East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist

The closing date is 29 April 2026

Job summary

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Band 5 Speech and Language Therapist to join our supportive and dynamic team on a fixed-term/secondment basis to cover maternity leave until 28th May 2027.

This is an excellent opportunity for a newly qualified or early-career therapist to develop their clinical skills within a well-established service, working predominantly within the school aged service.

The role will need you to:

Assess, diagnose, and manage a varied caseload of patients with speech, language, and communication needs
Deliver evidence-based interventions in line with best practice
Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, families, carers, and external agencies
Maintain accurate clinical records and reports
Participate in service development and team meetings

You will need to have:

Degree (or equivalent) in Speech and Language Therapy
Registered with the HCPC (or eligible for registration)
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Commitment to continuing professional development

We will offer:

A supportive and friendly working environment
Regular supervision and mentoring
Opportunities for training and professional development
Flexible working options (where possible)

Main duties of the job

Providing high quality, child-centred care for children on community SLT caseloads from 0-19 years.
Working with the clinical leads and other members of the team to develop, change and improve service delivery.

To work in collaboration with other professionals and agencies to provide holistic care to the children under the speech and language therapy service (Schools, preschool/nursery settings, Family Hubs).
Developing strong relationships with schools in order to support settings in their awareness of, confidence in and implementation of Universal and Targeted levels of support.
Delivering direct Specialist level support and interventions within schools.
Supporting non-qualified staff and students working within the team.
Providing specialist knowledge and skills within relevant clinical area.

About us

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is thatTime Mattersto everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here -www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A

Date posted

16 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£32,073 to £39,043 a year per annum

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

432-HR90-26

Job locations

Colchester Hospital

Colchester

CO4 5JL

Job description

Job responsibilities

For full details of theresponsibilitiesand duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Job description

Job responsibilities

For full details of theresponsibilitiesand duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

Specialist knowledge of assessments and interventions for client group.
Knowledge of national and local policies and procedures relevant to client group and role.
Understanding of the role of other professionals (relevant to care group).
Awareness of policies and procedures relating to Child Protection.

Desirable

Knowledge of PCI, Hanen strategies.
Knowledge of educational training packages e.g. ELKLAN, WellComm.
Knowledge of various strategies and interventions e.g. PECS, Makaton, Core Boards.

Qualifications

Essential

Recognised Speech and Language Therapy degree or equivalent (Post Graduate Diploma or MSc in Speech and Language Therapy leading to registration with HCPC).
Membership of RCSLT
HCPC membership
Ability to travel to different places of work/driving licence

Desirable

Additional accreditations in Specialist areas of diagnosis and/or intervention pertinent to Speech and Language Therapy.

Experience

Essential

Experience of engaging effectively with a range of client groups.

Desirable

Demonstrable experience within the NHS
Experience of delivering and developing training.

Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

Specialist knowledge of assessments and interventions for client group.
Knowledge of national and local policies and procedures relevant to client group and role.
Understanding of the role of other professionals (relevant to care group).
Awareness of policies and procedures relating to Child Protection.

Desirable

Knowledge of PCI, Hanen strategies.
Knowledge of educational training packages e.g. ELKLAN, WellComm.
Knowledge of various strategies and interventions e.g. PECS, Makaton, Core Boards.

Qualifications

Essential

Recognised Speech and Language Therapy degree or equivalent (Post Graduate Diploma or MSc in Speech and Language Therapy leading to registration with HCPC).
Membership of RCSLT
HCPC membership
Ability to travel to different places of work/driving licence

Desirable

Additional accreditations in Specialist areas of diagnosis and/or intervention pertinent to Speech and Language Therapy.

Experience

Essential

Experience of engaging effectively with a range of client groups.

Desirable

Demonstrable experience within the NHS
Experience of delivering and developing training.

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.

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

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

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Colchester Hospital

Colchester

CO4 5JL

Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Colchester Hospital

Colchester

CO4 5JL

Employer's website

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