Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist, Lead Community Clinics

NHS; Erith; On-site; GBP 51,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

An established healthcare provider is seeking a highly specialist speech and language therapist to lead a dynamic team in a community clinic setting. This role offers the chance to develop leadership skills while providing essential support to children with diverse speech and language needs. You will oversee a small team, manage caseloads, and engage with families to ensure quality care. With a focus on professional development and collaboration with health and education partners, this position promises a rewarding career path in a supportive environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years clinical experience with children in early years community clinics.
• Experience in coordinating service delivery and supervising staff.

Responsibilities

• Lead the early years community clinic team ensuring clinical service development.
• Manage complex caseloads and provide specialist advice on SLCN.

Skills

Speech and Language Therapy

Leadership

Clinical Decision Making

Supervision

Communication Skills

Problem Solving

Education

Recognised Speech & Language Therapy degree

Membership of The Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Job description

Job summary

Are you looking for an opportunity to develop your leadership skills within an early years/community clinic service? If so come and join Bexley Children's Speech & Language Therapy service.

You will be an experienced and self-motivated highly specialist speech and language therapist who enjoys working in a community clinic environment, leading the service for early years and some school age children with diverse speech, language and communication needs, referred for assessment, advice and therapy. You will lead a small team of therapists and assistants as well as being responsible for day to day operational and management activities. You will be involved in all aspects of caseload management, recruitment, service development, audit, training, supervision and appraisal.

The Bexley Children's Speech and Language Therapy service is a dynamic and supportive team and we offer many opportunities for developing clinical skills through CPD. The service has excellent internal supervision and support structures and would provide the ideal environment to develop clinical and management skills and contribute towards operational projects to support service development. We also offer extensive opportunities to work effectively with partners in health, social care and education.

If you would like more information about the position, please do contact us to discuss this job opportunity further, by calling 020 30040092, to speak to Jo Copp Early Years & Community Clinics Co-ordinator.

Main duties of the job

• To provide leadership to the early years community clinic team ensuring continued clinical service development.
• To demonstrate and provide highly specialist knowledge in clinical specialism/s underpinned by current evidence-based practice and to evaluate outcomes.
• To manage complex and highly specialist caseload independently and plan the workload of others.
• To make highly specialist clinical decisions in assessment of complex cases.
• To provide highly specialist advice to others regarding the management and care of children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).
• To manage, lead and provide highly specialist supervision to therapists and assistants working within the early years' community clinic team and other parts of the service.
• To meet with parents, child and young people, taking and responding to feedback to develop care pathways and monitor the quality of child and parent information.
• To ensure that children, young people and families are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their care plans wherever possible.
• To take a clinical specialist role in the development of local clinical guidelines informed by evidence, for children and young people with SLCN.

About us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We're Kind
• We're Fair
• We Listen
• We Care

Date posted

24 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£51,883 to £58,544 a year pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

18 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

277-7156997-CYP

Job locations

Erith District Hospital

Park Crescent

Erith

DA8 3EE

Job description Job responsibilities

For more information and a detailed description of the main duties please refer to the Job Description attached

Job description Job responsibilities

For more information and a detailed description of the main duties please refer to the Job Description attached

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Recognised Speech & Language Therapy degree qualification or equivalent
• Membership of The Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Desirable

• Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses up to Master's degree equivalent. Membership of relevant CEN/s

Experience Essential

• Clinical experience of working with children with specific speech and language difficulties in early years community clinics at least 5 years
• Experience of co-ordinating service delivery
• Experience of supervising staff/conducting appraisals

Desirable

• Experience of writing local policies

Knowledge & Skills Essential

• Well established knowledge of a broad range assessment tools relevant to the client groups
• Demonstrates flexibility and ability to respond to workload demands as priorities arise.
• Highly developed negotiation and problem-solving skills in complex situations and ability to facilitate these skills in others.

Desirable

• Experience of leading clinical development

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Recognised Speech & Language Therapy degree qualification or equivalent
• Membership of The Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Desirable

• Evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses up to Master's degree equivalent. Membership of relevant CEN/s

Experience Essential

• Clinical experience of working with children with specific speech and language difficulties in early years community clinics at least 5 years
• Experience of co-ordinating service delivery
• Experience of supervising staff/conducting appraisals

Desirable

• Experience of writing local policies

Knowledge & Skills Essential

• Well established knowledge of a broad range assessment tools relevant to the client groups
• Demonstrates flexibility and ability to respond to workload demands as priorities arise.
• Highly developed negotiation and problem-solving skills in complex situations and ability to facilitate these skills in others.

Desirable

• Experience of leading clinical development

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information 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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Erith District Hospital

Park Crescent

Erith

DA8 3EE

Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Erith District Hospital

Park Crescent

Erith

DA8 3EE

Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)