Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

NHS Jobs; Warrington; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 6 Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to deliver whole-school training and provide specialist clinical support within Warrington and Halton. The role focuses on building staff capability to support children with speech, language and communication needs, while ensuring high-quality, evidence-based practice across educational settings.

The post offers flexible working arrangements, a supportive leadership team, and opportunities

Qualifications

• Qualified SLT with HCPC registration.
• Experience in education settings is beneficial.
• Band 6 level experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Deliver engaging whole-school training to education staff.
• Provide drop-in sessions in schools and guide referrals.
• Supervise Band 5 colleagues to ensure evidence-based practice.
• Evaluate service outcomes and demonstrate impact of Experts at Hand.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Team player

Coaching staff

Education

Speech and Language Therapy Degree

Job description

Go back North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (BCH)

Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

The closing date is 11 October 2026

re you anenthusiastic Band 6 Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) who ispassionate about helping children and young people achieve their potential?

As part of theexciting new Experts at Hand initiative, we are looking for 2 wte Band 6Speech and Language Therapists to work across Warrington and Halton.

You'll have theopportunity to make a real difference through delivering whole-school trainingand targeted interventions, modelling effective approaches and workingcollaboratively with education staff to create communication-friendlyenvironments. A key part of the role will be building the confidence and skillsof school staff to support children and young people with speech, language andcommunication needs within their everyday environments.

In our team,you'll benefit from a supportive team culture. We are proud of our approachable andexperienced leadership team, who prioritise staff wellbeing, work-life balanceand professional growth. We offer agile working, high-quality clinicalsupervision and excellent development opportunities.

Ifyou're motivated, innovative and excited by the opportunity to help shape a newinitiative, develop your skills and influence practice at a whole-school level,we'd love to welcome you to our team.

Main duties of the job

As a Band 6 Specialist Speech and Language Therapist withinthe innovative Experts at Hand service, you will play a key role inhelping schools develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to supportchildren and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

You will build the knowledge, skills and confidence ofeducation staff through the delivery of engaging whole-school training, as wellas training education staff to deliver targeted and evidence-based groupinterventions.

You will provide drop-in sessions within schools, helpingstaff to identify needs early, consider appropriate next steps and navigatereferral pathways, ensuring children receive support from the most appropriateservice at a universal, targeted or specialist level. Working collaborativelywith education staff, you will promote communication-friendly approaches, embedpractical strategies into everyday practice and contribute to the developmentof sustainable support within schools.

You will also provide clinical supervision, support andguidance to Band 5 colleagues working within the service, helping to ensurehigh-quality, evidence-based practice. In addition, you will support theevaluation of the service by measuring outcomes, monitoring impact anddemonstrating how the Experts at Hand model is improving confidence,practice and outcomes for children and young people.

About us

Flexible working will be considered for all roles.

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (NCM) serves more than one million residents across the Halton and Warrington boroughs and the wider North West region.

Bringing together community and out-of-hospital services (formerly provided by Bridgewater Community Healthcare) with inpatient and elective care (formerly Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals) we provide services at two hospital sites and more than 70 community hubs and facilities.

Our mission, vision and values are at the heart of North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (NCM).

They underpin everything we do and everything we aspire to be as an organisation.

Our mission

We will be exceptional for our patients, our communities and each other

Our vision

We will be a great organisation providing excellent healthcare and opportunities to work and learn

Our values

• Kind: We are caring, supportive and respectful to everyone
• Open: We are honest, transparent and open to new ways of working
• Fair: We listen, value our differences and are inclusive to all
• One team: We work well together and with our communities

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose:

TheSpeech and Language Therapist within Experts at Hand provides early,preventative and responsive support that strengthens inclusion, builds staffskills within educational settings, and helps children and young peopleparticipate fully in learning and school life. The role combines directtherapeutic expertise with coaching, consultation, and workforce development toachieve sustainable outcomes across whole educational communities

Thisrole will also involve some work within the core SLT service to provideassessment, diagnosis and treatment of children with communication disorders,including those with special needs in community settings, mainstream schoolsand special schools.

Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical Skills

To assess and diagnose children with communicationdisorders, including that…

To developand implement Speech and Language Therapy programmes for school staff toimplement and to evaluate outcomes

To take clinical responsibility for a variedpaediatric caseload of differing complexities and to organise this effectivelywith regard to clinical priorities and use of time.

To ensurethat clients are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their treatmentplans wherever possible.

To provideadvice and coaching to others regarding the management and care of clients withcommunication difficulties

To demonstrateclinical effectiveness by use of evidence based practice and outcome measures

To producereports regarding clients needs and summarising proposed treatment plans

To contributeto legal documents such as Education Health & Care Plans, IndividualEducation Plans and Annual Reviews

To adaptpractice to meet individual clients circumstances, including due regard forcultural and linguistic differences

To maintainup to date and accurate case notes in line with RCSLT professional standardsand local trust policies

To shareinformation with clients, carers and other professionals, observing dataprotection guidelines

To contributeto multi and uni-disciplinary teams to ensure a client focused approach totreatment

Tocommunicate complex information from assessment and treatment to clients,carers and other professionals

Tocommunicate effectively with the child or young person and their carers tomaximise treatment potential and ensure understanding of their condition. Addressing physical, psychological andemotional barriers to effective communication will be regularly required.

To workclosely with clients, carers and other professionals to negotiate and agreeclient management

Todemonstrate empathy with clients, carers and colleagues, ensuring thateffective communication is achieved, particularly where significant barriers tounderstanding exist

To respondensitively at all times particularly when imparting potentially distressinginformation regarding the nature of the clinical difficulties and theirimplications

Todemonstrate skills in motivating clients, carers and other professionals toengage in the therapeutic process

Todemonstrate negotiation skills in the management of conflict across a range ofsituations

To deal withinitial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible, in linewith North Cheshire and Mersey (NCM) Trust policy

To fosterproductive relationships with others who have challenging communicationdifficulties and may be under stress

To identifyappropriate strategies to facilitate and enhance the effectiveness ofcommunication, both verbal, non- verbal and environmental

To assess andadvise on optimising the clients communicative environment, taking intoconsideration the communication skills of carers and other professionals

To assess thecapacity of the child or young person to give valid, informed consent. To be able to work within a legal frameworkwith children and parents for consent to treatment.

Please see Full Job Description attached.

Person Specification

Relationships

• If you are related to a director or have a relationship with a director or employee of an appointing organisation, please state the relationship.

Job Specific Requirements

• The ability to travel independently across NCM Trust
• The ability to work flexibly in accordance with service needs, including on occasions evenings

Right to Work

• Do you currently have the unrestricted right to work in the UK?
• If appointed, will you require sponsorship under a UK work visa route (now or in the future)?
• Please note that sponsorship is not available for all roles. Sponsorship will only be considered where the post meets the relevant UK immigration requirements and where the organisation determines that sponsorship is appropriate for the role.

Skills and Knowledge

• nowledge of Code of Practice and
• Excellent interpersonal skills including
• observation, listening and empathy
• skills
• Negotiation and problem solving skills
• Demonstrates good analytical and
• Good presentation skills, both written
• and verbal
• Good organisational skills
• Good auditory skills and ability to
• transcribe speech phonetically
• Demonstrates ability to be a good team
• Member
• Knowledge of assessment tools
• relevant to the client group
• Knowledge of national policies and
• procedures (relevant to the client group)
• Well established knowledge of a range
• of appropriate therapeutic interventions
• (relevant to the client group)
• Understanding of the roles of other
• professionals (relevant to the group)
• Knowledge of standards of record keeping
• evidence of CPD
• Understanding of the
• principles of clinical
• governance/audit
• previous experience of NHS IT systems

Qualifications

• Recognised Speech and Language
• Therapy Degree Qualification or
• Equivalent
• Health Care Professions Council registration.
• RCSLT Licence to Practice
• Registered member
• of Royal College of
• Speech and
• Language
• Therapists
• Membership of
• Interest Groups
• Evidence of additional training / continuing professional development around specialist area

Experience

• Experience independently managing a
• wide range of communication disorders including communication linked to ASD, SLI, Fluency, Speech disorders including Dyspraxia, disorders existing
• alongside moderate and severe
• Experience working in collaboration, sharing strategies and implementing programmes
• and advice and coaching staff in mainstream / special schools
• Experience in day to day running of a community / mainstream /special school
• caseload and supporting newly qualified staff and assistants
• Involvement in
• training/coaching other
• Experience of supporting young people with communication disorders & coexisting ADHD
• Experience in designing and providing training
• Experience
• supporting social
• skills groups in community settings

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.

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (BCH)