Specialist Speech and Language Therapist Deafness

Job overview

Band 6 Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) – Deafness

We are delighted to be able to offer you an exciting opportunity to work in a specialist area. Do you have a passion to work in the field of Deafness? Are you looking for an exciting post that will enable you to demonstrate, and continue to develop your clinical skills in the assessment and management of Deaf children?

If so, working for the Children and Young People’s (CYP) Therapies Service at Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust may be just what you are looking for. This post will give you the chance to join a dynamic, agile and forward-thinking organisation, where you can develop your career and broaden your horizons.

We are looking to recruit to 1.0 WTE Band 6 SLT, who would be based within West Hertfordshire, covering St Albans area with a mixed caseload of community, pre school and school age Deafness, as well as working in specialist educational provision(s) for Deaf Children. Ideally the postholder will have BSL level 2 skills, however Level 1 will be considered if you are willing to learn BSL level 2.

Our service is jointly commissioned by health and education, allowing us to provide a seamless pathway of care from early years through to schools, specialist provisions and further education settings. We have excellent joint working relationships with our partners in both health and education such as specialist teachers and the Audiology service.

*Proposed interview date: 16 December 2025*

Main duties of the job

You will be part of an SLT team based within Heathlands School and will also be part a local community team.   In the school you will work collaboratively with other SLTs; SLT Therapy Assistant Practitioners; Teachers of the Deaf; and other education professionals, (e.g. SENCos), providing assessment and intervention to meet the needs of the specialist caseload.  Heathlands is a Nursery, Primary and Secondary deaf school offering a Total Communication approach to education incorporating British Sign Language, Sign Supported English and spoken English.

In community you will work with CYP from 0-18 in mainstream settings, pre-school settings and clinics, and you will continue to develop your clinical skills in the area of Deafness, as well as ASD, DLD, speech disorders and learning difficulties during school holidays.   As a specialist speech and language therapist in Deafness, you will use your skills and experience to support the wider community team and upskill the wider workforce.

You will also be able to attend termly multi-disciplinary team meetings with the local Teachers of Deaf Children and Young Adults and Paediatric Audiologist for service updates, professional development and caseload discussions.

We offer:

• Termly meetings as a specialist team of Therapists working in Deafness across Hertfordshire.
• Regular group supervision, managerial supervision and a well-established appraisal system
• CPD opportunities such as Bitesize tutorials, peer review and locally hosted CENs.
• Opportunities to develop leadership skills and to supervise less experienced members of staff
• Being involved in local and service wide projects with your colleagues
• Mobile working (e.g. own laptop and mobile phone)
• Opportunities to work alongside other therapists/assistants to deliver evidence based practice to children/young people requiring specialist support
• A 2 week induction period where you will have the opportunity to observe and shadow your team, including access to a buddy and ongoing weekly support from the Clinical Lead for Deafness for the first term.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see Job Description attached, which details the responsibilities within this post.

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust provides integrated Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Services for families across the county of Hertfordshire.  Our CYPT integrated service provides opportunities for collaborative working, joint training and shared learning amongst each profession.

Successful candidates will need to be enthusiastic and motivated. Good communication, clinical reasoning and organisational skills are essential. You must be a team player but be able to work autonomously and have the ability to champion the needs of your patients.

A staff member who has recently joined the CYP Therapies service and is working in Deafness:

“I absolutely love my role in the Deafness team and the focus it has on delivering patient centred care at all stages of a child or young person’s journey. It’s great to be part of such a supportive team and I also find the role we play as part of a wider multidisciplinary team incredibly rewarding. I’m so grateful for the ongoing opportunities for CPD and how I’m able to continue to progress with my learning and development.”

Applicants wanting to work full time or part time will be considered.  A full valid driving licence and access to a car to use regularly for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

In addition to the basic salary, this post attracts a High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of basic salary subject to a minimum payment of £1,258 and a maximum payment of £2,122 per annum pro rata (pro rata where applicable and dependent on base location)

Whilst it is not a legal requirement, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust encourages and supports all its’ staff to be vaccinated as this remains the best line of defence against COVID-19.