Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

NHS; Southampton; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Southampton seeks a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to join a new community service. You'll assess clients, create care plans for enhanced communication and swallowing support, and mentor junior staff. The role offers NHS benefits like a comprehensive pension, generous leave, and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

NHS Pension Scheme with 23.7% employer contribution

27 days' annual leave plus bank holidays

Car leasing and cycle-to-work schemes

NHS discounts on shopping, travel and leisure

Qualifications

• Experience in assessing clients and making differential diagnoses.
• Ability to develop care plans and implement interventions effectively.
• Knowledge of safeguarding policies and mental capacity assessments.

Responsibilities

• Assess clients and make differential diagnoses based on evidence.
• Develop care plans improving clients' safety and independence.
• Provide advice regarding management of communication and feeding difficulties.

Skills

Communication assessment

Care planning

Clinical judgement

Education

Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent

Registered member RCSLT

HCPC Licence to Practice

Driving licence

Job description

Go back Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

The closing date is 05 October 2025

We're launching a brand-new community Speech & Language Therapy service, and we're looking for therapists to join our team and help shape how rehabilitation services are delivered.

You'll support people in their own homes, care homes and outpatient settings across the southwest of Hampshire. Our patients include those recovering from strokes, people living with Parkinson's disease or dementia, and frail or older individuals who need support with communication or swallowing.

Your role will involve development of this new service, carrying out assessments, developing care plans to improve safety, independence, and quality of life, and you'll work with colleagues to ensure that care is delivered where it's needed most. You'll provide clinical guidance within the team, supporting junior colleagues and contributing to multidisciplinary working. You'll also have access to career progression opportunities, structured training, competency signoffs and CPD to help you continue to grow.

This is a Monday to Friday service with no weekend, nights or on-call work. From day one, you'll benefit from our NHS Pension Scheme with 23.7% employer contribution, 27 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, car leasing and cycle-to-work schemes, as well as NHS discounts on shopping, travel and leisure.

If you're ready to take the next step in your SLT career, with a drive to help shape a new service, we'd love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

To assess clients and to make a differential diagnosis on the basis of evidence from the assessments, seeking advice as appropriate.

To develop care plans and provide appropriate intervention using knowledge to inform sound clinical judgements/decision making for case management.

To provide advice to others regarding the management and care of clients/clients with communication and/or feeding and swallowing difficulties.

To work closely with clients, carers and families, agreeing decision making relevant to the client/client management, ensuring that clients are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their care plans (e.g. goal setting) whenever possible to ensure optimum outcomes.

To support MDT in carrying out mental capacity assessments for those with communication impairment and support more junior SLT staff in this process. To assume that all clients have the mental capacity to make informed choices unless the person has been assessed as unable to make a specific decision and this is recorded in the client\'s records.

To comply with the safeguarding policies of the Trust, ensuring all concerns, incidents and allegations are reported in line with this.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve.

Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trusts community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are deeply committed to our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence, and offer outstanding opportunities for career development, training, and collaborative working.

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust\'s Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
• Registered member RCSLT
• HCPC Licence to Practice
• Driving licence

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.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

£38,682 to £46,580 a yearBased on full time hours