Speech & Language Therapist for Acute Services

Integrated Care System; Radlett; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare organization in the UK seeks a Senior Speech and Language Therapist to lead patient-centered care initiatives across multiple inpatient wards. This role involves shaping policy and guiding a dedicated team, as well as providing vital coaching and clinical expertise. Candidates should have relevant qualifications, substantial experience in mental health settings, and a passion for improving patient outcomes.

Qualifications

• Evidence of clinical post registration training.
• Awareness of Eating, Drinking and Swallowing (dysphagia) needs.
• First line management training.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation of the SASO strategy.
• Provide expert clinical practice and leadership.
• Promote co-production to manage enhanced observation.

Skills

Clinical practice expertise

Leadership

Coaching skills

Education

BSc/MSc/PG Dip Speech and Language Therapy

HCPC registration

Membership of RCSLT

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Go back Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Speech & Language Therapist for Acute Services

The closing date is 18 August 2025

Are you passionate about making a real impact in healthcare through compassionate, patient-centred care? We're seeking an experienced Senior Speech and Language Therapist (SSLT) to lead transformative change in reducing restrictive practices within our healthcare setting. This role offers the chance to shape patient care, influence policy, and lead a dedicated team focused on dignity and autonomy.

The SSLT will be at the forefront of transforming in-patient services into models of least restrictive, person-centered care. This dynamic leader will drive evidence-based practices and set professional standards, especially for complex cases involving challenging behaviours and enhanced observations. As an autonomous practitioner, the SSLT will deliver advanced clinical expertise, offering vital coaching, feedback, and support to empower clinical teams.

The SSLT will be part of a team spearheading the Trust's Safe and Supportive Observations strategy, promote therapeutic, recovery-focused interventions, and lead crucial 14+ day independent reviews. Their impact will extend to shaping educational programs and clinical guidelines, ensuring our staff possess up-to-date skills and knowledge.

Providing expertise across the Trust, the SSLT will contribute to the Safety, Experience and Effectiveness committees.

Main duties of the job

As our new Senior Speech and Language Therapist, you'll step into a vibrant, supportive team where we empower each other to be the best version of ourselves, all for the benefit of those we care for. This role offers the exciting opportunity to make a real difference across our Mental Health and Learning Disability inpatient wards, spanning the diverse regions of Hertfordshire, Essex, and Norfolk.

In this pivotal position, you'll be instrumental in shaping the future of our Trust's approach to enhanced observations. We recognise that while keeping service users safe is paramount, traditional observation practices can sometimes feel counter intuitive and infringe upon human rights. That's where your expertise comes in. You'll lead the charge in reviewing current practices, guiding our wards towards reducing unnecessary observation levels, and driving the Trust's progressive new approach.

This role isn't just about staying in one place--your influence will be felt across all our inpatient wards, requiring you to travel regularly. A car will be essential as you bring your vision and leadership to every corner of the Trust.

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

In your new role you will:

Lead the implementation of the SASO strategy which includes leadership of relevant stakeholders recruited to the programme.

Involvement in the development of the Trust SASO educational programme ensuring that the national standards are adhered to.

Provide expert clinical practice and leadership for SASO , which will involve providing clinical advice, coaching support and constructive challenge to colleagues in respect to service users on high level of observation and encouraging the least restrictive option wherever possible.

To promote co-production to manage enhance observation which would involve working closely and communicating with service users, their families and carers.

For more detailed information on the position, please access the Job Description and Person Specification documents provided. Secondments welcome

Person Specification

QUALIFICATIONS EDUCATION TRAINING

• BSc/MSc/PG Dip Speech and Language Therapy
• HCPC registration
• Evidence of clinical post registration training
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office and associated packages
• Awareness of Eating, Drinking and Swallowing (dysphagia) needs
• Membership of RCSLT
• First line management training
• Dysphagia Training

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

• Experience of working with people with mental health problems and/or learning disability in a variety of health and social care settings
• Applied experience of providing both individual and group work interventions
• Highly Specialist knowledge and experience of using and applying Speech and Language Therapy assessment tools and interventions
• Documented evidence of continuing professional development
• Experience in providing advice, support and clinical supervision to junior staff and/or students
• Post registration experience in acute mental health
• Experience in research or audit
• Previous experience of having worked at Band 7 level

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

£50,008 to £56,908 a yearper annum, pro rata (inclusive of 5% HCAS)