Speech and Language Therapist - BEDFORDSHIRE

East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust (Cambridgeshire); Kempston; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working opportunities

Professional development / supervision

Job summary

East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust (Cambridgeshire) is recruiting a Band 5 Speech and Language Therapist for Bedfordshire. The post involves managing a defined caseload of children and young people with speech, language and communication needs across community, early years and education settings, with supervision and access to senior clinical advice.

You will undertake assessment, formulate and deliver evidence‑based interventions, engage with families and education staff, and

Qualifications

• Recognised SLT degree or equivalent.
• HCPC registration and RCSLT membership are essential.
• Commitment to continuing professional development and post‑registration paediatric training.

Responsibilities

• Manage and prioritise a defined caseload of children and young people across community, early years and education settings with regular supervision.
• Undertake assessment and formulate, plan, implement and monitor evidence‑based interventions.
• Collaborate with families, education staff and partner professionals to achieve goals and discharge or refer appropriately.

Skills

HCPC registration

RCSLT membership

SLT degree

CPD commitment

Education

Recognised SLT Degree or equivalent

Job description

Employer East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust (Cambridgeshire) Employer type NHS Site Woburn Court Town Bedford Salary £32,073 - £39,043 per annum, pro-rata Salary period Yearly Closing 07/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 19/10/2026

Speech and Language Therapist - BEDFORDSHIRE

Band 5

East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust delivers expert healthcare in people’s homes, community hospitals and local settings across the East of England.

Our nurses, therapists, clinicians, support teams and partners work together to provide coordinated care that supports independence, recovery and wellbeing. We believe people are best cared for close to home, in the communities where they live and belong.

By combining professional expertise with strong local relationships, we help people stay well, feel supported and access the right care at the right time. Expert healthcare, close to home, trusted by our communities.

Different ideas, experiences and backgrounds make us stronger and more creative and applications from all walks of life are welcomed. Our processes ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.

East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust is committed to creating a modern and inclusive work environment. We actively promote flexible working opportunities where possible to meet the needs and wishes of our workforce and maintain and improve their wellbeing. We also offer flexible working patterns and we would encourage you to discuss this with the recruiting manager before or during the application process if this would interest you.

We welcome applications from people who share our values and can help us deliver outstanding care in our local community.

Before applying for this vacancy, please make sure you’re familiar with ongoing GOV.uk sponsorship eligibility criteria which will impact the organisations ability to provide sponsorship, whether this is currently or in the future.

Please note, our selection processes are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right values and skills. Please be advised that the use of AI in applications is monitored. We remain watchful of candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn’t accurately reflect their skills.

Please note all new starters will be subject to a 6 month probationary period.

Job overview

We are excited to be developing the Experts at Hand (EaH) model across Bedfordshire and Luton, building on two years of work through the Change Programme with our local authority partners to test and refine new approaches within community Speech and Language Therapy. As part of this development, we are recruiting to a number of Band 5 Speech and Language Therapist posts across the area.

Postholders will work flexibly within locality and neighbourhood teams, contributing to an integrated universal, targeted and specialist offer across community, early years and education settings.

The role will include managing a defined caseload of children and young people with speech, language and communication needs, with regular supervision and access to senior clinical advice. Postholders will undertake assessment, formulation, intervention, consultation and collaborative planning with children, families, education staff and partner professionals.

Working with locality leads, SLTs, Support Practitioners and multidisciplinary partners, postholders will help strengthen early identification and support, build workforce capability and provide timely access to targeted and specialist Speech and Language Therapy.

Should we receive a high number of applications we reserve the right to close this vacancy at any point after 30-09-2026

Main duties of the job

Manage and prioritise a defined caseload of children and young people across community, early years and education settings, with regular supervision and access to senior support.

Undertake standardised and non-standardised assessment, integrate information from children, families and professionals, and identify speech, language and communication needs and their functional impact.

Make clinical decisions and differential diagnoses within the scope of Band 5 competence, seeking a second opinion or specialist advice when indicated.

Agree person-centred goals and develop, implement, monitor and evaluate evidence-based intervention plans, including appropriate discharge or onward referral.

Use outcome measures and the views of children and families to evaluate intervention and support shared decision making.

Maintain clear, contemporaneous clinical records and produce reports, care plans and contributions to statutory processes in line with service standards.

Recognise and elevate clinical, safeguarding, capacity or service-delivery risks through agreed pathways.

Working for our organisation

Rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.

There’s one reason why our services are outstanding – and that’s our amazing staff who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.

If you share our passion for innovative and high-quality care delivery, then please submit your application and join us on our exciting journey as a leading-edge specialist community provider. All are welcome to apply and our promise to you is a culture which prioritises staff engagement and development.

Please be aware that East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust will never ask applicants to pay fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including job applications, sponsorship arrangements, or employment offers. All recruitment communications and job applications should only be made through our official careers website and published contact details.

If you receive a suspicious job offer or recruitment-related communication, do not make any payments, share personal information, or provide identity documents. We encourage you to report the matter to your local police or relevant law enforcement agency. Any concerns relating to potential recruitment fraud should also be reported to our Local Counter Fraud Specialist (LCFS) as soon as possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Integrated Core Service and Experts at Hand Delivery

• Contribute to an integrated universal, targeted and specialist Speech and Language Therapy offer, working across core and Experts at Hand priorities according to locality need.
• Deliver targeted individual and group interventions and contribute to whole-setting approaches that support communication, participation and inclusion.
• Provide advice, consultation, modelling and coaching to parents, carers, education staff, early years practitioners and wider partners, with support from senior colleagues as required.
• Contribute to communication‑environment audits and support settings to implement agreed recommendations.
• Support the graduated response by helping settings identify need, implement appropriate strategies and understand when specialist Speech and Language Therapy advice or assessment is required.
• Participate in locality multidisciplinary meetings, Team Around the School arrangements and collaborative problem‑solving discussions where appropriate.
• Contribute to co‑production with children, young people, families, settings and communities, including groups who experience inequalities in access or outcomes.

Communication and Partnership Working

• Communicate clinical information clearly, sensitively and accessibly to children, families and professionals, including information that may be complex or distressing.
• Work collaboratively across health, education, social care and the voluntary sector to agree coordinated plans and shared outcomes.
• Develop positive working relationships characterised by openness, respect and constructive challenge.
• Adapt communication for cultural, linguistic, developmental and accessibility needs, using interpreting and accessible-information arrangements appropriately.
• Attend and contribute to reviews, case discussions, team meetings and other professional meetings relevant to the caseload and locality offer.
• Respond sensitively to concerns and initial complaints, seeking senior support and escalating where necessary.

Training, Supervision and Workforce Development

• Contribute to the planning, delivery and evaluation of training for parents, carers, education staff, early years practitioners and partner professionals.
• Provide task‑specific guidance, clinical support and supervision to Band 4 Support Practitioners, apprentices, assistants and volunteers where delegated and within own competence.
• Contribute to the learning of Speech and Language Therapy students, including observation opportunities and supported placement activity as agreed and subject to competency sign off.
• Participate actively in induction, preceptorship where applicable, appraisal, clinical supervision and continuing professional development.
• Maintain HCPC registration, professional competence and an up‑to‑date development portfolio in accordance with HCPC and RCSLT standards.

Service Development, Data and Digital Practice

• Contribute to implementation and evaluation of the Experts at Hand model and wider core‑service developments.
• Accurately record clinical activity, outcomes and impact using agreed digital and clinical systems.
• Participate in audit, quality improvement, service evaluation and agreed projects.
• Contribute feedback to the development of pathways, clinical guidance, standard operating procedures and patient‑facing resources.
• Use digital technology safely, effectively and accessibly, adhering to information‑governance, clinical‑safety and Trust requirements.
• Identify variation in demand, access or service delivery and inform the relevant locality lead of the likely impact.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Recognised S&LT Degree or equivalent
• HCPC registration
• RCSLT membership
• Evidence of commitment to continuing professional development.
• Relevant post‑registration paediatric course or training.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of developmental speech, language and communication needs and their functional impact.
• Knowledge of a range of assessment approaches and evidence‑based interventions appropriate to children and young people.
• Understanding of universal, targeted and specialist approaches to meeting speech, language and communication needs.
• Awareness of the SEND Code of Practice, graduated response, ordinarily available provision and reasonable adjustments.
• Understanding of safeguarding, confidentiality, information governance and professional accountability.
• Awareness of health inequalities and the cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic factors that influence access and engagement.
• Knowledge of consultation, coaching, training and communication‑supportive environments.
• Knowledge of outcome measurement, quality improvement and co‑production

Experience

• Relevant experience with children and young people gained through pre‑registration placements and/or post‑registration practice.
• Experience of assessing and supporting children with speech, language and communication needs.
• Experience of working collaboratively with parents, carers and professionals.
• Experience of multidisciplinary or multi‑agency working.
• Experience in early years, mainstream or special education settings.
• Experience of delivering groups, training, consultation or coaching.

Equal Opportunities - We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome all applications irrespective of age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race or religion. Additionally, people with disabilities that fall under the Disability Confident Scheme will be offered an interview providing they meet the minimum criteria for the post (outlined in the Person Specification). All sites are Smoke Free.

If you need this application in an offline format, please let us know.
Immigration Status – East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust is a diverse employer and welcomes all job applications. However, potential applicants should note that although the Trust is registered with the Home Office as a sponsor organisation for migrant workers, sponsorship can only be offered against eligible roles. If you are an applicant from outside the UK and do not already hold a self‑gained right to work, we recommend you check the Home Office eligibility requirements before making an application.

Please note: Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for some job roles, and this will be identified through filtering questions at the start of any job application on the Trac recruitment system.

Our safe recruitment pre‑employment checks are undertaken before an appointment is confirmed and may include a DBS check. Where the role requires you to drive, we'll ask you to validate your driving licence online via the DVLA.

Redeployment - Please note that in the first instance priority for this vacancy will be given to staff who are on the Trusts Redeployment Register.
Closing and Interview Dates -This vacancy may close early if sufficient applicants are received.

Data Protection - A privacy notice detailing how we will handle your data is attached to this advert as a document. Your application will be transferred to our recruitment management system (Trac) once the advert has closed and you will receive notification then detailing how Trac will handle your data.

ALL CORRESPONDENCE will be via the e‑mail address on your application form. If you have not been invited to interview within 2 weeks of the closing date, you unfortunately haven’t been successful on this occasion, but keep an eye on our vacancies as a job that’s just right for you may appear!

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.