Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust; Hastings; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A community health trust in Hastings is seeking a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to join their Integrated Children's Therapy team. You will be responsible for assessing and providing therapy interventions for children with communication needs, working closely with schools and other health professionals. A health-related degree and HCPC registration are required. The position offers a salary of £38,682 to £46,580 a year pro rata.

Qualifications

• Registered health care professional (HCPC registration); Health related degree and evidence of relevant post graduate development at Level 6.
• Understanding of National Service Frameworks and NICE guidance relevant to care setting.
• Experience in managing health related projects and complex caseloads.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessment, review and therapy interventions for children with various communication needs.
• Develop integrated care programmes in collaboration with other health professionals.
• Contribute to the quality of services provided within the community team.

Skills

Effective communication

Time management

Leadership

Influencing and negotiating

Education

Health related degree

HCPC registration

Job description

Go back Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

The closing date is 16 November 2025

Work within an Integrated Children's Therapy team including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, assistants and administrators for children aged 0-19. Provide assessment, review and therapy interventions for children with the following areas of need: alternative and augmentative communication (AAC); pre-verbal communication; receptive and expressive language; speech, stammering and selective mutism.

Work in close partnership with schools, other education providers and the local authority SEND services.

The post-holder will be part of the team that covers early years and school years children in mainstream schools. The role will include close partnership working with schools and SEND services as well as health professionals and tertiary centres.

Main duties of the job

Band 6 HCPs are expected to be kind, responsive and professional, contributing to the quality of the services we provide by:

• Keeping the people who use our services safe through the use of sound clinical skills and effective risk assessment so Ensuring the best possible clinical outcomes by using up-to-date skills and adhering to evidence based policies and procedures so Ensuring the people that use our services have a good experience by respecting, empowering and working in partnership with them.

We believe that the best health care is delivered by multi‑disciplinary teams working well together and in partnership with other teams and services to provide seamless care. Band 6 HCPs work as part of a team and contribute to its success by being a role model, supervising more junior members of the team (Qualified and unqualified) and students to ensure they are working to the professional standards required and provide leadership within the team. Band 6 HCPs are expected to be kind and responsive but professional and informative and contribute to the quality of the services provided within the community team across the health economy by:

• Assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of holistic care linked to packages of prescribed care or identified projects.
• Developing integrated care programmes in partnership with senior practitioners and/or commissioners.
• Supporting in the supervision and development of staff.

About us

Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we've got a passion for delivering high standards of patient care and excellent services to improve the health of our communities. To do this we need outstanding people who share our values compassionate Aspirational Responsive Excellent

We know a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion leads to better patient care and a happier workforce. We pride ourselves in being diverse and welcome applications from people with varied backgrounds, perspectives and experiences

We ask for information about your protected characteristics on our application forms. This isn't visible to anyone involved with shortlisting or interviewing you, except when you choose to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme due to disability. Short listers will see two ticks alongside your application to ensure they apply the principles of the scheme to your submission

The data we collect helps us to ensure we are attracting diversity in our applicants, that all our colleagues have equitable access to career opportunities and supports us on our journey to being a Great Place to Work

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want you to be able to work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Talk to us about a flexible working arrangement that won't involve sacrificing time for personal interests or family commitments. We'll support you to work flexibly in a way that will suits us both

See where you can go with KCHFT career pathways

Job responsibilities

Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts and the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB).

As a community Trust many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. As such you will be asked to confirm you have a full UK driving licence where driving is a requirement of the role to be able to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment, if you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team via [e-mail] quoting the vacancy reference number so we can support you further.

The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.

Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.

We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.

At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non‑clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve.

Find out more about the community difference here.

Good luck! We cant wait to meet you and welcome you to #teamKCHFT, #cometocommunity.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered health care professional (HCPC registration); Health related degree and evidence of relevant post graduate development at Level 6

Experience

• Experience in area of practice; Practical experience in managing health related projects/complex caseloads; Supporting others (mentor / educator / supervisor ) experience

Knowledge

• Understanding of National Service Frameworks and NICE guidance relevant to care setting and its application across health care services; Evidence of continued relevant professional development and implementation in practice within the last 12 months

Skills

• Understanding of training needs in relation to post; Ability to manage time effectively, priorities and work under pressure to meet deadlines; Ability to work effectively with a variety of people at all organisational levels across different sectors including areas of social deprivation; Ability to communicate complex, sensitive information to individuals and groups; Strong influencing and negotiating skills

Attributes

• Ability to motivate and organise others to ensure best practice; Ability to manage and lead change.

Ability to Manage

• Able to support the implementation of local and national agenda's for health under the guidance of the senior Practitioner; Ability to prioritise care delivery in a professional manner, taking into account Trust policies and procedures; Ability to manage own time effectively.

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.

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

£38,682 to £46,580 a year pro rata