Speech and Language Therapist Specialist Practitioner


Location
Poole, England
Salary
£32,073 - £48,117 p.a.
Profession
Speech and Language Therapist
Grade
Band 6
Deadline
09 Sep 2026
Contract Type
Permanent
Posted Date
26 Aug 2026
Medical Protection — the side of locally employed doctors from £83

Job requirements

Requirements from the employer’s person specification. These describe the role, not your personal match.

Essential

24 listed

Requirements the employer expects applicants to meet.

  • BUSINESS TRAVEL

    Subject to the provisions of the Equality Act, able to travel using own vehicle on Trust business. - Level 1/2

  • JOB SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE

    Experience at Practitioner Band 5 level including a minimum of six months experience working with adults with dysphagia

  • JOB SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE

    Experience of specialist working

  • JOB SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE

    Experience of managing change

  • JOB SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE

    Demonstrable knowledge of assessment and therapeutic interventions in area of specialism

  • JOB SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE

    Able to demonstrate specialist clinical reasoning skills to assimilate information in order to make a clinical judgement regarding diagnosis and intervention.

  • JOB SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE

    Ability to prioritise and organise workload effectively

  • PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTES

    Evidence of demonstrating the Trust’s values and behaviours.

  • PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTES

    Able to communicate effectively at different levels of the organisation and with staff, patient/service users, visitors or external organisations both verbally and in writing in the exchange of highly complex, sensitive or contentious information which may require the use of negotiating and/or persuasive skills.

  • PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTES

    Able to overcome barriers to understanding where there are physical or mental disabilities.

  • PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTES

    Able to analyse and assess situations and to interpret potentially conflicting situations and determine appropriate action, where there is a range of options and judgement is required.

  • PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTES

    Experience of planning and organising complex activities, e.g. organise own time and that of junior staff and learners, planning off duty rotas and undertaking discharge planning involving co-ordination with other agencies.

  • PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTES

    Ability to use own initiative within sphere of authority

  • PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTES

    Demonstrable ability to analyse situations and provide a resolution

  • PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTES

    Knowledge and understanding of legislation relevant to practice

  • PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTES

    Ability to evaluate care leading to improvement in quality standards an service improvement

  • PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTES

    Demonstrable leadership qualities and the ability to perform as a role model

  • PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTES

    Willingness to advance own clinical knowledge, skill and competence based on current evidence

  • KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TRAINING

    Registered practitioner to degree level supplemented by post registration specialist training and/or short courses or demonstrable extensive experience in the relevant specialty

  • KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TRAINING

    Membership of RCSLT

  • KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TRAINING

    Learning and Assessing in Practice Qualification or equivalent practice assessors training

  • KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TRAINING

    Evidence of recent professional development in an up to date portfolio

  • KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TRAINING

    Registered with HCPC

  • INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/RESOURCES

    Experience of using electronic patient / service user record systems

Desirable

2 listed

Additional qualities the employer would prefer.

  • JOB SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE

    Recent previous experience within a comparable role

  • KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TRAINING

    Knowledge and understanding of Trust Strategy relevant to role

Job overview

Are you an experienced Speech and Language Therapist looking for a career development role or an already established Speech and Language Therapist Specialist Practitioner, looking to join a forward-thinking team? The Jurassic Community Adult Speech and Language Therapy team, based at Weymouth Community Hospital has the opportunity for you.

We are advertising for a band 6 Specialist SLT or band 5/6 Developmental SLT. This role may suit you if you are:

  • An experienced Band 5 speech and language therapist with a minimum of six months experience working with adults with dysphagia
  • A band 6 speech and language therapist, looking to develop skills and take on challenges in a new area

The Jurassic team is part of the Dorset Adult Community Speech and Language Therapy team and covers Weymouth, Portland, Dorchester, Bridport and surrounding areas.

As a Speech and Language Therapist Specialist Practitioner you will be responsible for providing a community clinical service. The service sees patients in their own home, in clinics and in Community Hospital settings. You will be expected to work collaboratively with other team members to manage the locality caseload as needed. You will be highly motivated and forward thinking.

In return, we welcome ideas of change that could contribute to creating a better service for people living with acquired communication and swallowing difficulties. We offer CPD opportunities, regular supervision and peer supervision.

Main duties of the job

This post offers the opportunity to:

Work with individuals with a wide range of neurological conditions who present with complex communication and swallowing difficulties

Work closely with experienced speech and language therapists in the community setting to develop specialist skills.

Refer and attend Videofluoroscopy clinic as appropriate.

Develop skills and knowledge of working with patients with AAC.

Attend regular local speech and language therapy meetings with a strong bias to CPD.

Opportunity to supervise band 5 therapists, to work with SLT assistants and also to work with therapists from the other community SLT Teams.

Employment in this post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which the Trust will cover the cost of. Applicants who subscribe to the DBS update service are able to present a valid DBS certificate instead of requiring a new check.

Please note visa sponsorship for this role is unfortunately not available. Ensure you hold valid right to work in the UK and will not require sponsorship if successful.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.

We understand that using AI can be a useful and supportive tool when completing your application. However, we have also seen an increase in the over-reliance of AI tools which is negatively impacting applications as they remove candidate’s individuality, and it becomes much harder to get a sense of who you are and your authentic experience. If you do use AI, it should be used to enhance your application and not to create your supporting statement in its entirety. If we suspect you have used AI to create your supporting statement and this does not match your experience, we may withdraw your application.

All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact dhc.wideningparticipation@nhs.net

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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Applying for this NHS job

This advert is for Speech and Language Therapist Specialist Practitioner with Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust in Poole, England. It is listed as a Band 6 Speech and Language Therapist role. The advertised salary is £32,073 - £48,117 p.a.. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 09 Sep 2026.

Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (26 Aug 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHSjob search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.

For more context, review related Job Clerk pages for the same profession, band or location where they exist, then use the application-support guides to tailor your statement and prepare for interview.