Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Go back Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 14 May 2026

Central and West locality are able to offer an exciting opportunity for someone to join our well established Adult Community Speech and Language Therapy team in Central Lancashire as a Band 6 Specialist Speech and Language Therapist.

The post holder must have a Speech and Language Degree Qualification, licensed to practice and be registered with the HCPC and a minimum of 3 years experience within the relevant clinical field and a minimum of 12 months clinical experience within the NHS.

Experience in dysphagia assessment and management is essential. The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills.

This post offers great variety and the opportunity to work within a Community Speech and Language Therapy Team. Your role will be primarily to provide assessment, treatment, and management of communication and/or swallowing impairments to clients with Progressive Neurological Disease. There is also a small Stammering caseload and experience in this field is desired but not essential. You will be supported by the Clinical Lead and another Specialist SLT.

We are looking for a versatile, innovative individual with experience in adult speech and language therapy, preferably in a community setting. The successful candidate will have fully completed post graduate competencies in dysphagia, enabling independent management. Due to the nature of the role it is essential that applicants are able to travel independently across the locality and have access to a suitable vehicle for business purposes.

You will be able to manage and prioritise your own caseload and will have the opportunity to work across the community setting.

LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under represented groups. If you'd like to discuss your application, please ask.

We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.

LSCFT support 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, and flexi time.

The wellbeing of our people is at the heart of everything we do. We offer a wide range of resources, tools and support to help you thrive both in and out of work.

Explore our full wellbeing offer here: Keeping our workforce well

The successful applicant will be expected to be flexible to meet the needs of the service as it goes through a period of transformational change. A commitment to working within a multidisciplinary environment with close liaison and collaboration with other professionals and carers will be vital. You will have a clinical supervisor and be supported to work on developing your knowledge and skills within this clinical field.

• To be responsible for the assessment, treatment, planning and delivery of evidence based interventions. Provide clinical triage and support the management of patient demand through the system, discharging appropriately.
• To undertake comprehensive assessment of patients with complex presentations, using investigative and analytical skills, to formulate an appropriate hypothesis and to determine a diagnosis and appropriate management plan.
• To establish individualised management and treatment plans, using 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 all patients accessing the service, so that they may be able to maximise their potential in terms of health education and social well being.
• To be responsible for own continuing professional development and maintaining own professional registration and meet HCPC/RCSLT Registration requirements, maintain a professional portfolio and demonstrating evidence of reflective practice.
• To undertake mandatory training as in line with LSCFT policy and attend updates and study days as appropriate to the post.
• To adhere to all LSCFT Policies and Procedures and contribute to their development as appropriate.
• To have in depth knowledge of HCPC standards and guidance, understand implications for and be able to apply to practice.
• To lead/contribute to training and development programmes as appropriate to the knowledge and skills of the individual, delivering to other professionals both within and outside the NHS and service users.
• To participate in the LSCFT PDR review process ensuring business priority objectives are met and a personal development plan is maintained and evaluated. To cascade the PDR process to departmental staff as appropriate.

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

• Degree relevant to post or equivalent.
• Current professional registration with HCPC as a speech therapist and responsibility for maintaining this registration.
• Evidence of CPD in related field of clinical expertise.
• Post graduate qualification in specialist field OR experience of working in specialist field independently.

• 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 of lone working risks - policy and procedure.

• Experience of managing complex dysphagia in the community independently.
• Treatment of a broad range of conditions relating to clinical speciality.
• Demonstrable evidence of improving and developing service and practice.
• Advanced and specialised practice skills in field of expertise.

• Ability to communicate highly complex pathologies and diagnostic reasoning to all levels in the medical and non medical field at the appropriate level.
• Sound knowledge of psycho social problems and ability to gain patient confidence and co operation.
• Experience of stakeholder negotiation and persuasion skills.
• Sound understanding of Safeguarding agenda including MCA and DOLS.
• Able to work independently as lead specialist, demonstrating good leadership skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills both written and verbal.

• Ability to work flexibly and travel across the LSCFT footprint to meet business needs delivery objectives.
• Must be assessed as having level of fitness to carry out duties/tasks after reasonable adjustments under DDA 1995 have been made.
• Awareness, understanding and competency to operate equipment according to local operating procedures and Medical Device regulations.

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.

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

£39,959 to £48,117 a year Per Annum (subject to confirmation) (Pro Rata for part time)