Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Job summary

Join our North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust community team as a Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist and utilise your skills to develop our Neurodevelopmental Pathway.

This rewarding leadership role offers you a direct route to funded, formal qualification in gold-standard assessment tools, including full certification in both ADOS-2 and ADI-R.

Working alongside a dedicated team of paediatricians, speech and language therapists, and specialist nurses, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our diagnostic service by participating in a new project to create joint assessment clinics with CYPMHS colleagues and build relationships with colleagues in educational settings.

In this position, you will participate in complex autism assessments for children and young people, utilising your advanced clinical reasoning to provide accurate differential diagnoses as part of a team.

We are looking for a practitioner with current HCPC registration and RCSLT membership who possesses a deep passion for neuro-affirming practice. You should bring advanced skills in evaluating complex communication needs, paired with the confidence to make collaborative clinical decisions within a fast-paced MDT environment. In return, we offer a competitive NHS Band 7 salary, comprehensive pension benefits, generous annual leave, structured clinical supervision, and flexible working options to support your work-life balance.

We look forward to you joining the team soon!

Main duties of the job

At NCM, our mission is to improve local health and wellbeing in the communities we serve. We want to ensure that our patients, their families, communities, and our stakeholders receive the right care, in the right place and at the right time.

Job Purpose:

To complete social communication assessments as part of the Neurodevelopmental assessment pathway. To contribute to MDT discussions to make decisions about possible diagnosis. To write reports with advice and to signpost to appropriate support.

About us

Flexible working will be considered for all roles.

Unfortunately, we do not hold a sponsor licence for working Visas.

At Bridgewater, our PEOPLE values shape how we deliver our NHS services in your local community.

They help us deliver our mission to improve local health and promote wellbeing in the communities we serve.

After all, values are about people and they were created in partnership with our staff to reflect what they felt was important to them

Here at Bridgewater our shared values flow through the organisation.

P- Person-centred-We are passionate about individual needs and promote independence in the healthcare we provide..

E- Empowered- We empower our people and encourage new ideas to deliver and create improvements in community care.

O- Open and Honest -We behave in a way that develops relationships based on trust, openness, honesty and respect.

P- Professional-We support our people, so everyone has the right skills and training to deliver outstanding patient care.

L- Locally Lead -We are always learning about our communities and show great pride in being a local provider of health and care.

E- Efficient -We use our resources wisely to provide sustainable and value for money healthcare for our patients.

Details

• Date posted: 30 June 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 7
• Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working
• Reference number: C9835-HC25-152d
• Job locations: Halton Child Development Centre, Crow Wood Health Park, Crow Wood Lane, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 3NA, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose:

To complete social communication assessments as part of the Neurodevelopmental assessment pathway. To contribute to MDT discussions to make decisions about possible diagnosis. To write reports with advice and to signpost to appropriate support.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Clinical Skills

• To assess and diagnose within the highly specialist clinical area.

• To produce detailed reports reflecting specialist knowledge regarding patients' needs and summarising proposed treatment plans.

• To contribute to legal documents such as Education, Health and Care Plans. Annual reviews and individual education plans.

• To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence based practice and outcome measures

• To adapt practice to meet individual patients circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic differences

• To maintain up to date and accurate case notes in line with RCSLT professional standards and local trust policies

• To share information with carers and other professionals, observing data protection guidelines

To contribute to multi-disciplinary discussions regarding possible diagnosis.

• To communicate complex information from specialist assessment to patients, carers and other professionals

• To demonstrate empathy with patients, carers and other professionals, ensuring that effective communication is achieved, particularly where significant barriers to understanding exist.

• To respond sensitivity at all times, in particular when imparting potentially distressing information regarding the nature of the clinical difficulties and their implications

• To demonstrate expert skills in managing conflict within the context of the highly specialist clinical area

• To deal with initial complaints sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible, in line with trust policy

• To foster productive relationships with others who have challenging communication difficulties and/or who may be under stress

• To employ excellent communication skills

• To apply expert strategies to facilitate and enhance the effectiveness of communication, both verbal, non-verbal and environmental

• To provide specialist assessment and advice on optimising the patient's communication environment, including the communication skills of carers and other professionals within the patient's environment

• To provide supervision and specialist clinical advice, support and second opinions for therapists and other professionals working within highly specialist clinical area, offering case discussions, joint assessments.

• To demonstrate independence in dealing with complex issues associated with caseload management.

• To discharge appropriately, agreeing a point of closure with the client/carer, and informing other professionals.

Clinical Governance Requirements

• To gather statistical data punctually.

• To participate in departmental research as required.

• To initiate and undertake clinical governance/audit projects within: clinical area, as required.

• To demonstrate expert knowledge of relevant procedures including: Safeguarding Children, SEN procedures, Working with Vulnerable Adults and other legal frameworks (clinical area).

Continuing Professional Development

• To identify personal/professional development evidenced by Personal Development Plan/ Professional Portfolio developed within an appraisal framework, including objectives relating to clinical specialism.

• To participate in Individual Performance Review ensuring that the objectives set reflect the Service and Trust plans, including specific objectives relating the clinical specialism.

• To attend specialist short courses and advanced training in order to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a highly specialist therapist working in the field of complex communication disorders and maintain up to date HCPC and RCSLT registration.

• To demonstrate knowledge of, and adhere to RCSLT Professional Guidelines and develop local guidelines within specialist clinical area.

Teaching Skills

• To develop and deliver specialist training to others in area of clinical expertise.

• To demonstrate the ability to target training appropriately to the needs of course participants.

• To demonstrate the ability to reflect on and evaluate training provided.

Clinical Leadership

• To provide full student placements, including assessment of the placements as appropriate.

Analytical Skills

• To demonstrate the ability to reflect on practice independently, with peers and mentors to identify own strengths and development needs.

• To demonstrate a well-developed ability to integrate information, taking into account all aspects of the patient's communication, including verbal, non-verbal and environmental.

• To anticipate and take appropriate steps to prevent the breakdown of relationships with patients, carers and other professionals.

• To make a differential diagnosis on the basis of evidence from specialist assessment seeking internal and external support as appropriate.

Responsibility for Patient Care and Contact with Carers

• To demonstrate a well-developed ability to manage people with challenging behaviours including the application of appropriate management strategies.

• To work within infection control and health and safety guidelines in order to deal appropriately with unpleasant conditions related to client contact as they arise: for example exposure to body fluids, infectious conditions, encountered on a regular basis.

Extent of Responsibility for Planning and Organisation

• To advise line manager on clinical issues of service delivery including shortfall, service pressures etc.

• To assume delegated tasks as requested by line manager, including participation in working groups, policy development groups.

• To use specialist knowledge to lead service/policy developments as appropriate.

Physical Skills

• To demonstrate highly developed auditory and perceptual skills in the assessment diagnosis and treatment of patients/clients.

• To demonstrate skills in positioning clients with disabilities.

• To demonstrate highly developed ability to use AAC appropriately.

• To have due regard for your own personal safety and that of people, in particular to have regard to moving and handling regulations, restraining policies and ensure the safe positioning of self and others.

Responsibility for Equipment or Financial Resources

• To monitor stock levels in own service area and request new equipment as appropriate.

• To be responsible for the security, care, maintenance and delivery of equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained including equipment loaned to clients.

Freedom to Act

• To provide leadership within appropriate specialist area.

• Manages complex caseload independently.

• To monitor and evaluate own specialist service delivery and provide progress reports.

• To be accountable for own professional action and recognise own professional boundaries, seeking support as appropriate.

• To work within defined departmental and national protocols/policies and professional code of conduct.

Please see Full Job Description and Person Specification attached.