention and therapy programmes as appropriate.
• To demonstrate independence in dealing with complex issues associated with caseload management
• To employ counselling skills with patients and carers with highly complex needs
• To discharge appropriately, agreeing a point of closure with the client/carer, and informing other professionals

Please see Full Job Description attached.

Experience

• Relevant experience at a post graduate level in early language difficulties, Social Communication difficulties (ASD), speech disorders, dysfluency, selective mutism.
• In-depth experience within preschool/ clinic service area
• Experience of managing large caseloads, prioritisation, planning workloads
• Experience of monitoring service outcomes
• Experience of supporting / mentoring less experienced staff
• Experience of managing/supporting Speech and Language Therapy assistants
• Experience assessing social communication skills and contributing to a neurodevelopmental pathway assessment for ASD diagnosis.
• Experience working in specialist provision / school setting

Skills and Knowledge

• In depth knowledge of SEND Code of Practice and National Curriculum
• Knowledge of relevant NICE guidelines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills
• Negotiation and problem solving skills
• Demonstrates good analytical and reflection skills
• Good presentation skills, both written and verbal
• Good organisational skills
• Good auditory skills and ability to transcribe speech phonetically
• Demonstrates ability to be a good team member
• Well established knowledge of assessment tools relevant to the client group
• Well established knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions (relevant to the client group)
• Knowledge of national policies and procedures (relevant to the client group)
• Understanding of the roles of other professionals (relevant to the client group)
• Knowledge of standards of record keeping
• Evidence of CPD

Relationships

• If you are related to a director or have a relationship with a director or employee of an appointing organisation, please state the relationship.

Qualifications

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or
• Equivalent
• Health Care Professions Council registration.
• RCSLT Licence to Practice
• Evidence of additional training / continuing professional development around specialist area
• Registered member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
• Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Networks
• Knowledge of a range of AAC including both electronic and paper-based

Job Specific Requirements

• The ability to travel independently across North Cheshire and Mersey Trust
• The ability to work flexibly in accordance with service needs

Right to Work

• Do you currently have the unrestricted right to work in the UK?
• If appointed, will you require sponsorship under a UK work visa route (now or in the future)?
• Please note that sponsorship is not available for all roles. Sponsorship will only be considered where the post meets the relevant UK immigration requirements and where the organisation determines that sponsorship is appropriate for the role.

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 Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (BCH)