Specialist Speech & Language Therapist- Cleft

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; Truro; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Part time

Job summary

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Specialist Speech & Language Therapist (Cleft) to join our community SLT team in Cornwall. The role focuses on cleft palate pathway development within 0–18 services, with home and clinic visits across Cornwall and flexible working options.

You will work with the clinical lead for cleft, liaise with Bristol and contribute to service improvements while supporting multidisciplinary teams and families.

Qualifications

• Degree in Speech and Language Therapy and HCPC registration.
• Experience with cleft palate and lip in children.
• Experience with autism and complex needs.
• Ability to work in multidisciplinary teams.
• Leadership or supervision experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist SLT services to 0–18 mixed community caseload with cleft focus.
• Support clinical lead for cleft and manage the SW cleft pathway.
• Deliver assessment, intervention, and training for families and staff.
• Collaborate with Bristol cleft service and lead quality improvement projects.
• Be flexible about location within Central or West Locality.

Skills

Cleft palate expertise

Pediatrics

Clinical leadership

Team collaboration

Education

Degree in Speech and Language Therapy

HCPC registration

RCSLT membership

Newly Qualified Practitioner Competencies

Tools

Technology enabled care

Job description

Specialist Speech & Language Therapist- Cleft

Band 6

Main area Speech & Language Therapist Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent: Part time would be considered Hours

• Full time
• Part time

37.5 hours per week Job ref 201-26-746

Site To be discussed at interview Town To be confirmed: either Truro, Newquay, Cambourne Salary £39,959 - £48,117 Per Annum/Pro Rota Salary period Yearly Closing 24/08/2026 23:59

Thank you for your interest in joining us at Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

We pride ourselves in striving to be an employer of choice.

Strategic Themes

Great Care

• Care based on what matters to people.
• Care provided at home or close to home.
• Improvement through learning, research and innovation.
• Prevention and alternatives to hospital.

Great Organisation

• Buildings that support health and wellbeing.
• Technology enabled care.
• Care teams are supported by responsive corporate services.
• Safe, efficient, effective and productive.

Great People

• A place people love to work and feel valued.
• Living our values with staff (all voices count).
• Attract, grow and develop talent.
• Leaders with compassion, who continuously learn and listen.

Great Partner

• Encourage and enable effective partnerships.
• Joined-up community services.
• Work with others to maximise workforce opportunities.
• Reduce our impact on the environment.

At the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s job share, part time or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a ‘home’ office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Job overview

The Cornwall Children's Community Speech and Language Therapy service has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Speech and Language Therapist to join our service due to new investment. This is a perfect opportunity for someone either looking to relocate or step into a specialist role.

You will hold a 0- 18 years old mixed community caseload and offer support to children and their families through clinic appointments, setting visits and home visits in Cornwall. The service offers both assessment and intervention, in addition to consultation and training.

As part of your specialist role, we are looking for someone with an interest in and experience working with children with cleft palate and lip. You will support our clinical lead for cleft manage the SW cleft pathway in liaison with the Bristol cleft service, with quality improvement projects related to the cleft pathway and develop your specialist skills within cleft in order to support other SaLT colleagues.

There is flexibility within the location of this post and whether it sits within our Central, or West Locality teams. This will be discussed at interview.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for someone who

• is passionate and knowledgeable about speech sound disorder
• has experience working with children with cleft palate and lip
• has experience working with a range of clinical needs and knowledge of the education system
• enjoys working on service development projects with their peers
• has some experience mentoring or supervising either student SaLTs or support workers

Working for our organisation

We’re an NHS community and mental health provider Trust based in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We deliver community and hospital-based care to improve people’s physical and mental health. We also provide specialist support to people with dementia or a learning disability.

We are a people organisation and people matter to us. As part of the team, you'll help support the health and wellbeing of the people who live and visit this beautiful part of the UK.

Over 5,000 people make up the Trust. This includes doctors, nurses, therapists, plus admin and support staff.

We work in people's homes, in community clinics and bases. Some staff work from one of our 10 community hospitals. Our aspiration is to have great people, provide great care, be a great place to work and a great partner.

Just over 532,000 people live here. A third of people who live in Cornwall are supported by acute hospital services in Devon. As a result, we also work closely with our partners in Devon. In the summer, and during other holidays lots of people choose to visit the area. This increases the numbers of people who use our services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To view a detailed job description and person specification including the main responsibilities of this role please see ‘supporting documents’.

Person specification

Qualification/Education

• Degree in Speech and Language Therapy (or equivalent qualification).
• Fully signed-off the Newly Qualified Practitioner Competencies as set out by the Royal College of Speech Language Therapists.
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Membership of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Experience

• Clinical experience of working with autism, other neurodevelopmental disorders, and with children and young people with complex conditions and needs
• Experience of working with multi-disciplinary and multi-agency teams, with an understanding of team roles and professional roles
• Some experience of leadership –coordinating a team/project and supporting them/it clinically and professionally.

At Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust we are proud to prioritise the development of our people. To support this, the following opportunities are available:

• Career conversations and individual development plans for succession planning and talent management
• Protected CPD time for registered staff
• Access to a dedicated central development fund supporting CPD for all staff
• Leadership and Management development programmes
• Coaching and mentoring opportunities
• A full clinical induction programme for operational skills
• Access to a care certificate programme for our band 1-4 clinical staff
• A bespoke and robust preceptorship programme to support newly qualified staff

Being part of a successful NHS Foundation Trust brings a portfolio of rewards and benefits for our staff. These include:

• Suite of health and wellbeing initiatives to support our colleagues physical and mental health
• Free access to individual HARP portfolios to support revalidation for nursing staff
• Free DBS checks where required
• Discounts available from retailers, UK hotels and main attractions
• Salary sacrifice car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• The Trust reimburses all application costs for staff eligible to apply for EU settlement status.

The Trust reserves the right to close this advert once a sufficient number of applications have been submitted. It is encouraged that you complete the application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage of the recruitment process you will be contacted via TRAC.jobs email regarding interview details.

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust welcomes and values individuals with lived experience of mental or physical ill health joining our workforce. We aspire to have a culture that develops, promotes and supports lived experience roles - throughout the organisation.

If you are successful, you agree to Occupational Health accessing your health records from your current or previous employer to check the status of your inoculations and screening tests. Appointments are subject to full three year satisfactory references therefore please ensure you include correct contact details for your nominated referees including email addresses.

Any general recruitment queries, please contact our recruitment team on 01208 834644

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.

Name Ysanne Yeatman Job title Operational lead Email address [e-mail] Additional information

This is a community-based role that requires frequent travel to various locations throughout the county including areas that may not be accessible by public transportation. Successful candidates will need to demonstrate how they will manage these travel requirements.

Please note: If you need sponsorship, please check the requirements for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) on the gov.uk website to see if you're eligible before applying.

We are not accepting any communication from Recruitment Agencies at the current time. Please refrain from Sending the Trust CV’s as this does not count as an introduction.

The Health Jobs UK website has jobs from numerous employers, within health and care across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust provides acute medical, surgical and specialist services to a population of around 500,000 which can increase significantly during the busy holiday periods.