Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Integrated Care System; Colchester; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health service provider in the UK seeks a Specialist Speech & Language Therapist to join their Essex Learning Disability Partnership. You will assess and treat service users with communication difficulties and manage a diverse caseload. The ideal candidate will hold a degree in Speech and Language Therapy and demonstrate expertise in evidence-based practices, ensuring quality care and positive outcomes for clients. Competitive salary from £37,338 to £44,962 per year with professional development support.

Qualifications

• Specialist knowledge in speech and language therapy assessments.
• Experience in a learning disability setting required.
• Able to manage dysphagia and communication needs.

Responsibilities

• Assess, diagnose and develop treatment plans.
• Manage a diverse caseload with evidence-based principles.
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Skills

Clear and effective communication

Evidence-based practice knowledge

Team dynamics understanding

Education

Degree in Speech and Language Therapy

Registration with HCPC

Member of the RCSLT

Evidence of continuing professional development

Job description

Go back Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

The closing date is 11 August 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and innovative Speech & Language Therapist (SLT) to work within the Essex Learning Disability Partnership in North Essex offering SLT assessment and intervention for service users with a learning disability, mental health issues and complex needs.

You will be forward thinking and able to demonstrate clinical knowledge in the area of adult learning disabilities based on current evidence. You will autonomously undertake specialist assessments and interventions with individuals with both communication difficulties and/or dysphagia.

You will receive regular clinical supervision and support from the Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist and peers. You will be actively encouraged to participate in continuing professional development activities.

The post holder will be line managed within the Essex Learning Disability Partnership Team and will be professionally accountable to the Highly Specialist SLT in Learning Disabilities.

All staff should comply with the Trust's Anti-Discriminatory Statement, Employee Charter, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity

Main duties of the job

To manage a diverse caseload, using evidence-based, person-centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions

To provide this service-to-service users with communication and/or dysphagia difficulties

To work as a member of the multidisciplinary team

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.

Our family of over 4000 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.

The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Our Trust values are:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!

Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?

Job responsibilities

To assess, diagnose and develop treatment plans for service users within the ELDP, including those with profound learning disabilities, additional sensory and/or physical disability, mental health diagnosis and/or challenging behaviour.

To be responsible for managing a defined caseload

To select and apply SLT assessments for a designated caseload, addressing communication needs.

To assess, diagnose and develop treatment plans for service users presenting with communication difficulties and/or dysphagia.

To work with service users and carers to identify SLT requirements as part of the overall care plan

To plan and implement individual interventions, in collaboration with the service user and carer

To monitor, evaluate and modify interventions with service users to ensure effectiveness of intervention and positive outcomes

To be responsible for reviewing and discharging service users, writing assessment reports for a variety of audiences.

To instruct and advise Assistant Therapy Practitioners (ATP) in the appropriate provision of interventions

To have knowledge and understanding of the application of alternative and augmentative communication

To be an autonomous practitioner

To have the skills needed to facilitate group work

To undertake risk assessments and manage clinical and organisational riskTo autonomously manage a more complex caseload including service users with dysphagia.

To work with and be available to other SLTs and ATPs for support and joint consultation as required

To contribute towards development of communication and dysphagia pathways within the service.

To review and reflect on you own practice and performance through effective use of professional and operational supervision and appraisal

To exercise good personal time management, punctuality and reliable attendance

To co-ordinate day-to-day activities of junior staff where applicable

To participate in the induction, training and education of students and other staff as appropriate

To participate in supervision of Band 4 or 5 staff as appropriate

To apply knowledge and skills to make decisions in the absence of senior staff

Person Specification

QUALIFICATIONS/EDUCATION/TRAINING

• Degree in Speech and Language Therapy
• Registration with HCPC
• Member of the RCSLT
• Evidence of continuing professional development

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

• Specialist knowledge and application of speech and language therapy assessments and interventions
• Detailed knowledge of evidence-based practice and its contribution to practice governance
• Planning and coordination of treatment packages
• Experience of working within a learning disability setting
• Experience of managing a caseload (either both dysphagia and/or communication) caseload

SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/ABILITY

• Clear and effective communication through written, verbal and non-verbal modes
• Broad knowledge of current best practice in SLT, learning disabilities and mental health
• Understanding of team dynamics

PHYSICAL SKILLS

• Basic word processing skills
• Car driver (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 which prevents you from driving)

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.

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

£37,338 to £44,962 a yearper annum pro rata