Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

The closing date is 09 January 2026

Job summary

This position involves providing highly specialist speech and language therapy services to clients with complex communication needs, including those with cleft lip and palate and non cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD). The post holder will be responsible for delivering evidence-based interventions, managing a complex caseload, and contributing to service development, audit, and clinical governance. The role requires collaborative working within multidisciplinary teams and the provision of expert advice to professionals, carers, and clients.

Main duties of the job

The role involves delivering highly specialised assessments, treatment plans, and outcome evaluations for clients with complex communication needs. It requires providing expert advice to professionals, clients, and carers, ensuring care is individually tailored and responsive to cultural and linguistic factors. The clinician must maintain up-to-date knowledge, adapt interventions to current evidence, and ensure secure, compliant management of clinical equipment. Clear, empathetic communication of complex information to clients, carers, and multidisciplinary teams is essential, alongside motivating engagement and building effective relationships with individuals experiencing stress or communication barriers. The role includes evaluating national and international standards to ensure high-quality care and performing detailed transcription of speech disorders associated with cleft palate and non-cleft VPD, followed by appropriate management planning.

Caseload management responsibilities include using specialist knowledge to develop care protocols and manage a diverse clinical caseload efficiently. The clinician must produce accurate reports and maintain case notes in line with RCSLT and Trust policies. Active participation in service delivery, audit, and development is required, offering leadership within areas of expertise. Accurate and timely submission of clinical activity data supports service evaluation and development.

About us

Sponsorship - We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship.You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the government website.

Details

Date posted

19 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

Depending on experience

Contract

Secondment

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

411-MED-25-7648684

Job locations

Alder Hey Children's Hospital

Eaton Road

Liverpool

L12 2AP


Job description

Job responsibilities

This Band 7 role provides highly specialist speech and language therapy for children with complex communication needs, including cleft lip and palate and non-cleft VPD. The post holder delivers evidence-based assessment, intervention, and outcome evaluation, manages a complex caseload, and contributes to audit, service development, and clinical governance. Responsibilities include offering expert advice, tailoring care to cultural and linguistic needs, maintaining specialised knowledge, managing equipment, and communicating complex information with clarity and empathy. The role requires multidisciplinary collaboration, accurate reporting, adherence to RCSLT, HCPC, and Trust standards, participation in research, supervision of junior staff, and upholding values of compassion, courage, commitment, and community while ensuring safeguarding, confidentiality, data quality, and infection control compliance.

Job description

Job responsibilities

This Band 7 role provides highly specialist speech and language therapy for children with complex communication needs, including cleft lip and palate and non-cleft VPD. The post holder delivers evidence-based assessment, intervention, and outcome evaluation, manages a complex caseload, and contributes to audit, service development, and clinical governance. Responsibilities include offering expert advice, tailoring care to cultural and linguistic needs, maintaining specialised knowledge, managing equipment, and communicating complex information with clarity and empathy. The role requires multidisciplinary collaboration, accurate reporting, adherence to RCSLT, HCPC, and Trust standards, participation in research, supervision of junior staff, and upholding values of compassion, courage, commitment, and community while ensuring safeguarding, confidentiality, data quality, and infection control compliance.

Person Specification

Qualified Speech and language Therapist

Essential

  • Degree or Postgraduate or MSc or PHD level
  • Registered with HCPC
  • Member of RCSLT
  • Experience in the management of speech sound disorders
  • Wide experience managing developmental and disordered speech, language and disordered speech, language and communication disorders from birth to adulthood
  • Experience of assessment and audit protocols relevant to the client groups
  • Experience of narrow transcription of disordered speech
  • Experience of designing and delivering evidence-based intervention packages
  • Experience of collecting high-quality audit data
  • Experience of teaching and clinical supervision
  • Experience of clinical audit
  • Experience of multidisciplinary team working
  • Knowledge of evidence-based assessment and intervention for children with a diagnosis of cleft palate, +/- lip and non-cleft VPD
  • Knowledge of assessment of complex speech and language disorders
  • Knowledge of perceptual assessment of disordered speech
  • Knowledge of the clinical audit cycle, including using audit outcomes to improve clinical results
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to prioritise, problem solve, and create practical solutions to complex clinical problems
  • Ability to complete projects within agreed deadlines

Desirable

  • CAPS A training
  • Experience of speech sound disorders relating to cleft palate and non-cleft VPD
  • Objective assessment of VPD, including referral criteria, implementation, and analysis
  • Research and methodology
Person Specification

Qualified Speech and language Therapist

Essential

  • Degree or Postgraduate or MSc or PHD level
  • Registered with HCPC
  • Member of RCSLT
  • Experience in the management of speech sound disorders
  • Wide experience managing developmental and disordered speech, language and disordered speech, language and communication disorders from birth to adulthood
  • Experience of assessment and audit protocols relevant to the client groups
  • Experience of narrow transcription of disordered speech
  • Experience of designing and delivering evidence-based intervention packages
  • Experience of collecting high-quality audit data
  • Experience of teaching and clinical supervision
  • Experience of clinical audit
  • Experience of multidisciplinary team working
  • Knowledge of evidence-based assessment and intervention for children with a diagnosis of cleft palate, +/- lip and non-cleft VPD
  • Knowledge of assessment of complex speech and language disorders
  • Knowledge of perceptual assessment of disordered speech
  • Knowledge of the clinical audit cycle, including using audit outcomes to improve clinical results
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to prioritise, problem solve, and create practical solutions to complex clinical problems
  • Ability to complete projects within agreed deadlines

Desirable

  • CAPS A training
  • Experience of speech sound disorders relating to cleft palate and non-cleft VPD
  • Objective assessment of VPD, including referral criteria, implementation, and analysis
  • Research and methodology

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Alder Hey Children's Hospital

Eaton Road

Liverpool

L12 2AP


Employer's website

https://alderhey.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Alder Hey Children's Hospital

Eaton Road

Liverpool

L12 2AP


Employer's website

https://alderhey.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Advanced Practitioner Speech & Language Therapist

Claudine Milligan

claudine.milligan@alderhey.nhs.uk

01512525404

Details

Date posted

19 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

Depending on experience

Contract

Secondment

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

411-MED-25-7648684

Job locations

Alder Hey Children's Hospital

Eaton Road

Liverpool

L12 2AP


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)