Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

NHS; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 51,000

Job description

Job summary

This post provides an exciting development opportunity for an experienced speech & language therapist to take on the autism clinical lead role, leading our newly developed autism pathway.

0.6 WTE (22.5 hours per week) Band 7 SLT post

You will be working closely with your Service Lead and the Service Manager to continue developing our autism pathway and providing clinical support to the staff working on the pathway.

The SLT service supports a variety of speech, language & communication and/or dysphagia needs, covering community & specialist settings across the city & county for children & young people with developmental conditions/delay.

SLTs provide individual assessment, individual & group therapy and management, training, advice and liaison through consultative & coaching approaches, as appropriate.

SLTs work as part of the wider multi-disciplinary team providing high quality, effective, accessible, person & family-centred services through tailored packages of care, training & mentoring in the most appropriate setting.

Nottingham Children's Speech & Language Therapy service is a supportive, friendly place to work and we offer excellent CPD opportunities.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will oversee the clinical delivery of the autism pathway, one of three clinical pathways in the service.

As the clinical lead, you will share your expert clinical knowledge with the team and wider service. You will design packages of care and have an excellent knowledge of the evidence base with regard to autism.

You will join our band 7 leadership team, driving forward transformation work within your pathway and the service as a whole.

You will be responsible for carrying out supervision and appraisals for staff working on the pathway and will contribute to leadership and service planning for the wider SLT service.

You will identify and co-ordinate the training required by staff working on the autism pathway, in order to provide high quality therapeutic interventions.

You will also lead on strategic developments within your specialism/setting/district in liaison with the service manager.

The post-holder will be expected to maintain a clinical caseload, which will include some of the most complex children and families on the autism pathway.

About us

#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire.

We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.

We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.

The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.

The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment.

Date posted

28 March 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£43,742 to £50,056 a year per annum (pro rata for part-time)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

186-379-25-GH

Job locations

Children's Development Centre, City Hospital, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB

Job description Job responsibilities

The post holder will provide highly specialist clinical expertise and leadership within their specialism/setting/district, ensuring that children with speech, language and communication needs and their families benefit from a well-coordinated, pro-active, specialist, efficient, and effective speech and language therapy service.

They will also have experience of supervising SLT assistants and less experienced SLTs.

There is close support from other team members with a peer supervision programme also available. We are a large Nottinghamshire county-wide service which provides opportunities to further develop specialist skills and knowledge.

You will be taking on a leadership role in the service at a really exciting time. We are currently transforming our SLT service. We are keen to innovate and develop to ensure that we are meeting the current and future needs of our children and families. We have already started the process of developing a clear vision and values for our service.

You must have a:

1. Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification
2. Health Professions Council License to Practice

We work out of a number of bases across Nottinghamshire and can offer flexibility as to where the post-holder is based. The post-holder will be required to travel out from the base to attend training events, meetings, community visits etc. However, there has been an increase in efficiency with the opportunity for some home working, when required, and the use of digital technology allows meetings and supervision to take place via Microsoft Teams. This platform has also been used to provide individual patient assessment and management, and group education.

Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

• Highly specialist applied knowledge of working with children with autism
• A broad knowledge of the evidence base for communication approaches for autistic children
• Knowledge of the SEND code of practice and EHCP process

Desirable

• Applied leadership knowledge

Experience

Essential

• Working experience of managing a complex caseload of children and young people with complex communication needs
• Experience of supporting students and other staff
• Experience of leading/managing project work
• Experience of writing EHCP reports
• Experience of designing and delivering different learning and development opportunities
• Experience of contributing to SLT service development
• Experience in developing evaluation/audit tools and resources as part of SLT team
• Experience of delivering environmental approaches to SLT service delivery and evaluating them

Desirable

• Experience of leading a team
• Experience of working with a variety of stakeholders and influencing service delivery
• Experience of carrying out multi-disciplinary autism diagnostic assessments
• Experience of contributing to SEND tribunals

Qualifications

Essential

• Recognised Speech & Language Therapy Degree Qualification.
• Health Professions Council - Licence to Practice

Desirable

• Teaching/training qualification
• Leadership qualification e.g. Mary Seacole

Skills

Essential

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Well organised and able to prioritise a busy workload
• Leadership skills
• Team builder and team member
• Autonomous and able to work without direct supervision
• Reflective practitioner

Contractual Requirements

Essential

• A full UK driving licence and vehicle for business use is required for this post; however, reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Values and Behaviours

Essential

• All staff should be able to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as identified within the Trust's Equality and Diversity Policy and associated Equality, Diversity and Human Rights legislation
• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust, Honesty, Respect, Compassion, Teamwork

Training

Essential

• Portfolio of relevant post qualification CPD including highly specialist knowledge of Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)

Desirable

• ADOS trained
• More Than Words trained

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name: Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Children's Development Centre, City Hospital, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB

Employer's website

https://www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/