Job summary
Lead a Specialist Service. Shape Clinical Practice. Improve Lives.
We are seeking an experienced and motivated Speech and Language Therapist to join our forensic learning disability and mental health services as Head of Speech and Language Therapy.
This is a unique opportunity to combine professional leadership with specialist clinical practice in a challenging but highly rewarding forensic setting.
You will lead a small and dedicated Speech and Language Therapy team (including a dysphagia service) of six staff, while maintaining a clinical role on one of our medium secure forensic learning disability inpatient wards.
Clinically, working within a specialist multidisciplinary team, you will support adults with learning disabilities, autism and complex communication needs, helping to ensure communication is understood as a central component of assessment, treatment, risk management and recovery.
East London is one of the most diverse regions in the UK, and we are committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We particularly welcome applications from candidates from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities and others who are currently underrepresented within senior clinical leadership roles.
If you are an experienced Speech and Language Therapist who enjoys collaborative working, creative clinical practice and leading service development within a specialist setting, we would love to hear from you!
Main duties of the job
As Head of Speech and Language Therapy, you will:
- Provide professional and operational leadership for a Speech and Language Therapy department of six staff.
- Hold a specialist clinical caseload within a medium secure forensic learning disability inpatient service.
- Support and develop staff through supervision, mentoring and professional leadership.
- Lead service development, quality improvement and innovation in communication assessment and intervention.
- Work closely with psychology, psychiatry, nursing, occupational therapy, social work and medical colleagues to deliver high-quality, person-centred care.
- Champion accessible communication and trauma-informed approaches across forensic services.
- Contribute to strategic developments within learning disability and forensic pathways.
About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the Job Description (JD) and Person Specification (PS) which set out the role in detail.
Person Specification
Essential
Essential
- Registration with the HCPC
- Significant post-qualification experience working with adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, forensic populations, or other complex client groups
- Experience of supervising and supporting Speech and Language Therapy staff.
- A strong commitment to multidisciplinary team working and collaborative practice.
- Excellent communication, leadership and relationship-building skills.
- A creative and flexible approach to supporting people with complex communication needs.
- A passion for service improvement, innovation and developing evidence-based practice
Desirebale
Desirable
- Experience in Forensic Mental Health and LD settings
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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
East London NHS Foundation Trust
Address
John Howard Centre
12 Kenworthy Road
Homerton, London
E9 5TD
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
This listing was aggregated from publicly-available sources. The employer holds an A-rated sponsor licence at the time of this listing, but sponsorship of this specific role is not guaranteed — the employer's offer and UK Visas and Immigration are the final authority. Details may have changed since our last update — verify with the employer via the Apply link.