Speech & Language Therapist in Plymouth

Fixed term contract of up to 12 months (contract will run up until March 2027). Planned interview date 12/2/26. Come and join our friendly, supportive team in sunny Devon! An exciting opportunity has arisen for a band 5 Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) to become part of our Adult Community Neuro Rehabilitation Team. We are looking for an enthusiastic SLT who would like to develop their skills in supporting patients with a range of communication and swallowing difficulties linked to neurological conditions. We are ideally looking for a therapist with some relevant experience, who has already completed their post qualification competencies. It may be possible to take this post as a secondment subject to your own employer's terms and conditions.

The post will involve working within an experienced Multi Disciplinary Team, with a specific focus on rehabilitation ensuring that patients receive excellent SLT support in both domiciliary and outpatient settings. The post holder should be keen to work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals and carers, should possess excellent communication skills and a desire to learn and develop. The SLT service is committed to CPD, research, audit and practice supervision. We have a close working relationship with Marjons University and University Hospitals Plymouth. If you would like more information about this post, please feel free to call the team; we would be happy to speak to you.

Main duties of the job include:

• Supporting patients with a range of conditions, including stroke, acquired brain injury, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, neuro oncology and others.
• Visiting patients in their own homes, care homes and seeing them in clinic.
• Completing assessment, providing therapy and therapy plans for rehab assistants, for communication and swallowing.
• Opportunity to support groups, staff training and quality improvement projects within the service.
• Working alongside other members of the MDT and having access to specialist SLTs for support, shadowing and CPD opportunities.

Please note - due to the fixed term contract, this post will not be a rotational position and will be based in the CNRT team. This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route; please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information regarding eligibility. Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity. All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.

About us: Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs. As an organisation with a strong social conscience, we are guided by our values: kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability while empowering staff and those we serve. We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.

We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation. Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.

Job responsibilities include:

• Independently managing personal caseload with reference to theory, published research and evidence and agreed best practice.
• Identifying, collecting, analysing, and interpreting case related information and data from patients, carers and other relevant sources.
• Undertaking a range of formal and informal assessments as indicated by the presenting SLCD and/or dysphagia.
• Reaching differential diagnoses on the basis of evidence gathered from assessments and other sources and with reference to theory.
• Assessing, managing and advising patients with dysphagia and their families with support from more experienced Speech and Language Therapists when required.
• Attending meetings, including MDT and patient meetings, to update the MDT on individual SLT patient goals and specialised care plans.
• Developing patient-centred treatment/management plans ensuring patient/carers are fully involved in the decision making process.
• Writing and disseminating clinical reports based on assessment and treatment findings to appropriate professionals and relevant others.
• Managing triage, management and discharge of patients in relation to personal caseload without direct supervision.
• Communicating complex information to patients whose ability to understand and co-operate is the primary difficulty.
• Monitoring, recognising and evaluating changes in the patients condition and adapting the assessment and treatment programme accordingly.
• Identifying and communicating risk factors for impaired swallow and communication difficulties.
• Negotiating with carers/patients and professionals around individual case diagnosis and management.
• Training and advising patients, carers, professionals, and non-professionals how to support speech, language, communication and dysphagia.
• Contributing to clinical teams, both multi and uni-disciplinary, by discussing and negotiating own and others input around patients needs.

Other Responsibilities include:

• Monitoring satisfaction of people using the service and supporting change in response to this, in collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team.
• Ability to cope with emotionally complex and demanding scenarios involving patients and families.
• Flexible working patterns over a 37.5 hours working week, including bank holidays.

Communications and Relationships: Communicate sensitive and complex information with a range of staff internally and externally across the organisation. Adapt communication styles to support patients with significant communication impairments.

Physical Demands of the Job: Working in awkward spaces or positions, including during home visits. Supporting physically unwell patients, which may also include exposure to unpleasant smells and bodily fluids. Ability to discuss difficult topics relating to communication and swallowing with people with complex conditions and their families.

Person Specification includes:

• Autonomous practitioner with experience of managing a caseload.
• Experience in cognitive neuropsychological assessment and treatment planning.
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team in a rehabilitation setting.
• Evidence of CPD.
• Experience of working with staff from other agencies.
• Experience of teaching/training.
• Experience of working with Long term conditions.
• Placement experience in a relevant setting.

Qualifications: Degree or equivalent in speech and language therapy, HPC Registration, RCSLT Registration, Evidence of ongoing education and professional development, Recognised qualification in written and spoken English, Membership of relevant Clinical Excellence Network, RCSLT accredited post-graduate dysphagia training or a willingness to undertake.

Knowledge: Excellent knowledge of SLCD differential diagnosis in adult neuro client group, understanding of multi-disciplinary team working and individual roles, knowledge of outcome measures within adult neuro client group, knowledge and understanding of Clinical Governance, evidence of special knowledge/interest in aphasia and/or motor speech disorders.

Specific skills: Good skills in clinical assessment, intervention and evaluation, excellent communication skills, both written and spoken, excellent time management and organisational skills, ability to work in teams, knowledge and experience of computer assisted therapy and AAC devices, ability to access/travel to patient homes across the locality, innovative and flexible - able to cope with change.

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.