Job SummaryAre you an experienced Band 5 Speech and Language Therapist looking to progress into a Band 6 role, a returner to practice, or an already established Speech and Language Therapist Specialist Practitioner, looking to join a forward-thinking team? Our Dorset Community Adult Speech and Language Therapy service, based at Yeatman Hospital, Sherborne, has the opportunity for you.
As a Speech and Language Therapist Specialist Practitioner you will be responsible for providing a community clinical service. The service sees patients in their own home, in clinics and in Community Hospital inpatient settings. You will be expected to work collaboratively with other team members to manage the locality caseload as needed. You will be highly motivated and forward thinking.
In return, we welcome ideas of change that could contribute to creating a better service for people living with acquired communication and swallowing difficulties. We offer CPD opportunities, regular supervision and peer supervision with other Band 6s.
The Specialist Speech and Language Therapist role is a part-time role of 26.25 hours a week. Our service embraces flexible working and we support a hybrid model of working both from home and in office.
Please note visa sponsorship for this role is unfortunately not available.Main duties of the job- Work with individuals with a wide range of neurological conditions who present with complex communication and swallowing difficulties
- Work closely with experienced speech and language therapists in the community setting to develop specialist skills.
- Refer and attend videofluoroscopy clinic as appropriate.
- Develop skills and knowledge of working with patients with AAC.
- Attend regular local speech and language therapy meetings with a strong bias to CPD.
- Opportunity to supervise band 5 therapists, to work with SLT assistants and also to work with therapists from the other community SLT Teams.
About usAt Dorset HealthCare we're on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We're a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.
We do things differently here - it's one of the reasons the CQC rated us 'outstanding' in 2019. It's also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you're looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.
Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We're an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.
Working with us you'll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don't know. And you'll be working towards our vision to be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do.
DetailsDate posted: 21 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £27,971 to £33,681 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time, Flexible working, Home or remote working
Reference number: 152-C059.26A
Job locations: Yeatman Hospital, Hospital Lane, Sherborne, DT9 3JU
Person SpecificationKNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TRAININGEssential- Registered practitioner to degree/diploma level supplemented by post registration diploma level specialist training and/or short courses or demonstrable extensive experience in the relevant specialty
- Membership of the relevant Professional Body
- Learning and Assessing in Practice Qualification or equivalent practice assessors training
- Evidence of recent professional development in an up to date portfolio
Desirable- Knowledge and understanding of Trust Strategy relevant to role
JOB SPECIFIC EXPERIENCEEssential- Experience at Practitioner Band 5 level
- Experience of specialist working
- Experience of managing change
- Demonstrable knowledge of assessment and therapeutic interventions in area of specialism
- Experience of developing specialist programmes of care for an individual or groups of patients/clients and of providing highly specialist advice
- Able to demonstrate specialist clinical reasoning skills to assimilate information in order to make a clinical judgement regarding diagnosis and intervention.
- Ability to prioritise and organise workload effectively
Desirable- Recent previous experience within a comparable role
PERSONAL QUALITIES/ATTRIBUTESEssential- Evidence of demonstrating the Trust's values and behaviours.
- Able to communicate effectively at different levels of the organisation and with staff, patient/service users, visitors or external organisations both verbally and in writing in the exchange of highly complex, sensitive or contentious information which may require the use of negotiating and/or persuasive skills.
- Able to overcome barriers to understanding where there are physical or mental disabilities.
- Able to analyse and assess situations and to interpret potentially conflicting situations and determine appropriate action, where there is a range of options and judgement is required.
- Experience of planning and organising complex activities, e.g. organise own time and that of junior staff and learners, planning off duty rotas and undertaking discharge planning involving co-ordination with other agencies.
- Ability to use own initiative within sphere of authority
- Demonstrable ability of using tact and diplomacy
- Demonstrable ability to analyse situations and provide a resolution
- Knowledge and understanding of legislation relevant to practice
- Ability to evaluate care leading to improvement in quality standards an service improvement
- Demonstrable leadership qualities and the ability to perform as a role model
- Willingness to advance own clinical knowledge, skill and competence based on current evidence
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/RESOURCESEssential- Experience of using electronic patient / service user record systems
BUSINESS TRAVELEssential- Subject to the provisions of the Equality Act, able to travel using own vehicle on Trust business. - Level 1/2
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.Applicants must have current UK professional registration. 
