Employer East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust (Cambridgeshire) Employer type NHS Site The Oak Tree Centre or Chesterton Medical Centre Town Huntingdon or Cambridge Salary £39,959 – £48,117 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 20/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 02/11/2026
Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Band 6
East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust delivers expert healthcare in people’s homes, community hospitals and local settings across the East of England.
Our nurses, therapists, clinicians, support teams and partners work together to provide coordinated care that supports independence, recovery and wellbeing. We believe people are best cared for close to home, in the communities where they live and belong.
By combining professional expertise with strong local relationships, we help people stay well, feel supported and access the right care at the right time. Expert healthcare, close to home, trusted by our communities.
Different ideas, experiences and backgrounds make us stronger and more creative and applications from all walks of life are welcomed. Our processes ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.
East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust is committed to creating a modern and inclusive work environment. We actively promote flexible working opportunities where possible to meet the needs and wishes of our workforce and maintain and improve their wellbeing. We also offer flexible working patterns and we would encourage you to discuss this with the recruiting manager before or during the application process if this would interest you.
We welcome applications from people who share our values and can help us deliver outstanding care in our local community.
Before applying for this vacancy, please make sure you’re familiar with ongoing GOV.uk sponsorship eligibility criteria which will impact the organisations ability to provide sponsorship, whether this is currently or in the future.
Please note, our selection processes are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right values and skills. Please be advised that the use of AI in applications is monitored. We remain watchful of candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn’t accurately reflect their skills.
Please note all new starters will be subject to a 6 month probationary period.
Job overview
Step into a role where your expertise truly shapes lives.
You’ve built your foundations, now you’re ready for the next challenge. If you’re an experienced SLT looking to take on more autonomy, develop specialist skills & play a key role in shaping high-quality care, we’d love you to join our team.
We’re a supportive, collaborative & busy community service where your ideas are welcomed and your professional growth really matters.
As a Specialist SLT, you’ll manage a more complex caseload, using your clinical judgement to deliver evidence-based assessment and intervention to children, including those with additional needs. You’ll work closely with families, schools, carers and MDT partners, offering guidance, training and support to ensure communication and/or swallowing needs are understood and managed effectively. You’ll also play a valued role in service development, supervision of colleagues, and contribute to quality improvement. You will take an active role in the assessment and differential diagnosis of ASD.
We’ll support your ambitions with specialist CPD, regular supervision, and opportunities to deepen your expertise in areas that excite you.
The successful candidates will be based either in the Huntingdon area or our North Cambridge locality.
Interviews will be held in person only.
Main duties of the job
Should we receive a high number of applications, we reserve the right to close this vacancy at any point after 13th October 2026
The post holder will independently manage a specialist caseload in the locality and the surrounding area. The client group is children who have a range of difficulties in understanding and/or using speech and language. You will work independently with access to more senior colleagues as needed. You will provide supervision and guidance to colleagues.
Qualified SLT with HCPC registration Demonstrated experience managing a varied/complex caseload Strong clinical reasoning and autonomous decision-making Ability to provide guidance, supervision or training to others Excellent communication and partnership-working across the MDT Commitment to person-centred, evidence-based practice Confident, reflective and motivated to develop specialist skills
Working for our organisation
Rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.
There’s one reason why our services are outstanding – and that’s our amazing staff who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.
Please be aware that East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust will never ask applicants to pay fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including job applications, sponsorship arrangements, or employment offers. All recruitment communications and job applications should only be made through our official careers website and published contact details.
If you receive a suspicious job offer or recruitment-related communication, do not make any payments, share personal information, or provide identity documents. We encourage you to report the matter to your local police or relevant law enforcement agency. Any concerns relating to potential recruitment fraud should also be reported to our Local Counter Fraud Specialist (LCFS) as soon as possible.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To independently manage a specialist caseload of pre-school and school age children who have speech, language and communication difficulties.
To undertake a range of assessments, both standardised and non-standardised, taking account of medical, social and educational factors, which combined with specialist theoretical knowledge will lead to differential diagnosis
To plan, deliver and evaluate specialist intervention following professional guidelines and agreed service standards
As part of that process, to be able to plan appropriate long term and short term goals working towards discharge
To undertake administrative duties connected with the caseload including maintenance of case notes and provision of written reports, following service standards
To ensure that all work is carried out in close collaboration with all those involved in children’s care so that the approach to intervention and support is co-ordinated and comprehensive
To identify when there is a need for a second opinion, referring to senior colleagues or SLT specialists as appropriate
To make onward referral as appropriate
To identify any variations to service delivery or demands and inform the Locality Co-ordinator and Area & Clinical Lead of the likely impact on the service
Policy & Service Development
To participate in development of policy, clinical guidelines, clinical governance and service development through discussion and involvement in projects as appropriate, including innovative practice, in collaboration with senior colleagues
Responsibility for specific, clearly defined projects as delegated by the Locality Co-ordinator.
To be familiar with local and national standards and to work in line with these
To ensure parents/carers are aware of the standards they should expect from the speech and language therapy service.
Communication
To ensure effective communication of complex condition-related information to parents/carers regarding the assessment process, assessment findings and planned intervention, including engagement of parents/carers in intervention
To ensure children are involved in goal setting and decision making around their own care as appropriate to their age, developmental level and language skills
To ensure parents/carers are involved in decision making around their child’s care including discharge from the service
To liaise effectively and work in partnership with other professionals (particularly teachers and teaching assistants), including the development of shared goals for intervention
To write reports on children, in line with service standards, including contributions to statutory assessment
To offer advice to others concerning support for individual children
To actively contribute to case conferences/ review meetings for children on the caseload
To recognise how and when information may be shared within the bounds of confidentiality and the Data Protection Act
To attend SLT team meetings, actively contributing as appropriate
Contribute to EEC’s internal communication strategies ensuring effective two-way communication and engagement within the organisation
Contribute to EEC’s external communication strategies working with the Head of Communications to raise awareness and promote the reputation of EEC’s services
Patient and Public Engagement
To contribute to ensuring that EEC responsibilities to engage and consult with patients and the public are met in line with statutory requirements
Training
To participate in training other professionals/ parents as appropriate
To identify training needs in the multi-disciplinary team needed to support the care of children on the caseload
To attend all Trust mandatory training
People Management
To access and accept clinical supervision from senior or specialist colleagues in line with service policy
To supervise and clinically support SLT assistants/teaching assistants/volunteers as appropriate
To mentor newly qualified SLTs providing support and contributing to induction with guidance from more senior colleagues
To provide clinical placements for SLT students including contributing to the assessment of exam placements
Maintaining own professional development and requirement to take part in appraisal and KSF process
Research & Development Activity
To maintain and update skills and knowledge in relevant areas
To develop and monitor own clinical expertise in specialist area through planned CPD
To participate in service audit and projects as agreed with the Area & Clinical Lead
To actively reflect on practice with peers and more senior colleagues to promote professional development and evidence based decision making
To be advised on developments in current practice by more senior colleagues
Clinical and Practice Governance
Observe and maintain strict confidentiality with regards to any patient/family/staff/records and information in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act.
Any data that is taken/shared as part of a phone call or transported, faxed or transferred electronically must be undertaken with regard to the Trust Information Governance and Information Security policies.
The post holder must adhere to the Trust risk assessment and risk management processes
The post holder must adhere to infection control policies and procedures
It is a condition of your employment that you are currently registered with HCPC and it is your responsibility to maintain your professional registration.
Undertake mandatory training and any other training relevant to the role as required by East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust.
The post holder must participate in clinical and other audits as required by the Trust risk assessment and process
Provide patients and their families /carers with information on standards they should expect from the team
Participate in clinical supervision on a regular basis
The post holder is required to participate in relevant emergency preparedness process for their team.
Qualifications & Training
- Degree or Postgraduate equivalent in Speech and Language Therapy
- Registered Member of RCSLT
- Registered Member of HCPC
- Evidence of successful completion of short specialist courses
- Evidence of commitment to CPD
- Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Network
- ADOS-trained
Experience
- Recent and comprehensive experience working in community clinics, schools and pre-schools
- Experience of working in a range of multi-agency settings and with interagency teams
- Previous experience supervising less experienced colleagues
Knowledge & Skills
- Well established specialist knowledge about speech, language and communication disorders associated with complex conditions
- In-depth knowledge of a broad range of assessment procedures relevant to the client group
- In-depth knowledge of a broad range of therapeutic interventions appropriate to the client group and the ability to compare and contrast relative benefits
- Knowledge of best practice and developing trends in clinical specialism
- Excellent communication skills including the ability to convey sensitive or distressing information to parents/carers
- Excellent interpersonal skills including observation
- Ability to work flexibly as part of a team
- Excellent time management and prioritisation Skills
- Worked in a mainstream school with children who have complex communication needs
- Worked in a special school
- Knowledge of Makaton or BSL signing
Safeguarding
- Appreciates the significance of safeguarding and interprets this accurately for all individual children and young people/vulnerable adults whatever their life circumstances.
Equal Opportunities – We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome all applications irrespective of age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race or religion. Additionally, people with disabilities that fall under the Disability Confident Scheme will be offered an interview providing they meet the minimum criteria for the post (outlined in the Person Specification). All sites are Smoke Free.
If you need this application in an offline format, please let us know.Immigration Status – East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust is a diverse employer and welcomes all job applications. However, potential applicants should note that although the Trust is registered with the Home Office as a sponsor organisation for migrant workers, sponsorship can only be offered against eligible roles. If you are an applicant from outside the UK and do not already hold a self-gained right to work, we recommend you check the Home Office eligibility requirements before making an application.
Please note: Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for some job roles, and this will be identified through filtering questions at the start of any job application on the Trac recruitment system.
Our safe recruitment pre-employment checks are undertaken before an appointment is confirmed and may include a DBS check. Where the role requires you to drive, we’ll ask you to validate your driving licence online via the DVLA.
Redeployment – Please note that in the first instance priority for this vacancy will be given to staff who are on the Trusts Redeployment Register.Closing and Interview Dates -This vacancy may close early if sufficient applicants are received.
Data Protection – A privacy notice detailing how we will handle your data is attached to this advert as a document. Your application will be transferred to our recruitment management system (Trac) once the advert has closed and you will receive notification then detailing how Trac will handle your data.
ALL CORRESPONDENCE will be via the e-mail address on your application form. If you have not been invited to interview within 2 weeks of the closing date, you unfortunately haven’t been successful on this occasion, but keep an eye on our vacancies as a job that’s just right for you may appear!
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
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