Job summary
- Main area
- Speech & Language Therapy - Community Services
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job ref
- 350-CC7417388
- Employer
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Livingston Drive Health Centre
- Town
- Liverpool
- Salary
- £38,682 - £46,580 Per Annum / Pro Rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 28/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Band 6
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Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust celebrates diversity and promotes equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from ethnically diverse, disabled and LGBTQIA+ people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces personnel as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.
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Job overview
Are you seeking a speech & language therapy role within a well-established team of skilled and experienced clinicians? If you want to
develop your own clinical skills with a varied range of clients in the community this could be the post for you. We are looking to recruit a
permanent, Band 6 Specialist SLT.
This role gives the post holder a unique opportunity to work with a large group of specialist Speech and Language Therapists as they develop their knowledge and skills.
Our Speech & Language Therapists work with adults who have communication and/or swallowing difficulties.
We work in community settings, including clinics and home visits.
We work remotely where it is beneficial but also use our base to see patients and hold line management and supervision sessions.
We value CPD and carry out robust clinical supervision and appraisals to encourage therapists’ specialist interests and innovation.
The team has Assistant Practitioners who provide treatment plans and training. The team is led by an operational manager and we have excellent AHP support within Mersey Care leadership.
This post would suit someone who is looking to develop their skills within a community setting or perhaps someone who is interested in
broadening their clinical skills with a more varied caseload.
Main duties of the job
To provide evidence-based Speech and Language Therapy assessment and intervention to service users who have communication and/or eating and drinking difficulties. These occur as a consequence of physical and mental health conditions such as: Learning Disability, Motor Neurone Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia and Mental Illness.
The caseload may cover the whole spectrum of communication disorders, e.g., non-verbal communication, dysfluency, high level language / social use of language and voice as applicable to the service.
The role will be integrated within the therapy team and will work with the team to develop person-centred care plans.
Supervision will be provided by a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist.
Working for our organisation
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To participate as a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist with specific responsibility to assess and treat adults with complex health needs.
To be responsible for the delivery of specialist assessment, diagnosis, treatment, delivery and evaluation of evidence-based Speech and Language Therapy intervention in a variety of settings including inpatient, individuals home setting, care homes or outpatient clinics for clients with
communication and swallowing disorders, such as dysphagia, dysfluency, voice, head and neck.
To act as a Care coordinator where applicable, ensuring that clients have full access to any generic services that they require.
To be responsible and accountable for their own caseload and ensure that care plans are written and reviewed regularly.
To contribute to the prioritisation of the waiting list for Speech and Language Therapy.
To complete intake assessments on behalf of the team and feedback to the multi-disciplinary team.
To work alongside and liaise with other professionals within the team, staff at day centres, residential staff and families.
To provide clinical advice to these on the communication needs of clients, resolving areas of conflict as necessary.
To provide specialist knowledge on alternative and augmentative systems of communication, where appropriate. To ensure that all relevant agencies have access to all systems.
To Identify and take responsibility for allocating work and providing supervision to Speech and Language Therapy assistants.
To provide training days to staff teams around specific individual’s communication to devise strategies and management plans.
To be able to deputise on the absence of the clinical lead and ensure coordination of caseload is well managed within the team.
To be an active and enthusiastic team member by participating with service improvement activities, promoting innovation, being supportive to other team members and proactive when identifying potential issues in the service.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Accredited Speech and Language Therapy qualification (BSc)
- Registration with HCPC
Desirable criteria
- Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapist (RCSLT)
- Post graduate training/qualification in Dysphagia
Experience/Knowledge
Essential criteria
- A philosophy and approach that empowers people
- Knowledge of alternative and augmentative communication and dysphagia
- Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary Team
- Experience with provision of supervision and delegation to junior members of staff
- Experience of use of outcome measures for clinical evaluation
- Basic IT Skills (Microsoft Software: Excel, World, Power Point, MS Teams)
- Driving Licence
- A person-centred approach to service delivery
- Understanding of current NHS changes
Desirable criteria
- Direct experience of working with adults with communication and Swallowing disorders
- Experience of inter agency working
- Experience of designing and delivering training for staff groups
- Experience of using iPads and other forms of technology to support communication
- Experience of facilitating groups
Skills
Essential criteria
- A demonstrated understanding of Equality and Human Rights
- Ability to convey information and skills to direct care staff
- Good time management and organizational skills
- Flexible approach skills towards service change, demands and pressure
Desirable criteria
- Experience of providing clinical supervision (to students or SaLT staff)
Values
Essential criteria
- Continuous Improvement
- Accountability
- Respectfulness
- Enthusiasm
- Support
- High professional standards
- Responsive to service users
- Engaging leadership style
- Strong customer service belief
- Transparency and honesty
- Discreet
- Change oriented
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sarah Higgins La Placa
- Job title
- Operational Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
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