Specialist Speech & Language Therapist
Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
Brighton / Worthing / Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex, BN2 3EW
Salary
£39,959 to £48,117
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Not specified
Closing date
13 September 2026
10 days left
Job description
Are you a passionate Speech and Language Therapist looking to make a real difference to adults with communication and swallowing difficulties? We are ...
As a Band 6 Specialist Speech & Language Therapist, you will:
- Manage an independent and varied caseload of adults with communication and/or swallowing disorders.
- Undertake specialist assessments, formulate differential diagnoses and deliver evidence-based interventions.
- Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary colleagues across health and social care settings.
- Provide specialist advice and support to patients, families, carers and partner organisations.
- Participate in service development, audit and quality improvement activities.
- Supervise, support and mentor junior staff, assistants and students and apprentices.
- Contribute to the education and training of colleagues and wider professional groups.
- Promote safe, effective and person-centred care in line with HCPC, RCSLT and Trust standards.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a progressive Adult Speech & Language Therapy Service committed to delivering excellent care at the heart of our communities.
The successful post holder will provide a comprehensive specialist service to adults presenting with acquired communication and swallowing difficulties. Working autonomously within a supportive team structure, you will assess, diagnose and manage complex clinical presentations, ensuring interventions are evidence-based and outcome-focused.
You will develop strong working relationships with patients, carers, acute and community services, and multidisciplinary teams to ensure coordinated care and seamless patient journeys. The role requires excellent clinical reasoning, communication and organisational skills, together with the ability to manage competing priorities and a complex caseload.
Alongside clinical responsibilities, you will play an active role in service development through audit, quality improvement initiatives, clinical governance activities and the implementation of best practice. You will also contribute to the supervision, support and development of students, assistants and less experienced colleagues.
We are looking for candidates who have
- A degree (or recognised equivalent) in Speech and Language Therapy.
- Current HCPC registration and membership of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).
- Postgraduate experience working with adults with acquired communication and swallowing disorders.
- Demonstrable experience in the assessment and management of dysphagia, supported by completed competency-based training and the ability to work across Foundation, Proficient and Advanced levels of practice.
- Excellent assessment, clinical reasoning and communication skills.
- Experience of multidisciplinary team working across health and care settings.
- A commitment to continuous professional development and high-quality patient care.
Why Join Us? - A supportive and inclusive team culture.
- Excellent supervision, peer support and development opportunities.
- Opportunities to contribute to service innovation and quality improvement.
- Flexible working options across a range of localities.
- NHS pension and comprehensive staff benefits package.
Join us and be part of a team dedicated to improving the lives of adults with communication and swallowing needs across Sussex. We look forward to receiving your application.
Working for SCFT
We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.
Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community.
Why work for us?o Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeingo Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussexo Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retiremento Excellent training, development, and research opportunitieso Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brightono Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networkso Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trusto Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast
Our values--Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence--guide everything we do.
We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.
This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.
Qualifications & Professional Registration
Essential
- Degree (or recognised equivalent) in Speech and Language Therapy
- Registered member of RCSLT and HCPC
- Postgraduate and experiential training in relevant areas
Experience
Essential
- Significant years post-graduation experience in clinical specialism in acquired adult disorders
- Post basic training and experience in dysphagia
- Inter disciplinary team working within Acute and Community settings
- Participation in student placements and provision of training for others
Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Specialist clinician, able to demonstrate credibility, diagnostic skills and in depth knowledge of appropriate assessment and management
- Excellent written and verbal communication including observation, empathy and listening skills
- Demonstrates ability to manage caseload independently
- Developing negotiation and conflict resolution skills
- Excellent auditory discrimination skills and ability to transcribe speech phonetically and analyse narrative linguistically
- Working knowledge of professional standards and policies related to clinical and management practice
- Demonstrates a commitment to learning and development and skill sharing
- Demonstrable experience in the assessment and management of dysphagia, supported by completed competency-based training and the ability to work across Foundation, Proficient and Advanced levels of practice.
Other
Essential
- Car driver with own transport
How to apply
Applications are handled entirely by the employer on the original advert. We do not collect CVs, supporting statements or application data.
Provenance
Source
NHS Jobs
First seen
2 September 2026
Last checked
3 September 2026
Salary, closing date and description are taken from the employer's advert. The original advert always takes precedence.
About the employer
NHS organisation
This listing was structured from NHS Jobs. Vacancy details and the application process remain the responsibility of the original source.
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