Job summary An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Community Stroke Rehabilitation Service for a Specialist Speech & Language Therapist to join our team. This role is suitable for those with experience in working with adults with acquired communication and swallowing issues and experience working with stroke survivors and patients with neurological conditions, or who have transferable skills and knowledge such as dysphagia competencies. The Community Stroke Rehabilitation service provides Early Supported Discharge as well as support for people who have a new therapeutic need some time after their stroke. This is in line with the integrated model for stroke services providing a needs-based service. You will join our multidisciplinary team which consists of Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists as well as an experienced team of Associate and Assistant practitioners. Main duties of the job You will provide a specialist service to adults who have survived a stroke, who present with communication and/or swallowing difficulties. Provide community-based services in North East Essex, and also provide SLT cover to stroke beds in the Community hospital at Harwich. Community work includes some home visits, necessitating some lone working and travel between places of work across North East Essex. You will manage the work of junior staff, assistants, students and volunteers in their professional area. You will work as part of the integrated team to deliver seven day therapy input to patients with the aim of returning them to maximum independent living, promoting self-management on all activities of daily living. About us We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes. We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff. We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services. Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients. We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients. If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you. Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?vGkPu7HphU8A Date posted 07 March 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 6 Salary £37,338 to £44,962 a year per annum pro rata Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time, Part-time Reference number 432-HR2349-24 Job locations Colchester Hospital / The Crescent / Kennedy House Colchester CO4 5JL Job description Job responsibilities For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description. Job description Job responsibilities For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description. Person Specification Qualifications Essential RCSLT recognised degree in Speech and Language Therapy Registered member of RCSLT HCPC membership Independent Dysphagia practitioner (achieved dysphagia competencies Desirable Evidence of attendance at specialist courses e.g. Maggie Lee Huckabee Membership of regional/national specialist groups/forums Experience Essential Experience of working in various settings Experience of working as a member of a multi-disciplinary team Liaising with other agencies/other staff groups Experience of working with stroke survivors or people with acquired neurological conditions Experience of independently managing own caseload, including patients with dysphagia Experience supervising students/ therapy assistants Desirable Teaching/training other staff Experience of working with people with voice disorders Experience of working in a community setting Knowledge and Skills Essential Knowledge of communication and swallowing problems in neurologically impaired patients Knowledge of outcome measures and evidence based practice in relation to communication and dysphagia assessment and therapy intervention Assessment of communication impairments by various means, including informal assessment, as well as a range of standardised assessments Highly developed communication/interpersonal skills Good administrative skills, including word processing Desirable Involvement in audit/clinical governance within Speech and Language Therapy Person Specification Qualifications Essential RCSLT recognised degree in Speech and Language Therapy Registered member of RCSLT HCPC membership Independent Dysphagia practitioner (achieved dysphagia competencies Desirable Evidence of attendance at specialist courses e.g. Maggie Lee Huckabee Membership of regional/national specialist groups/forums Experience Essential Experience of working in various settings Experience of working as a member of a multi-disciplinary team Liaising with other agencies/other staff groups Experience of working with stroke survivors or people with acquired neurological conditions Experience of independently managing own caseload, including patients with dysphagia Experience supervising students/ therapy assistants Desirable Teaching/training other staff Experience of working with people with voice disorders Experience of working in a community setting Knowledge and Skills Essential Knowledge of communication and swallowing problems in neurologically impaired patients Knowledge of outcome measures and evidence based practice in relation to communication and dysphagia assessment and therapy intervention Assessment of communication impairments by various means, including informal assessment, as well as a range of standardised assessments Highly developed communication/interpersonal skills Good administrative skills, including word processing Desirable Involvement in audit/clinical governance within Speech and Language Therapy Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Additional information Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Employer details Employer name East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust Address Colchester Hospital / The Crescent / Kennedy House Colchester CO4 5JL Employer's website https://www.esneft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)