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 basis to cover maternity leave until 27th August 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 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 - Apply through our website.

Details
Date posted: 15 July 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-HR535-26
Job locations: Colchester Hospital, Colchester, CO4 5JL, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
For full details of the responsibilities and 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.

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: Colchester Hospital, Colchester, CO4 5JL, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Clinical Lead-Speech and Language Therapy
Helen King
helen.king@esneft.nhs.uk