Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Transformationunitgm; Welwyn Garden City; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in Hertfordshire is looking for a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist. This full-time position offers a chance to make a significant impact on children and young people's lives by assessing and intervening on their communication needs. Join a supportive team with opportunities for professional development and a focus on innovation and care.

Benefits

Generous annual leave (27 days, rising to 33)

Flexible working arrangements

Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 support

Cycle to Work and Car Lease Schemes

Health and wellbeing support including free flu jabs

Qualifications

• Experience working with children with speech, language and communication needs.
• Ability to manage a varied caseload across different settings.
• Post graduate training in area of work preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist assessment and intervention for CYP with speech and communication needs.
• Work collaboratively with professionals like SLT Assistants and Educational Psychologists.
• Contribute to the development of others through supervision.

Skills

Communication

Team Collaboration

Adaptability

Education

Recognised SLT degree qualification or equivalent

HCPC Licence to Practice

Fully Registered member of RCSLT

Job description

Main area Specialist Speech and Language Therapist Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 812-25-KWCYP17-B

Employer Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Howard Court Town Welwyn Garden City Salary £38,682 - £46,580 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 11/06/2025 23:59 Interview date 19/06/2025

Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Band 6

Job overview

Band 6 Specialist Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs)

Amazing things are happening in Hertfordshire and you could be part of the excitement! Are you ready to take your SLT career to the next level? Come and thrive with us here at Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT).

If you would like to work within the beautiful county of Hertfordshire, we have full and part time roles available. Thanks to additional investment in our Children and Young People’s (CYP) Speech and Language Therapy service, we are growing – and we want you to grow with us.

· Do you want to make a difference to CYP with communication needs?

· Do you want to help empower education staff and parents/carers to help CYP reach their full potential?

· Do you want to develop your clinical skills within a diverse, dynamic and experienced team?

If you have answered yes, then you might just be our next SLT superstar.

We have sessions available in our community and schools teams, in both mainstream and specialist settings, and our posts are across Hertfordshire. Our central bases are in: Hemel Hempstead, St Albans, Watford, Hertford, Waltham Cross and Stevenage. We offer flexibility to shape your role based on your clinical interests, so if you are interested in specialist areas such as Autism, DLD, speech disorder, deafness, dysphagia, or something else entirely, we’ll help you to carve out a path that excites you.

*Proposed interview date: 19 June 2025*

Main duties of the job

These roles offer the opportunity to work with a varied caseload within mainstream schools, specialist settings, and community clinics, supporting children and young people aged 0–18 with a wide range of communication needs.

As a Band 6 SLT, you will:

• Provide specialist assessment and intervention for CYP with speech, language and communication needs.
• Work collaboratively with a range of professionals including SLT Assistants, Educational Psychologists, SENCOs and teaching assistants
• Contribute to the development of others through supervision
• Be part of a highly skilled, friendly and values-driven team

Whether you’re looking to deepen your expertise or take on more responsibility, we’ll support you every step of the way .

As part of our team, you will benefit from:

• A structured induction period, including buddy support and shadowing opportunities
• Regular clinical and managerial supervision and a well-established appraisal system
• CPD opportunities such as Bitesize tutorials, peer review and CENs, to help develop clinical knowledge and skills in a specialist area of practice
• Opportunities to develop leadership skills and to supervise less experienced members of staff
• Regular clinical support groups, team meetings, and 'Celebrating our Service' away days
• Support through a Preceptorship programme in the first few months of joining
• Being involved in quality improvement and service development projects
• Access to mentoring and coaching support if needed

Working for our organisation

We’re delighted that you're exploring a career with HCT. As an organisation we’re committed to creating an inclusive, supportive, and rewarding work environment — one where you’ll feel valued and empowered to make a real difference.

At HCT, we put patients and their families/carers at the heart of everything we do. Our vision is simple yet powerful: Outstanding Services and Healthier Communities. Our dedicated staff take pride in being Innovative, Caring, and Agile, working together to turn this vision into reality.

Working with us comes with a host of benefits designed to support your wellbeing and work-life balance:

• Generous annual leave (27 days rising to 33 with long service)
• Flexible working arrangements to help balance personal/ professional life, including up to 5 days carers leave (pro rata)
• Employee Assistance Programme offering 24/7 confidential support for personal/work-related issues
• Cycle to Work and Car Lease Schemes
• Blue Light Card and NHS Discounts on a wide range of shopping, holidays, and services
• Health and wellbeing support , including free flu jabs, Physio referrals, eye care vouchers, regular wellness newsletters/clinics
• Occupational Pension Scheme with competitive benefits
• Enhanced sick pay above statutory entitlements

We celebrate diversity and actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds, ages, and communities to apply.

You've taken a fantastic first step by considering HCT. We’re excited about the possibility of welcoming you to our team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see Job Description attached, which details the responsibilities within this post.

HCT provides integrated Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Services for families across the county of Hertfordshire. Our service is jointly commissioned by health and education, allowing us to provide a seamless pathway of care from early years through to schools, specialist provisions and further education settings. We have excellent joint working relationships with our partners in education and a wide range of stakeholders, and we work in partnership with them to deliver interventions at Universal, Targeted and Specialist levels across Hertfordshire. This successful working relationship has helped contribute towards us being awarded with this new investment.

The SLT service in Hertfordshire is long established, and we have a reputation for being forward thinking and committed to ongoing service improvement. We embrace change and are driven by the evidence base, neuro-affirming approaches and functional, communication friendly practices.

Are you a self-motivated, adaptable and innovative SLT?

Do you share our passion and commitment to achieving positive outcomes for CYP with speech, language and communication needs?

Do you have excellent communication and organisational skills?

If so, we would welcome your application for a Band 6 SLT role within our service. We welcome applications from SLTs with strong clinical skills and a proactive approach.

Whether you’re just curious or ready to apply, we’d love to chat with you. Informal conversations and visits are more than welcome.

What a team member says:

“I love working in CYP Therapies - there is an ethos of peer support and encouragement & sharing learning; there is a sense of belonging and always time for a quick chat… and plenty of laughs. I feel valued here and I value my lovely colleagues and the fabulous children & young people we work with.”

Come and join a team where your voice matters – and so does every child’s.

In addition to the basic salary, this post attracts a High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of basic salary subject to a minimum payment of£1,258 and a maximum payment of £2,122 per annum pro rata(pro rata where applicable and dependent on base location) .

A full valid driving licence and access to a car to use regularly for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

If there’s high interest in this role, we may close applications earlier than the ad vertised deadline — so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Word versions of documents are available if needed to allow for any adaptations to be made i.e. font, colour, background, convert to Read Aloud.

Whilst it is not a legal requirement, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust encourages and supports all it’s staff to be vaccinated as this remains the best line of defence against COVID-19.

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

• Recognised SLT degree qualification or equivalent (Post Graduate Diploma or MSc in Speech and Language Therapy leading to registration with HCPC)
• HCPC Licence to Practice
• Fully Registered member of RCSLT
• Post graduate training in area of work, internal or external

Clinical knowledge and experience

• Describe your experience working with children with speech, language and communication needs. Include the types of assessments and interventions you’ve used, and how you tailor your approach to individual needs?
• How do you prioritise and manage a varied caseload across different settings? Share any tools or strategies you use
• How do current health and education policies impact on the service you deliver
• What training have you delivered to parents/carers/teachers or other professionals? What methods did you use to ensure it was effective and accessible?

Skills and Abilities

• Describe your experience of supervising, supporting or mentoring others, e.g. SLT students; SLT Assistants or peers
• Tell us how you ensure you are making appropriate clinical decisions within your practice
• HCT's values are Caring, Innovative, and Agile. Can you provide an example of how you have demonstrated these values in your practice?
• Tell us about your communication skills and how you use these in your every day work
• Give an example of a time you worked collaboratively within a MDT. How did your input contribute to a shared goal or plan?

Other

• Hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010)

We will communicate any interview arrangements with applicants via e-mail so it is advisable that you check the email address you give on your application on a regular basis.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band. All new appointments (excluding Medical & Dental roles) are subject to a 26 week probation period.

We are proud to be an armed forces friendly employer and support the employment of the armed forces community, including veterans, spouses and partners. For more information, contact [e-mail]

Applications from qualified job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications, subject to you meeting minimum criteria of the role and salary threshold. Please visit the Gov.UK website for detail.

If applicable to the role, staff are required to hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car to use with business insurance (unless the member of staff has a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

In submitting an application form, you authorise Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Electronic Staff Record Inter Authority Transfer process should you be appointed to the post.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.