Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:

• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
• Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.

For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them.

Job overview

Water Meadow View is a new mental health inpatient unit for adults who have learning disabilities, which is due to open in late Autumn 2025 on our site in Whittingham, Preston. As we prepare to open this unit, we have an exciting opportunity for a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to join us and support the Multi-Disciplinary Team to deliver outstanding person centred care.

One of the Trust's aims is to deliver the best possible care to our patients, and this new inpatient unit will do just that. Water Meadow View will offer clinical excellence, support, and safety, with patient-centred care at its heart.

The post holder will be responsible for the assessment, treatment, planning, delivery and evaluation of evidence –based highly specialised speech and language intervention.

The post holder will be responsible for a highly specialist speech and language portfolio which will include provision of expert advice to speech and language therapists, senior clinicians, Multi-Disciplinary Team across LSCFT to support them in taking up their duty of care.

The post holder will have management of a clinical caseload of patients/service users with highly complex and/or additional speech and language needs.

When you join us, you’ll be making a positive impact on the lives of people with a learning disability by delivering person centred, compassionate care, in a purpose built, co-produced environment, with opportunities to for you to learn and develop throughout your career.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will deliver on key responsibilities within the inpatient service:

• Provide clinical triage and support service demand management.
• To undertake comprehensive speech and language therapy assessment of patients/service users with highly complex presentations, using investigative and analytical skills, to formulate an appropriate hypothesis and to determine a diagnosis. Develop and implement a system to record and evidence patient outcomes
• To establish individualised management and treatment plans, using advanced clinical reasoning and utilising a wide range of evidence based treatment skills and options to formulate highly specialised interventions and programmes of care, which may include working with staff across organisational boundaries.
• To promote health and reduce inequalities for patients/service users, families and communities accessing the speech and language therapy service, so that they may be able to maximise their potential in terms of health, education and social well-being.
• Provide clinical leadership and supervision facilitating a culture of learning and reflective practice within speech and language therapy and the MDT.
• To take the role of Clinical Lead in an agreed clinical area –ensuring evidence based practice, driving good practice development and offering second opinions across LSCFT. To be an active member of the Speech and Language (SLT) team across LSCFT and as part of the community of SLTs within the network/LSCFT.

Working for our organisation

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For more details on this vacancy please review the attached job description and person specification.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in Speech and Language Therapy
• Current professional registration with HCPC as Speech and Language Therapist and responsibility for maintaining this registration
• Masters module/post grad qualification in relevant field of clinical expertise (or working towards) / post-grad qualification/equivalent knowledge & experience to masters level
• Evidence of CPD in related field of clinical expertise (Autism, Mental Health).

Knowledge

• In depth knowledge relevant to the post including dysphagia , positive behavioural approaches and Learning disabilities
• Understanding of clinical governance framework and implications for practice including audit and research governance.
• In-depth understanding of current NHS/government policy/Public Health/NICE guidelines on organisational change and the ability to adapt these appropriately to local service needs through publication of documents
• Knowledge and appreciation in the assessment and management of risk including lone working risks – policy and procedure.

Experience

• Treatment of a broad range of conditions relating to clinical speciality
• Demonstrable evidence of improving and developing service and practice
• Evidence of leading and implementing clinical change
• Supervision and/or mentoring of staff/students.
• Highly advanced and specialised practice skills in field of expertise including dysphagia, behaviours that challenge and learning disabilities

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Please be aware, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when submitting an application is monitored and if you have used AI to generate an application, you are required to declare this on your application form. Failure to do so, may result in your application being withdrawn.

We want to highlight the importance of integrity and authenticity in your application form, and ask you to use AI tools responsibly to ensure your application form is a true reflection of your skills, knowledge and experiences.

We are looking for you to demonstrate personal experiences of how you meet the essential criteria and as an NHS Employer, we value authenticity and honesty.

Please consider that AI-generated content may lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description providing impersonal and inaccurate information.

Please ensure that you read the person specification attached below as your application will be measured against this document.

Applications from job share partners are welcome and other forms of flexible working will be considered for all posts.

For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).

You are advised to consider applying for LSCft vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within three weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.

LSCft is committed to celebrating difference as an asset and we know that recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds helps to create a more flexible, creative and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from people regardless of age, disability (particularly those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation.

Our goal is for the Trust to be truly representative of the communities we serve so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people in under-represented groups. If there is anything you’d like to discuss in relation to your application then please ask.