Senior Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

NHS; Horsham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

The NHS is seeking a Senior Specialist Speech & Language Therapist to advocate for individuals with learning disabilities. The successful candidate will provide assessments and interventions, lead caseload management, and contribute to multi-disciplinary teams. This role offers opportunities for flexible working and professional development within a supportive environment.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

Access to discount schemes

Generous holiday entitlement

Excellent NHS Pension Scheme

Ongoing training and professional development

Qualifications

• Minimum 4 years post qualification experience required.
• Specialist courses completion related to adults with learning disabilities.
• Ability to adapt written and verbal communication for different needs.

Responsibilities

• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate interventions for individuals with complex needs.
• Supervise junior therapists and manage team caseload.
• Provide highly specialist therapy to clients with communication disorders and dysphagia.

Skills

Communication

Clinical Governance

Therapeutic Interventions

Record Keeping

Education

Speech & Language Therapy Degree or Masters Qualification

Registered member of Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists

Post basic qualification in dysphagia RCSLT accredited

Job description

Senior Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Do you want to advocate for people with a learning disability to communicate and live well?

As senior specialist speech and language therapist in this role, you will use your clinical expertise and experience to support people with the most complex needs to live well with their learning disability. You will provide specialist communication and dysphagia assessments and interventions for people referred to the service as well as being an integral member of a very friendly and supportive team. You will have the autonomy to manage your own diary, and opportunities for hybrid working. You will be a key figure in shaping service provision in this area and across the county.

This post is for 30 hours per week.

Please contact either the Team Leader or the Principal Speech and Language Therapist if you would like to discuss the role further.

Main duties of the job

Contributing to the management of a team caseload of individuals with complex needs, you will assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions, which will be delivered in a variety of community settings. The team encourages multi-disciplinary working wherever possible and you will convene, facilitate, and contribute to meetings to develop a holistic understanding of the person and their needs.

You will supervise more junior therapists within the team and have leadership opportunity and responsibility within a West Sussex LD SLT leads team in the management of LD SLT services across the county.

You will be supervised by the Principal Speech and Language Therapist.

About us

As a mental health trust Sussex Partnership places a huge focus on the wellbeing of our staff, as well as ensuring our reward packages reflect the immensely important work they do.

You can expect:

• Flexible working opportunities
• Access to a host of discount schemes (including gyms, shopping, restaurants and cars)
• Generous holiday entitlement
• Excellent NHS Pension Scheme
• The trust also offers a wide range of training specifically targeted towards AHPs and promotes ongoing learning.

Job responsibilities

• This role sits within the multidisciplinary Community Learning Disability Team. The post holder will need a minimum of 4 years post qualification experience and a recognised post basic qualification in dysphagia.
• The clinical role will be to provide Speech & Language Therapy assessment, diagnosis and intervention to Adults with a Learning Disability and their carers referred to the service, using established models of Speech & Language Therapy, ensuring practice is evidence based.
• To provide a highly specialist Speech and Language Therapy service to people with learning disabilities , who have complex communication disorders and /or dysphagia (eating, drinking and swallowing disorders).
• To provide supervision to other Speech and Language Therapists or Speech and Language Therapy Assistants within Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as necessary.
• Work in collaboration with multidisciplinary colleagues.
• Liaise and consult with other Speech and Language Therapists and/or other professions within mainstream primary and secondary provider services.
• Take on a supervisory role with other SALTS as part of the Teams role in building capacity of others working with people who have complex communication needs and/or dysphagia

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Recognised Speech & Language Therapy Degree or Masters Qualification or equivalent
• Health Professions Council - license to practice
• Registered member of Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists
• Evidence of completion of specialist courses related to adults with a learning disability
• Post basic qualification in dysphagia RCSLT accredited

Experience

• Extensive post graduate experience as a Speech & Language Therapist working in adult learning disabilities
• Experience of training other professionals
• Awareness of the wider context of the NHS within specialist clinical field.
• Knowledge of assessment tools relevant to the client group.
• Knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions (relevant to client group).
• Knowledge of the principles of clinical governance / audit
• Knowledge of record keeping standards
• Ability to adapt written and verbal communication to suit the needs of people with communication and learning disabilities. This may include Makaton signing, symbols and pictures etc

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.