Specialist Advisor Speech and Language Therapy

We are seeking a dynamic Band 7 Speech and Language Therapist to join our adult inpatient mental health services. This role covers the acute mental health inpatient wards at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, as well as the rehabilitation and forensic wards at Bellsdyke Hospital.

The ideal candidate will have the skills to develop a speech and language service in adult mental health, providing highly specialist interventions to individuals with complex mental health difficulties who have communication difficulties and communication support needs.

Our inpatient mental health team is multidisciplinary, including medical staff, nursing staff, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy professionals. We treat patients with acute and long-term mental illnesses that impact their daily lives.

The successful candidate should have experience in quality improvement to continue developing speech and language therapy within mental health inpatients, utilising evidence-based approaches.

Forth Valley's mental health service is innovative, offering opportunities to collaborate on service delivery improvements and participate in quality improvement projects. The successful candidate will also provide training to staff on communication strategies to aid assessment and treatment interventions.

A BSc in Speech and Language Therapy and HCPC registration are essential.

The post holder will report to the AHP Mental Health Coordinator for adult services and receive professional supervision from the AHP Speech and Language Therapy Coordinator. The successful candidate will be based at Bellsdyke Hospital, Larbert, and work between the acute mental health inpatient wards at Forth Valley Royal Hospital and the rehabilitation and forensic wards at Bellsdyke Hospital.

The duties of this post require the successful candidate to be a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. More information on this scheme can be found at www.disclosurescotland.co.uk

Informal Enquiries:Nicola LindsayNicola.lindsay2@nhs.scot

As from 1/4/26, the Agenda for Change full-time working week will be reducing from 37 to 36 hours per week. Part time hours will be reduced pro-rata. However, there will be a corresponding increase in the hourly rate so that pay will not be affected.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applicants who require sponsorship to work in the UK are advised to carefully review the eligibility criteria for the Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa routes. NHS Forth Valley may be able to offer sponsorship for certain roles, provided the post meets the minimum salary threshold and any other required criteria. If you are currently working in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa, transitional arrangements may apply. Please note that sponsorship is not guaranteed and is assessed on a case-by-case basis following interview and at the commencement of pre-employment checks. For further information on visa requirements and sponsorship eligibility, please refer to the UK Government guidance.

It is also recommend that anyone applying for health and social care jobs in the UK from abroad read the following guidance: Applying for health and social care jobs in the UK from abroad - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Candidates should provide original and authentic responses to all questions within the application form. The use of artificial intelligence (AI), automated tools, or other third-party assistance to generate, draft, or significantly modify responses is strongly discouraged. By submitting your application, you confirm that all answers are your own work, reflect your personal knowledge, skills and experience, and have not been solely produced or altered by AI or similar technologies. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in your application being withdrawn from the application process.

Please note that the majority of correspondence is sent by e-mail, therefore please check your e-mail regularly (including junk folders) and your Jobtrain account for updates.

NHS Forth Valley is positive about disabled people and is committed to offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job. Please contact the Recruitment Office on 0330 041 4694 if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to assist you with your application and/or interview.

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.