Band 7 Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist for SSD/Cleft

Job summary

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust's Children and Young People's Therapies (CYPT) Service is excited to be offering a Band 7 opportunity to support CYP with Speech Sound Disorders (SSD) and Cleft lip and palate within the Speech and Language Therapy Team. We are looking to recruit to an experienced SLT with specialist knowledge and skills in these clinical areas who will join the DLD/SSD team. You will be involved in service development and will have opportunities to extend your clinical and leadership skills.

This permanent post is 0.6 WTE and will be based in our West Hertfordshire locality (St Albans and Hemel Hempstead). As well as leading on speech sound disorders in the West locality, you will provide Hertfordshire wide support for CYP with cleft lip and palate and hold your own specialist caseload. This will include participating in joint cleft liaison clinics with Addenbrooks at Nevells Road in Letchworth, as part of the East of England cleft network, and collaborating with specialist cleft teams locally and at tertiary level. You will also lead on the clinical development of our band 6 cleft links and support the wider team across the trust including providing second opinions when required.

The postholder will be expected to work autonomously, and as part of a wider multi-disciplinary team (MDT), undertaking specialist assessment and intervention of CYP with speech sound disorders, cleft and co-occurring language needs.

*Proposed Interview date : 3rd November 2026*

Main duties of the job

As a Band 7 Highly Specialist SLT you will:o Lead the development of evidence-based, child-centred clinical pathways and interventions for CYP with Speech Sound Disorders (SSD) and cleft lip and palate.o Act as a key contact for specialist cleft networks, supporting multidisciplinary working and service improvement.o Provide highly specialist assessment, differential diagnosis, intervention and clinical leadership for CYP with SSD and cleft lip and palate, working autonomously and within own professional competence.o Develop the skills and expertise of community therapists and the wider children's workforce through training, joint working, professional support and second opinions.o Provide professional supervision, allocate work appropriately and collaborate with CYP, families and professionals to agree management decisions, achieve functional goals and contribute to multi-agency meetings.

We offer:o Regular professional and managerial supervision, peer support and a structured appraisal system.o A supportive team of highly specialist SLTs committed to high-quality care.o Internal and external CPD opportunities including tutorials, peer review and CENs.o A 2 week induction with opportunities to observe and shadow colleagues.o Regular opportunities to work with clinical and operational leads on service planning and development.

Job responsibilities

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

HCT 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 joint working and training, and shared learning amongst each profession.

Our CYP Therapies 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 education and a wide range of stakeholders, and we work in partnership with them to deliver interventions at Universal, Targeted and Specialist levels across Hertfordshire.

We pride ourselves on the support we provide to staff. As a Highly Specialist SLT you will have the opportunity to facilitate professional supervision groups and provide managerial supervision to less experienced colleagues.

A staff member who has recently joined the CYP Therapies service has said the following:

I love working in CYPT/HCT - everyone in the team is super dedicated. There is strong management support, but also space for being flexible and creative to meet childrens needs; innovation & good practice is valued and encouraged. I enjoy & appreciate the robust supervision structures, training in supervision & coaching, and the many opportunities for personal development and learning, including for example in-house training days and tutorials. I have worked in many teams across Hertfordshire, all without exception friendly and welcoming. There is an ethos of peer support and encouragement & sharing learning; everyone works hard but there is a sense of belonging and always time for a quick chat and plenty of laughs. I feel valued here and I value my lovely colleagues and the fabulous children & young people we work with.

Applications for full time and part time work will be considered. A full valid driving license 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 £1,346 and a maximum payment of £2,270 per annum (pro rata where applicable and dependent on base location).

Interview date is set for 3rd November 2026

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.

HCT will prioritise recruitment of workers living in England under the new immigration rules for care workers effective from 9 April 2025. Employers must first prove that they have attempted to recruit a worker from within England who needs new sponsorship. This ensures that those who came to the UK to pursue a career in adult social care can do so.

The use of AI is monitored and if you have used it then you are required to declare this, as well as what type of AI tools you have used and for what purpose. We reserve the right to further test your individual knowledge and skills in relation to the requirements for the post through robust and thorough interview and assessment.

About the employer

We're delighted that you're exploring a career with HCT. As an organisation, we're committed to creating an inclusive, supportive, and rewarding work environment -- one where you'll feel valued and empowered to make a real difference.

Our staff are proud to be Innovative, Caring and Agile in their work to help achieve the Trust vision

At HCT, we put patients, their families, and carers at the heart of everything we do. Our vision is simple yet powerful: Outstanding Services and Healthier Communities.

Working with us comes with a host of benefits designed to support your wellbeing and work-life balance:

• Generous annual leave(27 days rising to 33 with long service)
• Flexible working arrangements, including up to 5 days of carers leave (pro rata)
• Employee Assistance Programmeoffering 24/7 confidential support
• Cycle to Work and Car Lease Schemes
• Blue Light Card and NHS Discounts
• Health and wellbeing support, including free flu jabs, Physiotherapy referrals, etc.
• Occupational Pension Scheme
• Enhanced sick payabove statutory entitlements

We celebrate diversity and actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds, ages, and communities to apply.

We're excited about the possibility of welcoming you to our team and taking the next step in your journey with us.

If there's high interest in this role, we may close applications earlier than the advertised deadline -- so please apply as soon as possible!