Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
An excellent opportunity has arisen for a newly qualified, current band 5 or a returning to practice therapist to join a friendly, innovative and dynamic team of professionals.
Our team supports children and their families with their speech, language and communication needs in Havering, London’s eastern-most borough. The role involves close collaborative working with multi-disciplinary colleagues in Health and Education, alongside parents and carers, where your skills will be nurtured by supportive and experienced colleagues. While consolidating your training and gaining experience managing a general paediatric caseload, this post offers opportunities to develop your knowledge of a wide range of specialisms such as stammering, speech disorders, AAC, selective mutism, complex needs and autism.
The successful applicant will be responsible for a clinical caseload providing assessment of mainstream primary pupils in schools, planning interventions, group and individual therapy to pre-school children with in clinic, identifying and meeting training needs and providing specialist advice.
Based in Romford, Havering- a culturally diverse outer London Borough, we work alongside colleagues in Paediatrics, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapies and CAMHS. Staff benefit from established transport links from London, Essex and Kent, including the Elizabeth Line.
Main duties of the job
You would be joining a creative and dynamic team which operates in an inclusive and supportive manner to passionately advocate for the needs of our clients. All our therapists benefit from a programme of regular clinical, safeguarding and peer supervision. In-house and external training is encouraged to maintain expertise and further develop skills, while ad hoc support and advice from experienced colleagues is accessible whenever required. The benefits of flexible and home working are recognised for experienced therapists, and we actively encourage the development of special interests and self-directed learning. There are also opportunities to support service-development alongside colleagues in the wider team. We welcome applicants who wish to develop their clinical skills and feed their professional curiosity as a valued member of a vibrant and supportive team, and would be pleased to offer the opportunity for graduating students to join us as a Band 4 while awaiting their registration.
Working for our organisation
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers, we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
1. We are kind.
2. We are respectful.
3. We work together with our communities.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period.
High Cost Area Supplement – Outer London
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,914). Pro rata for Part-time staff.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Detailed Job Description and Main responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at Northeast London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer closely to this when completing your application. We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Any development needs to help you succeed in the role, can be discussed at the interview stage.
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system.
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
Person specification
Qualification
Essential criteria
4. Qualified SLT
5. Member/ Student member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
Desirable criteria
6. HCPC registration
Experience
Essential criteria
7. Relevant experience at undergraduate/post graduate level
8. Experience of working with other professionals including school/ nursery staff
9. Experience of assessing and using specialist equipment/ tools
10. Experience of early intervention and early interaction approaches
11. Show active interest in continuing professional development
Desirable criteria
12. Working collaboratively with parents/carers
13. Providing modelling/ training strategies for use in class or small group
14. Evidence of being self-motivated to remain updated with professional practice and new research
Knowledge
Essential criteria
15. Familiar with a range of assessments for speech and language (including standardised) and treatment techniques in paediatrics.
16. Understanding of Safeguarding and expected processes
17. Awareness of NHS plans and priorities
18. Knowledge of child development and its application to speech and language therapy
Desirable criteria
19. Government policy and legislation and how this may affect service delivery
Skills
Essential criteria
20. Basic awareness of IT and IT skills
21. High standard of communication skills including observation, listening and empathy.
22. Present information written and orally in a clear and logical manner.
23. Work flexibly and be responsive to change.
24. Work on own initiative.
25. Demonstrate clear clinical reasoning based on evidenced based practice within paediatrics
Desirable criteria
26. Able to communicate information from assessment and therapy in verbal and written form to parents, carers and education staff
27. Organise and manage own caseload
28. Formulate care programmes and identify goals using good organisational and prioritisation skills.
Other
Essential criteria
29. To be able to travel efficiently throughout the area
Trust Values
Essential criteria
30. We are kind
31. We are respectful
32. We work together with our communities
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
33. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
34. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
35. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
36. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.