Central London Community Health Trust

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

The closing date is 17 June 2025

Job summary

Merton Community Children's Speech and Language Therapy Service

Band 7 Highly Specialist - Children's Speech & Language Therapist

(Complex Needs and Dysphagia)

Part-time/negotiable

Do you feel passionately about delivering the best possible SLT care to children and young people with complex communication needs and dysphagia?

Do you want to develop and support the dysphagia needs of our SLT team?

Want a chance to shape and influence SLT clinical service delivery?

We are looking for an experienced, passionate Speech & Language Therapist with complex needs experience and paediatric dysphagia skills to be part of our dynamic team in Merton.

Main duties of the job

Your role will be to provide assessment, advice and treatment for dysphagia to infants, children and young people (birth-19yrs) and for communication to an early years complex needs caseload in the community. You will also support and develop the wider team's paediatric dysphagia knowledge. You will work as part of the Preschool Complex Needs Team, including work in clinics/schools and family homes with a largely preschool population. This is a unique opportunity for the right person to assist in developing and supporting the paediatric dysphagia skills of SLTs in Merton. The successful candidate will also need to demonstrate an understanding of current alternative and augmentative communication approaches (high, mid and low tech).

Find out more information about working and living in South West London here - https://clch.nhs.uk/job/working-clch/clch-southwestlondon#!/select_sector

About us

Just as we care about our patients' well-being, we care about yours!

We can offer you:

A comprehensive induction into the community service followed by a local induction to introduce you to the roleCar lease scheme(only available for Band 5 and up)Flexible working optionsAnnual travel card loanTraining, support and development in your career

To have a full look at our benefits and what it's like working for us please go here: https://www.clch.nhs.uk/job/pay-and-benefits

Details

Date posted

03 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£51,883 to £58,544 a year per annum, inclusive of HCAS (pro rata)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

824-SOUTH-7242652

Job locations

Cricket Green Polyclinic

Birches Close

Mitcham

CR4 4LQ


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to Job Description and Person Specification for outline of skills, knowledge and experience required.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to Job Description and Person Specification for outline of skills, knowledge and experience required.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Recognised SLT degree or equivalent.
  • Current AHP with UK HCPC registration
  • Member of a relevant Clinical Excellence Network
  • Evidence of competence in managing complex dysphagic patients in the 0-19 age group including those requiring enteral feeding

Desirable

  • Evidence of relevant post-registration education and training e.g. SCERTS, VERVE, Intensive Interaction, Attention Autism, Hanen, Gestalt Language Processing, AAC, Dysphagia, Infant Feeding, Breastfeeding, Tracheostomy

Experience

Essential

  • Extensive experience of working in a variety of clinical settings
  • Experience of working and liaising with other MDT professionals
  • Recent experience within community SLT setting, specialising in complex needs and dysphagia in a paediatric population
  • Ability to understand complex issues, problem solve and propose solutions.
  • Able to communicate with families and young people in an empathetic manner regarding their treatment and procedures.
  • Experience of supervising/ managing junior staff and students
  • Experience working with families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
  • Experience in the assessment and management of patients who require AAC
  • Participation in audit; research projects; service development

Desirable

  • Experience of working within a community paediatric SLT service.
  • Experience of working through the RCSLT NQP and dysphagia frameworks with junior SLTs

Skills

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills.
  • Highly specialist knowledge of a wide range of appropriate therapeutic interventions and evidence of a specialist level of clinical expertise in relevant areas.
  • Independence in managing dysphagia within a paediatric population.
  • Ability to use IT including PowerPoint, Excel, Word
  • Excellent presentation skills, both written and verbal.
  • Awareness of the management and use of data in the NHS setting

Desirable

  • Completion of CPD related to dysphagia management

Key Attributes

Essential

  • Ability to address sensitive issues e.g.complex condition-related information to families/carers

Desirable

  • Hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010) or be able to travel around independently using public transport or another mode or transport
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Recognised SLT degree or equivalent.
  • Current AHP with UK HCPC registration
  • Member of a relevant Clinical Excellence Network
  • Evidence of competence in managing complex dysphagic patients in the 0-19 age group including those requiring enteral feeding

Desirable

  • Evidence of relevant post-registration education and training e.g. SCERTS, VERVE, Intensive Interaction, Attention Autism, Hanen, Gestalt Language Processing, AAC, Dysphagia, Infant Feeding, Breastfeeding, Tracheostomy

Experience

Essential

  • Extensive experience of working in a variety of clinical settings
  • Experience of working and liaising with other MDT professionals
  • Recent experience within community SLT setting, specialising in complex needs and dysphagia in a paediatric population
  • Ability to understand complex issues, problem solve and propose solutions.
  • Able to communicate with families and young people in an empathetic manner regarding their treatment and procedures.
  • Experience of supervising/ managing junior staff and students
  • Experience working with families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
  • Experience in the assessment and management of patients who require AAC
  • Participation in audit; research projects; service development

Desirable

  • Experience of working within a community paediatric SLT service.
  • Experience of working through the RCSLT NQP and dysphagia frameworks with junior SLTs

Skills

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy skills.
  • Highly specialist knowledge of a wide range of appropriate therapeutic interventions and evidence of a specialist level of clinical expertise in relevant areas.
  • Independence in managing dysphagia within a paediatric population.
  • Ability to use IT including PowerPoint, Excel, Word
  • Excellent presentation skills, both written and verbal.
  • Awareness of the management and use of data in the NHS setting

Desirable

  • Completion of CPD related to dysphagia management

Key Attributes

Essential

  • Ability to address sensitive issues e.g.complex condition-related information to families/carers

Desirable

  • Hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010) or be able to travel around independently using public transport or another mode or transport

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Central London Community Health Trust

Address

Cricket Green Polyclinic

Birches Close

Mitcham

CR4 4LQ


Employer's website

https://clch.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Central London Community Health Trust

Address

Cricket Green Polyclinic

Birches Close

Mitcham

CR4 4LQ


Employer's website

https://clch.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

SLT Team Leader

Joanne Scowcroft

joanne.scowcroft@nhs.net

07900496597

Details

Date posted

03 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£51,883 to £58,544 a year per annum, inclusive of HCAS (pro rata)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

824-SOUTH-7242652

Job locations

Cricket Green Polyclinic

Birches Close

Mitcham

CR4 4LQ


Supporting documents

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