South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust
Advanced Practitioner – Speech and Language Therapist
Closing date: 14 November 2025
Hello, my name is Catherine Eaves and I am the General Manager of the Forensic In-patient Services at Fieldhead Hospital. We also have a range of Medium and Low secure wards at Cheswold Park Hospital (CPH).
We have an excellent reputation for providing a high‑quality service to mentally disordered offenders across the Yorkshire and Humberside area. The units have beds covering Male Learning Disabilities/ASD, Female Mental Illness, and Female Mental Illness wards.
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) to work within our in‑patient forensic mental health and learning disability services. This established role will be pivotal in establishing a high‑quality physiotherapy offer providing specialist SLT assessments and interventions to patients currently receiving care in our low and medium secure forensic services.
You will have experience of working with individuals with a range of mental health conditions and either experience of, or transferrable skills to work with individuals with learning disabilities. You will have the ability and motivation to develop and shape the direction of the SLT provision, ensuring it is evidence‑based and meets the individuals’ needs. You would work as part of a multidisciplinary team alongside partner agencies to keep people well and safe, promoting the health and independence of our service users.
Main duties of the job
The role will also involve providing day‑to‑day support and clinical leadership to SLT staff working within Wakefield in‑patient mental health services, based at the same site.
The post holder would provide a highly specialist SLT service, using expert skills to assess, advise and provide appropriate intervention to ensure individual holistic health needs are met and maximising function, and promoting quality of life.
The post holder will be required to liaise effectively with all relevant professionals, carers and family members to ensure the needs of the individual are met.
We are looking for a flexible, confident, enthusiastic and proactive SLT with established or developing leadership skills.
Effective communication, organisational and IT skills are essential.
The successful candidate will be passionate for improving the lives of vulnerable adults and have a strong understanding of local and national drivers and legal frameworks relating to forensic mental health services.
You will have access to operational and professional support, clinical supervision, and strong professional networks and a range of profession‑specific training and career progression opportunities.
For further details / informal visits contact: Katie Puplett (Chief Allied Health Professional) 07425676280, Rebecca Thompson or Catherine Eaves (General manager low secure services) 07833237709.
About us
We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the West Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.
Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities. We do this by providing high‑quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non‑clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.
We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.
Being a foundation Trust means we're accountable to our members, who can have a say in how we're run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.
Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.
We do reserve the right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.
Job responsibilities
JOB SUMMARY
Tobe responsible for the day to day co‑ordination and management of Allied Health Professionals within the designated clinical area, undertaking a complex, multi‑functional role, combining managerial, clinical and professional duties and responsibilities.
To have an identified clinical role for highly complex cases within their designated service.
To provide advice and support to other therapy staff and members of the multi‑disciplinary team within the service.
To facilitate collaborative working across therapy, maximizing on the skills of the therapists, therapy assistants and other staff.
In the capacity as a representative of the therapy services to liaise with the consultants and other medical, therapy and nursing staff, social services, voluntary agencies and the private sector.
This job description is an outline of the main duties of the post. The postholder will be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as directed.
The content of this post will be reviewed in consultation with the postholder when necessary and in line with the service developments.
KEY RESULT AREAS:
Clinical
Tocomply with the post holders professional code and Health Care Professions Council code of ethics and professional conduct and to adhere to national and local policies and procedures.
Towork in a specialised autonomous capacity accepting referrals for patients/service users referred to your clinical area. Giving advice and support to other members of the multi-disciplinary team.
To be professionally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work, including management of patients with complex needs.
To plan and prioritise own patient caseload (where appropriate), with highly complex needs, using highly specialist therapy skills. Assess and analyse identifying problem areas in order to plan and carry out goal‑oriented intervention programmes with the patients. Balancing risk, safety and patient choice in order to promote maximum independence.
Use of excellent communication and negotiation skills to establish a therapeutic relationship in complex and sometimes highly complex cases, taking into account the views and wishes of service users, carers and families. Monitor, evaluate and modify treatment in order to measure progress and ensure patient safety, thus maximising effectiveness of occupational therapy intervention.
To work with patients/families to aid their acceptance, understanding and management of their condition/disability. To provide the necessary support required in a sometimes hostile/antagonistic or highly emotional atmosphere.
To use highly advanced clinical reasoning and a wide range of treatment skills which implement evidence‑based practice.
To possess the necessary skills to implement time management and prioritise own caseload whilst assisting and supporting all therapy staff and members of the MDT, across your own and other clinical areas.
To carry out risk assessments and make recommendations to reduce risk to meet the needs of service users, staff, and the wider service/organisation.
To have and maintain a current working knowledge of the safe use of a range of equipment relevant to the service area. Assemble and fit equipment in patients' own homes and assess their safe use.
To actively encourage the provision of placements for student therapists and support team members with students training and appraisal.
To be involved and committed to therapy audit, evidence based practice and clinical research where appropriate, in order to promote best possible practice in the relevant clinical area.
To act as a representative of therapy services to liaise and communicate effectively with consultants, senior managers, professional leads, other medical, therapy and nursing staff, social services, voluntary and private agencies.
To be responsible for risk assessment in your own delegated area, ensuring a safe working environment for all staff, patients and members of the general public.
To undertake own continuous professional development, participate in regular clinical and managerial supervision, to organise peer reviews and maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of local and national guidance relevant to the area of speciality through research and work within clinical interest groups. To ensure all therapy team members take responsibility for their own CPD.
To ensure effective delivery of clinical support and supervision to all Therapy staff within the service.
Organisational/Managerial
To be responsible for the day to day coordination and organization of the therapy staff within the service.
To ensure that the service delivery within the team is of a high standard and that all staff are actively involved in all aspects of clinical governance.
Actively influence service changes and development, including the setting up and monitoring of practice standards and when appropriate taking a lead in implementing them.
To deal with complaints, disciplinary and grievances (where appropriate at the request of the operational manager). Advise professional and senior managers of serious complaints that may be escalated.
To implement an induction programme for new staff.
Develop collaborative working practices between therapy and other agencies, ensuring optimum use of resources and the promotion of multi-disciplinary working. To review and rationalise services to meet the changing needs of service delivery including flexible working times and transformation projects.
To promote links with other therapy areas within the BDU and the wider Trust.
Identify unmet needs and gaps in service provision and highlight these to the professional lead.
Undertake recruitment and selection duties as required.
Take the lead in coordination of annual leave/study leave for therapy staff whilst ensuring continued provision of services to all areas.
All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID‑19 to protect patients.
At the time of advertising, this role does meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates to work in the UK. We look forward to receiving your application.
For full job description, please see attached supporting documents.
We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. Over reliance on AI‑generated content in application forms is strongly discouraged and we will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.
Person Specification
Special Knowledge & Skills
* Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
* Excellent leadership skills.
* Excellent teaching skills.
* Ability to demonstrate highly specialised clinical reasoning and treatment skills.
* Excellent team working skills.
* Proven experience of time management.
* Knowledge of local and national guidance relevant to clinical area.
* Basic IT skills.
Experience
* Extensive appropriate post‑registration experience relevant to clinical area.
* Experience in supervising and managing staff.
* Experience of working with children and families.
Training
* Evidence of continuing professional development and post graduate training in relevant area.
* Have demonstrable competence to work at Masters or Advanced Level.
* Management or leadership training.
* Audit training.
* Therapies training i.e. CBT‑E, IPT, Sensory integration.
Personal Attributes
* Ability to risk assess and deal with health and safety matters for own and others work area and caseloads.
* Ability to work autonomously.
* Ability to travel around the Trust as appropriate to role.
* Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service possibly including evenings and weekend working.
Physical Attributes
* Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post. A satisfactory sickness record over the previous 2 years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where the sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).
Qualifications
* Degree or equivalent in Occupational Therapy / Physiotherapy / Dietetics / SALT.
* Practice Education/Practice Assessor Preparation Certificate (or to achieve within 12 months).
* MSC/Diploma in relevant area.
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.
Address
Newton Lodge and Bretton Centre, Fieldhead Hospital
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