Speech and Language Therapist

NHS; Greater London; On-site; GBP 51,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization is seeking a Speech and Language Therapist in Greater London. This full-time position involves working with patients who have complex communication and swallowing needs in both community and inpatient settings. The ideal candidate will have a relevant degree, registration with professional bodies, and experience within multidisciplinary teams. The salary range is £51,883 to £58,544 annually, with opportunities for professional development.

Qualifications

• Experience assessing and treating clients with complex psychological needs.
• Experience as part of a Multi-Disciplinary Team.
• Experience developing training packages and resources.

Responsibilities

• Provide Speech and Language Therapy assessment and intervention.
• Autonomously manage a caseload within the FIND Team.
• Participate in MDT reviews and triage referrals.

Skills

Knowledge of associated eating/swallowing & communication difficulties

Ability to undertake complex assessment

Experience working with adults with LD/ASD

Education

BSc or postgraduate MSc in Speech and Language Therapy

Registered with Health Professions Council

Job description

Go back South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Speech and Language Therapist

The closing date is 09 December 2025

This is an exciting and unique opportunity to join the newly developed Forensic Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (FIND) Community Team in South London and Maudsley (SLaM).

The FIND Team will provide safe transition for inpatients discharged from the inpatient Forensic Services to the community providing specialist assessment, treatment and consultation to Forensic Service in order to ensure a smooth, safe & clinically justified pathway to individuals with mental illness, offending history and learning disability with or without neurodevelopmental disorder.

The three forensic services of SLaM, South West London, St Georges (SWLSTG), and Oxleas together comprise the South London Mental Health and Community Partnership (SLP). The SLP's goals centre on bringing care closer to home, improving patient pathways and outcomes. The SLP has a track record of delivering highly effective, clinically informed service developments in order to better meet the needs of service‑users. The SLaM FIND Team will work closely with the FIND Teams in each of the other Trusts in order to expedite service‑user's transition through inpatient settings to community provision.

The post will also work one day a week in inpatient services providing expert assessment, care planning and risk assessment to patients referred for SLT input. Forensic inpatient services in SLaM cover River House and Chaffinch at the Bethlem site and Ward in Community which is moving to the Bethlem Site.

Main duties of the job

To provide specialist interventions including specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.

Have oversight of a small caseload managed in partnership with the Multi-Disciplinary team (MDT). The MDT team is a team of multi professionals with specialist skills and experience with the client group.

One day a week lead a SLT clinic in Forensic inpatient services covering River House, Chaffinch and Ward in the Community.

To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.

To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate.

To promote service evaluation, audit and research.

To scope clinical gaps for people with Learning Disabilities and Autism in Forensic Services.

To work as an autonomous professional within registration body guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by the policies and procedures of the service, taking responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions with support of clinical supervisor.

To offer training as required.

To be active in the provision of staff support within their area, including but not limited to Critical Incident Staff Support and Reflect-Support-Resolve. To participate, as a recipient, in staff support work when appropriate.

About us

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good'.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone's potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

Job responsibilities

FIND Team:

• To provide Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) assessment and intervention to service users who have a variety of complex communication and/or swallowing needs. This will include adults with Learning disability, Autism and/or mental health conditions or behaviours that challenge.
• To autonomously manage a caseload in the FIND Team and carry out assessments, interventions and give advice regarding the daily management of service users to the MDT.
• To work as part of the MDT in the management and care delivery of service users and to participate in MDT reviews.
• To work with the MDT to triage referrals to the service.
• To identify training needs and assist in developing new resources accordingly.
• To develop and run groups for people accessing the FIND team.
• To participate in the clinical training of SLT students.

Forensic inpatient services:

• To provide specialist assessments, formulations and interventions for individuals and their support network where the identified in River House, Chaffinch and Ward in the community.
• To provide culturally appropriate interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
• To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
• To provide reports, including relevant formulation, opinion and interventions, in order to inform referrers and, where appropriate, service users and their families.
• To select and deliver evidence-based specialist interventions, drawing from a spectrum of ideas and models, monitoring outcome and modifying and adapting interventions as necessary, based on the highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, couple, family or group.
• To promote support for carers (or families as appropriate) of referred clients.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc or recognised post graduate MSc or diploma in Speech and Language Therapy
• Registration with the Health Professions Council
• Registration with RCSLT
• Relevant training in completing ASD and ADHD Assessments

Experience

• Experience of working as an SLT with adults with LD/ASD in communication
• Experience of receiving clinical supervision across a range of client needs.
• Experience of assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature.
• Experience of Forensic inpatient or community services.
• Working as part of MDT
• supervision of students
• Working with people with communication difficulties
• Developing training packages and resources
• Active membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Networks or other SLT groups

Knowledge/skills

• Knowledge of associated eating/swallowing & communication difficulties presented by people with LD/ASD (A&I). Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for approaches to neurodevelopmental conditions.
• Working knowledge of the Learning Disability and or Autism Programme including Transforming Care
• Ability to undertake complex assessment and use to create and adapt person-centred care plans
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
• To select and administer specialist therapeutic assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.
• Knowledge of associated eating/swallowing & communication difficulties presented by people with mental health difficulties

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.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Community Teams and Bethlem Royal Hospital

Salary

£51,883 to £58,544 a year per annum inclusive of HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

334-CLI-7253829-B

Job locations

Community Teams and Bethlem Royal Hospital