Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Come and join us We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day. At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development. We actively promote f lexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role. We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn’t based on your real experience. Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you , and we’ll explore your examples further at interview, so it’s important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page. We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you. Job overview Unique opportunity to join a team of mental health speech and language therapists working across the Trust's adult mental health wards. This is a Specialist Speech and Language Therapy (Band 6) role and would ideally suit an experienced practitioner with the desire to help deliver a high-quality service to people living with mental health needs and/or dementia. You will be supported by a more experienced speech and language therapist. The team is led by a Principal Speech and Language Therapist (Band 8a) in Mental Health and Dementia. There are currently opportunities to support student speech and language therapists. The post holder will be based at Langley Green Hospital and will need to able to travel for meetings and training to other sites on occasions. Experience in mental health and/or dementia is advantageous. By joining our team, you will benefit from: · Strong supportive teams with dedicated supportive leaders · Excellent CPD opportunities · A service that works to develop clear evidence-based care pathways Advert You will already possess a broad range of skills to manage a varied caseload across a range of care pathways including dementia, mental health conditions, acquired neurological conditions, learning disabilities and neurodiversity. Due to the specialist nature of the role and broad range of care pathways we offer, support and CPD to develop skills gaps. As well as direct assessments and interventions, speech and language therapy will be delivered by increasing the skills and competencies of other staff on wards. You will have support from and work collaboratively within the speech and language therapy professional group which spans the whole of Sussex and includes a large team of learning disability, neurodevelopmental and mental health specialist speech and language therapists. You will be collaborating across services to deliver results. We work closely with colleagues in social care, primary care and other specialist secondary services. This is a great opportunity to use the skills you have developed across a broad range of care pathways. Working for our organisation Sussex Partnership provides mental health and learning disability care for all age groups across Sussex and for children and young people in Sussex. We encourage flexible working We know that a positive work/ life balance brings about huge health-related benefits, which has a positive impact on the care we provide. Please speak to us about flexible working, for example, part time hours, flexible start/ finish times or anything else. If it works for you and works for the role, we'll do our best to make it happen. We’d love you to join our Trust, rated ‘good’ overall and ‘outstanding’ for caring by the CQC. Our staff agree, in our recent staff survey 82% told us that they recognise that care for patients is our top priority. Other key survey results: · 70% highlighting flexible working as a key point for satisfaction at work · 79% reporting feeling able to make suggestions to improve the work in their team · 77% identifying opportunities to show initiative in their roles REQUIREMENTS In order to be a successful speech and language therapist in our team you will be: - A qualified speech and language therapist, registered with the HCPC - Experienced in a broad range of areas aforementioned - Comfortable working in a fast-paced and varied role Detailed job description and main responsibilities • To provide mental health speech and language therapy services to inpatients who have communication or swallowing needs in an acute mental health hospital. • To provide the day-to-day speech and language therapy input within the multi-disciplinary team on the designated wards across the hospital. • To contribute actively to planning, evaluating and development of the service. • To provide leadership through supervision of speech and language therapy students as required. • Ensure effective liaison with other services within the locality including voluntary, statutory and community resources, as well as social services. SPFT is committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We particularly welcome applications from people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and from disabled candidates , as these groups are currently underrepresented. Successful candidates are normally appointed to the bottom of the pay scale unless previous NHS experience in a similar role can be evidenced. SPFT takes its responsibilities for safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk very seriously. We expect all staff and bank workers to share this commitment and complete the relevant safeguarding training for their role. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful. However, we’ll always do our best to keep you informed as we know how much time and care goes into applying for a role. In the event of a high number of applications, we may close this vacancy early. Protect Yourself from Recruitment Fraud Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust does not charge any fees for job applications, recruitment processes, sponsorship arrangements or employment offers. All vacancies, applications and recruitment communications are managed through the Trust's official careers website and published contact details. These are the only authorised channels for applying for roles, receiving recruitment communications and verifying job offers. Further information relating to our vacancies and recruitment process can be found at - https://careers.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/.