Directorate: Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals
Location: Lakeview Hospital, Gransha Park, Londonderry
Contract and Hours: Permanent / Full Time (37.5hpw) A waiting list may be established for any Permanent, Temporary, Full-Time and Part-Time vacancies that may arise until 31st July 2026
Closing date: 12 February 2026
Job summary
The post holder will provide assessment and treatment for a wide ranging complex caseload of adults with learning disability to achieve well-being outcomes using a collaborative framework. This caseload will include clients with communication and eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties and will be required to work across a range of settings e.g. domiciliary, adult day centres, etc.
The post-holder will have cross-Trust responsibility to progress and develop the SLT service to support clients with behaviours associated with distress in collaboration with the ALD Positive Behaviour Support Service and other members of the multidisciplinary team.
The post-holder will be required to provide specialist advice, guidance, supervision and support to Band 5/6 SLT colleagues. The post-holder will provide teaching in the specialist area to qualified SLTs and other professionals. The post-holder will provide expert/second opinions to SLTs and those from other professionals on highly complex clinical cases.
The post-holder will contribute to the strategic planning, development and evaluation of the specialist service with the relevant Lead Clinician, Team Lead and Head of Service.
The post holder will contribute to the planning, design, delivery and evaluation of training, advice and support within the highly complex specialist areas to service users, SLTs and other professionals inside and outside the Trust including Statutory/Voluntary agencies.
Main responsibilities
The post holder will:
- Be responsible for the provision of a high quality Speech and Language Therapy service to a designated caseload including:
- Assessment of communication and/or swallowing difficulties
- Formulation of individual treatment plans and outcome measures
- Writing assessment reports
- Assessing and supporting clients with alternative and augmentative communication systems and liaising with regional Communication Advice Centre as appropriate
- Onward referrals to other professionals as required
- Attendance at case conferences/relevant meetings
- Contribution to the relevant statutory processes
- Liaise closely with patients/carers and provide specialist advice and support regarding client’s speech, language, communication, eating and drinking difficulties to ensure best outcomes
- Work collaboratively and liaise with other relevant Health and Social Care staff and all appropriate personnel working in non-statutory organisations
- Plan, design and implement innovative and evidence based models of intervention and service delivery
- Highlight areas of potential inefficiency to senior colleagues within the Department and propose solutions
- Be responsible for the care and maintenance of clinical equipment ensuring standards of infection control and safety are maintained – including equipment loaned to clients
- Provide support to more junior colleagues who are affected by change
- Contribute to response to complaints
- Contribute to HR processes for specialist area e.g. recruitment and selection
- Propose policy changes, impacting within and beyond own area
- Contribute to the development of organisational and professional body responses to emerging health policy at departmental level
- Build and maintain relationships and contributes to collaboration on projects relating to specialist caseload
- Take an active role in implementing change programmes in the clinical/workplace setting
- Interpret and compare a complex range of options for treatment of specialist caseload
- Contribute to interpretation of future impact of decisions for specialist clinical area
- Review the effectiveness of alternative treatment options and approaches for a specialist caseload/supervisees caseload
- Plan and advise on caseload management/ triage for specialism taking account of clinical/service priorities
- Contribute to the development of systems which help self and others manage their time and workload more effectively
- Identify solutions to problems and implement them
- Highlight priorities to inform development of business plans for specialist area
- Deputise for Lead Clinician
- Be flexible to demands of the clinical service and the needs of the whole service and provide clinical cover in the Trust as directed by Lead Clinician/Team Lead.
For complete details view the full job description in the Additional Information section below.
