Senior Speech and Language Therapist

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust; Skelmersdale; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in West Lancashire is seeking a Senior Speech and Language Therapist to join their team. The role involves managing a specialized caseload of children with communication needs in various settings, providing assessments and interventions, and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. Applicants must have a degree in Speech & Language Therapy and relevant experience. Flexible working options are encouraged to promote work-life balance.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Recent and relevant postgraduate experience in speech and language therapy.
• Experience working with children with complex needs.
• Evidence of training in safeguarding children.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of children with speech and language needs.
• Participate in the educational and clinical training of students.
• Develop individualized management and treatment plans.

Skills

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Ability to manage children with challenging behaviours

Leadership skills

Problem solving in clinical practice

Education

Professional Degree in Speech & Language Therapy

Current Professional Registration with HCPC

Evidence of continued professional development

Job description

Go back Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Speech and Language Therapist

The closing date is 24 September 2025

A new opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and experienced speech and language therapist to join our multidisciplinary team in West Lancashire to provide a high quality service to children with speech, language and communication difficulties across the locality.

The role will include work within clinics, mainstream and special schools as well as working with children with complex needs within the community setting; experience of working with this cohort and within these settings is essential.

As part of the role you will be expected to:

• be responsible for all aspects of the management of an identified specialist caseload of children with speech, language and communication needs, attending special school provision and other educational settings. Including assessment, diagnosis, intervention, training for parents/carers and professionals, contribution to multidisciplinary team working, provision of EHCPs and creating individualised management and treatment plans, using clinical reasoning and utilising a range of evidence based treatment skills
• Provide clinical supervision for junior speech and language therapists and / or assistants
• Participate in the clinical education of speech and language therapy students

The successful applicants will be able to work closely with experienced Specialist Speech and Language Therapy colleagues in a supportive environment.

Main duties of the job

• To work as part of children's integrated therapy team providing a speech & language therapy service for children referred for assessment and intervention.
• To be responsible for a caseload of children and young people with complex and/or additional needs.
• To undertake comprehensive assessment of children and young people with varied presentations, using self-determined investigative and analytical skills, to formulate hypotheses in order to determine appropriate interventions and goals.
• To establish individualized management and treatment plans, using clinical reasoning and utilizing a range of evidence based treatment skills and options to formulate interventions and programmes of care.
• To participate in the co-ordination, development and delivery of training programmes and information packages for colleagues in health, education, social care, and voluntary sector organizations, and parents/carers.
• To participate in identifying service development needs and delivering service development projects.
• To engage with and support Clinical leads within professional development activities.
• To provide specialist advice to Team Colleagues in area of own practice regarding specific service delivery issues.
• To provide clinical and management supervision to junior colleagues.

About us

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person Specification

Education/ Qualifications

• Professional Degree or equivalent in Speech & Language Therapy
• Current Professional Registration with HCPC
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Evidence of formal training / self-study / specialist experience to post graduate level

Knowledge

• Understanding of clinical governance framework & implications for practice, including audit and research governance
• Knowledge of a broad range of assessment tools for children with diverse needs.
• Knowledge of a range of therapy techniques and programmes for children with diverse needs/ related to client group
• Knowledge of research, evidence-based practice and current issues relating to client group
• Knowledge of professional clinical local and national guidelines.
• Awareness of current NHS / Government Policy/Public Health and organisational change

Experience

• Evidence of recent and relevant post graduate experience encompassing the specialist field of practice. that demonstrates an in depth knowledge of specialist area
• Multi-disciplinary/multi-agency collaborative working
• Experience of working with children with complex needs and their families in community/non clinical setting
• Safeguarding of children and implementation of policy and procedures with evidence of training/updates
• Demonstrable evidence of improving and developing service and practice

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills both written and verbal
• Able to work independently as lead specialist.
• Ability to manage children with challenging behaviours
• Demonstrating good leadership skills
• Problem solving/ Decision making in relation to clinical practice,

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.

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust