Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
Job summary
An exciting new opportunity for a clinical leadership role has
arisen for a Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist working in partnership
with the child development centres and community paediatric teams. We are looking for a highly experienced, professional
and ambitious therapist to join the team at band 7, specialising in preschool
Dysphagia and autism assessment and diagnosis in the under 5s.
We would be particularly interested in applicants who have
extensive experience and recognised qualifications in managing dysphagia in
children from birth to 2 years. You would be joining a small team of similarly
qualified colleagues.
The post holder will be able to work collaboratively across
boundaries, both internally and externally for the benefit of CYP, sharing
areas of expertise and best practice.
The post holder will provide visible and high-quality
professional leadership, supporting the Divisional Quality Improvement plan and
community paediatric transformation programme. Through the ability to inspire
and lead you will drive and implement practice improvement and staff
development to improve our families journey. You would be working in
partnership with band 7 leads in SALT, Specialist Therapies and Childrens
Community Nursing.
This role is for 28 hours per week. We would consider
applicants who wish to job share.
Main duties of the job
To take responsibility for managing a caseload of children,
young people and families referred to the service. This would include specialised interventions
for complex cases, plus supporting development and implementation of targeted
and universal provision.
This specialist role will work collaboratively with community
colleagues. You would need to work as part of the early years multidisciplinary
team and as part of the team who offer assessment and differential diagnosis
for children under 5 with possible autism.
You would be involved in offering eating,
drinking and communication advice whilst children, young people and families
are supported by the service and support for discharge planning.
What do you need to know?
We provide a comprehensive induction programme with mentor support and clinical supervision.
Were a Balanced System service we work in an evidence-based way at a universal, targeted and specialist level.
Were a supportive team, working together in settings and schools
We have excellent admin support with two main admin bases
All our team are equipped to do their job we invest in resources/equipment, so we have what we need on a daily basis
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- In-depth post-registration experience in the highly specialist area
- Extensive experience of designing and delivering training to a wide range of professionals in the relevant service area
- Expert in managing highly complex, diverse caseload independently and able to advise others
- Extensive experience of collaborative work with cross professional groups
Desirable
- Experience of working in paediatric settings
Knowledge
Essential
- Advanced knowledge of a range of appropriate therapeutic assessments and interventions relevant to the service area.
- Highly developed specialist knowledge in clinical specialism underpinned by theory and practical experience
Desirable
- Knowledge of models of paediatric care
- Knowledge of research methods and design
Additional Criteria
Essential
- IT literate and able to use a range of specialist programmes
- Able to travel efficiently to fulfil post requirements Able to carry a variety of equipment between locations safely
- Is able to work at various heights and locations according to the needs of clients.
Qualifications
Essential
- Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree or equivalent
- Further theoretical training and experience to Masters level or equivalent in Specific Language Impairment
- Health Professions Council Licence to Practice
- Registered Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapist
- Membership of relevant Special Interest Groups
- Evidence of recent relevant CPD activities related specifically to the clinical area; to include evidence of successful completion of specialist short courses
- I understand that I will be asked to provide original certificates to verify my qualifications at point of offer.
Desirable
- Completion of training relevant to role eg. FINE, Sensory Beginnings
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English in both verbal and written formats
- Shows excellent clinical leadership
- Has vision of the future for SLT services and ability to lead service developments
- Is able to lead a wide range of SLTs in improving their clinical expertise
- Produces innovative research in relevant specialism and implements the research of others
- Is able to facilitate others of mixed ability to develop specialised innovative packages of care
- Has highly developed empathy, negotiation and leadership skills
- Has excellent communication and interpersonal skills, where there are barriers to understanding
- Is able to write clear reports and notes and advise others regarding clinical reports eg. for legal processes and publishing
- Can effectively interpret national and local policies in clinical specialism and lead on implementation
- Is able to use sign language and communication aids appropriate to the care group (where appropriate to specialism)
Closing Date: 30 August 2026
To apply for this job please visit www.jobs.nhs.uk.