Job Summary
We are recruiting! We are a friendly, innovative and dynamic speech and language therapy team, who have established and expanded adult learning disability (ALD) and autism SLT services across Suffolk, and are looking for an experienced clinician to fill this fixed term post to lead the ALD service.

This post offers an excellent opportunity for a skilled SLT who specialises in working with adults with learning disabilities and /or autism, to develop their leadership and management skills on a fixed term basis, as they work alongside experienced clinicians to lead the adult learning disability and autism speech and language therapy service for ESNEFT.

We are looking for a therapist who has specialist knowledge and experience of managing the communication and dysphagia needs of this ALD/A cohort, with the willingness to use leadership skills to help maintain, coordinate and oversee the countywide delivery of this service which is integrated with the local mental health learning disability and autism service offer.

We also provide the specialist SLT service into the Autism Diagnostic Service for Suffolk (ADSS), and therefore we would also welcome interest from clinicians with autism diagnostic experience, as this post offers the potential to also work alongside the existing senior SLT in the ADSS team.

The post-holder will be based in Ipswich or Bury St Edmunds, but will work across Suffolk. Car driver essential.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will need to have advanced clinical skills in dysphagia and communication. You will need to be able to work collaboratively and quickly build relationships with colleagues across health and social care, the voluntary sector and private provider services across the Suffolk Integrated Care Board region.As part of the ESENFT senior SLT team, you will be a key member of the integrated adult SLT services, which covers the full range of clinical disorders and includes clinical specialists in neurological disorders, aphasia, dysfluency, dysphagia and voice across both acute and community settings.

• Be accountable for the delivery of the adult learning disability SLT pathway according to knowledge and experience, ensuring the service is effectively maintained and well-coordinated across the county.
• Maintain effective working relationships with other NHS and social care provider organisations, commissioning, and third sector organisations
• Provide line management and clinical supervision to the specialist qualified speech and language therapists and assistant practitioner working in the adult learning disability team.
• Independently manage a caseload of complex clinical cases as needed.
• Work closely with the professional SLT and wider SLT clinical leads lead to share service critical information and advocate for the ALD service, ensuring there is effective integration and coordination of service delivery across the county.

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 that Time Matters to 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

Details
Date posted: 10 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year per annum
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 432-HR523-26
Job locations: Ipswich Hospital, Heath Road, Ipswich, IP4 5PD, United Kingdom

Job description
For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Significant specialist experience of working with adults with learning disabilities post registration
• Experience of initiating and completing service development
• Experience of teaching others on speech and language therapy related topics
• Experience of working in demanding settings with patients with complex needs
• Experience of working as part of a multi-agency team, line managing staff, and running groups
• Participation in audit/research
• Experience of managing conflict, co-ordinating areas of work, and supporting colleagues in stressful situations
• Experience of working with people in acute distress

Desirable

• Working across a variety of community and social care settings
• Experience of leading teams

Qualifications
Essential

• RCSLT recognised degree or equivalent
• Eligible for registered membership of RCSLT
• HCPC membership
• Independent Dysphagia practitioner
• Evidence of successful completion of specialist courses at a Master's degree equivalent (or an MSc if available in clinical specialism)
• Evidence of completion of formal/informal management training
• Membership of relevant CENs
• Evidence of training as clinical supervisor
• Ability to travel to different places of work/driving licence

Desirable

• Makaton Tutor
• Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) trained.

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Significant advanced specialist knowledge in assessment and management of swallowing and communication disorders for the client group.
• Well established knowledge and interpretation of a broad range of relevant assessment tools and techniques, including informal assessment, standardised assessments relevant to the client group
• Knowledge of evidence-based practice / service developments in relation to specialism
• In-depth knowledge of national policies and procedures relevant to the specialism
• Differential diagnosis of patients with multiple aetiologies
• Assessment/knowledge of alternative/ augmentative communication systems
• Involvement in audit/clinical governance within Speech and Language Therapy
• Use of outcome measures and evidence-based practice
• Involvement with patient forums
• Involvement with relevant voluntary organisations

Desirable

• Specialist knowledge in assessment related to autism diagnosis

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).

Employer details
Employer name: East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Ipswich Hospital, Heath Road, Ipswich, IP4 5PD, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.esneft.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Professional Lead Speech and Language Therapist
Kate Harrall
Kate.Harrall@esneft.nhs.uk
01473935405

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.